Mission Leaders
George Trajtenberg, MD
Board Certified General Surgeon
George is a board certified general surgeon who has both participated in and led surgical teams to Haiti and Honduras for nearly two decades. It was through George’s leadership and 10 years worth of effort that the surgical program at Manos Amigas clinic in La Entrada, Honduras was nurtured through the years.
Now, in conjunction with Serving at the Crossroads, the clinic can provide surgical services through three operating rooms and a procedure room to hundreds of patients a week. George brings a wealth of both surgical and missionary knowledge to Blue Sky’s expanded efforts.
Seth Newman, MD, MBA
Board Certified General Surgeon
Seth is a board-certified general surgeon with international mission experience in Honduras, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. A leader in his 12-physician surgical group and hospital, he has also been organizing and leading multidisciplinary medical missions since 2007, combining general, trauma and oncologic surgery, neurosurgery, obstetric and gynecological teams, family medicine and pediatrics. His teams have worked with both US and host-country residents-in-training to foster a critical educational component for patients, families, and the next generation of physicians.
Patricia Davis, M.D.
Board Certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist
Patty is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist who is passionate about providing exceptional, compassionate, and equitable care to patients. She is dedicated to empowering women through education and provides comprehensive maternity, gynecologic surgical, and preventative women’s health care. She serves as the OB/GYN Residency Program Director at Jefferson Abington Hospital, where she is involved in teaching residents and medical students. She received her B.S. from Cornell University’s College of Engineering and completed medical school and residency training at the University of Connecticut.
John J. Russell, MD, FAAPF
Board Certified, Family Medicine
John J. Russell, MD, FAAFP, a graduate of Penn State College of Medicine, completed his residency in Family Medicine at Abington Memorial Hospital in Abington, Pennsylvania, where he served as co-chief resident. He is currently the Chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Associate Program Director of the Family Medicine Residency Program at Jefferson Abington Hospital and a clinical professor of Family and Community Medicine at Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dr Russell has led numerous multi-disciplinary, primary care teams on medical mission trips in el Progresso, Honduras and Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. He has found these experiences to be transformative as both a clinician and as an educator.
Gerry Cleary, D.O.
Board Certified, Pediatrics
Dr. Cleary is Chief of Staff and Chief Medical Officer, Senior Vice President for Abington-Jefferson Health since 2017. Prior, he served as Abington Hospital’s Chief of Neonatology after serving as Medical Director since 2006. He is the Senior Patient Safety Officer for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Dr. Cleary has been participating in international medical volunteer care and education since 2014.
A graduate of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Cleary completed an internship at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and a residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Dr. Cleary completed a fellowship in Neonatology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in 1997. He graduated from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health with a Master’s degree in Health Care Management in 2018.