Mobley Foundation Offers Free Ear Pinning to Bullied Utah Children

A Salt Lake City facial plastic surgeon is highlighting National Bullying Prevention Month with a Utah family’s story about free otoplasty for a child bullied over prominent ears. The Mobley Foundation for Charitable Surgery has provided the operation to dozens of children since 2006 and now helps families who cannot afford the procedure.

Why it matters: - Bullying tied to appearance can affect a child’s confidence and school experience. - Free ear pinning gives qualifying families access to surgery they could not otherwise afford. - The foundation’s work extends a niche procedure to children who are documented as being teased or bullied.

What happened: - Dr. Steven Mobley, a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon in Salt Lake City, is marking National Bullying Prevention Month this October. - A Utah family shared how free otoplasty through the Mobley Foundation for Charitable Surgery helped their child. - The family’s story appears in a new video posted this week on Mobley MD’s Facebook and Instagram pages. - The family is available for interviews.

The details: - The Mobley Foundation for Charitable Surgery is a 501(c)(3) charity founded by Dr. Steven Mobley in 2006. - The foundation provides free ear pinning surgery for children bullied or teased because of prominent ears. - Children ages 6 to 18 can qualify when a teacher, counselor or school administrator documents the bullying or teasing. - The foundation also considers each family’s financial circumstances individually. - The program helps families facing significant financial hardship who could not otherwise afford surgery. - Since 2006, Dr. Mobley has performed free ear pinning surgery for dozens of children through the foundation. - Dr. Mobley donates his surgical fee and receives no pay for running the foundation. - The foundation pays the surgical facility and anesthesia fees. - Dr. Mobley said he was teased about his ears throughout grade school and had otoplasty at age 19 after his freshman year of college. - “I’ve been exactly where these kids are,” Dr. Mobley said. “Giving that confidence back is why I started the foundation.” - Families can learn more by calling Mobley MD Facial Plastic Surgery at (801) 449-9990.

Between the lines: - Dr. Mobley’s personal experience with ear-related teasing appears to be a major driver of the charity’s focus. - The foundation turns a cosmetic procedure into a targeted anti-bullying intervention for children with documented need. - The effort also reflects a broader model of physician-led charitable surgery that covers not only the operation but the facility and anesthesia costs. - Dr. Mobley wrote the otoplasty chapter in Bailey’s Head & Neck Surgery–Otolaryngology, a textbook surgeons train on. - He performs 20 to 30 or more otoplasty surgeries each year, compared with about 5 to 6 a year for the average U.S. surgeon, according to AAFPRS survey data. - Dr. Mobley has practiced facial plastic surgery in Salt Lake City since 2002. - He is a Fellow of the AAFPRS and the former Associate Professor of Surgery and Director of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Utah. - He has given more than 85 lectures to surgeons at national and international meetings and has authored more than 50 published works. - His charitable work totals more than $100,000 in combined charitable surgery and donations. - Dr. Mobley has received the American Red Cross Hero Award and volunteers as a surgeon for survivors of domestic violence through the AAFPRS Foundation’s FACE TO FACE program.

What’s next: - The foundation is continuing to accept and review families who meet the age, documentation and financial-hardship criteria. - Mobley MD is directing interested families to call for more information. - The public-facing video and interviews may extend the campaign’s visibility during National Bullying Prevention Month.

The bottom line: - Dr. Mobley’s foundation is using free otoplasty to help bullied Utah children gain confidence and remove a visible target for teasing.