Abdi Dereje Tolera

Adbi Dereje Tolera is a physician and public health specialist. Prior to becoming Smile Train's Program Assistant for Ethiopia, he led national cleft lip and palate guidelines, birth defect roadmaps, and multi-regional surgical campaigns at the Ethiopian Ministry of Health. As a physician, his focus areas include: integrating birth defect screening, assistive technology, and rehabilitation into primary care systems while strengthening referral networks for birth defect management, including cleft lip and palate care. Beyond his role at Smile Trian, he is also currently working in public health at Saint Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College in Addis Ababa.