Making a lifetime commitment to caring for the health of children, Amanda Gosman has traveled the globe.

Gosman, 35, is a plastic surgeon at UCSD Medical Center and Children’s Hospital specializing in cleft lip and palate microsurgery. She says her work is very rewarding in that she gets to see the results of her efforts as the children she treats grow into young adults.

Plastic surgery was not Gosman’s first career choice. She set out to become an architect but didn’t like the criticism. She wanted to interact with people one-on-one and likes being able to help and educate others.

“And I love to travel,” she says. “I wanted an international career.”

It was in high school that Gosman fell in love with travel. She participated in an exchange student program that sent her to Egypt. Now she volunteers with mobile medical units and has gone to places such as the Dominican Republic and Laos.

“I’m satisfied that I’ve been able to integrate long-term goals with a career,” she says. “It’s rare to have a job you enjoy and not let it take over your life.”

When not on the road, Gosman lives in Point Loma and spends time with family.