Dr JM Dippenaar obtained his MBChB (1993) and MMed (Anes) (2004) from the University of Pretoria. After qualification as specialist he remained in academic medicine, first as a consultant in the Department of Anesthesiology at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital, and now as principal specialist and clinical head of Anesthesia in the department of Maxillo-Facial-Oral Surgery unit at the Oral an Dental Hospital of the University of Pretoria. His interests include anaesthesia for children with facial deformities (Cleft Lip and Palate), and he is a volunteer for Operation Smile SA (an NGO committed to providing free surgery to children with facial deformities).