Symposium
About
Individuals born with cleft lip and palate spend their formative years living with facial differences. While each personal journey is unique, some commonly shared experiences are described by these individuals.
Rasheera Dopson, MPH, our guest speaker, is a nationally recognized motivational speaker and author. Born with Goldenhaar Syndrome and VATERL, Ms. Dopson has dedicated her life to providing support, education, and inspiration to others with craniofacial differences based on her learned experience. Her uplifting and informative presentation gives a voice to individuals looking for positive ways to deal with the inherent challenges of living with facial differences.
A concise, comprehensive overview of cleft care considering all aspects of surgery, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, speech pathology, and otolaryngology will start the day. This will be followed by a panel discussion of Individual Lived Experiences led by Ms. Dopson and three young adults who have been cared for by the Saint John’s Cleft Palate Team throughout their lives.
Three specialized workshops will be presented in the afternoon, including Speech Therapy Do’s and Don’ts, Orthodontics and Clear Aligners, and Family Lived Experiences. These workshops will provide participants the opportunity to engage in more specialized and in-depth discussions on these various aspects of cleft treatment.
A Look Back at the 2024 Synposium
Rasheera Dopson, MPH
Keynote Guest Speaker
Rasheera Dopson, MPH, our guest speaker, is a nationally recognized motivational speaker and author. Born with Goldenhaar Syndrome and VATERL, Ms. Dopson has dedicated her life to providing support, education, and inspiration to others with craniofacial differences based on her learned experience. Her uplifting and informative presentation gives a voice to individuals looking for positive ways to deal with some of the inherent challenges of living with facial differences.
Cleft Palate Symposium Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to explain the roles of interdisciplinary team care for optimal patient outcomes
Participants will be able to describe common issues in the cleft population
Participants will be able to identify new techniques in cleft care appropriate to their specialty.
Participants will be able to identify barriers patients and families face due to psychosocial, financial, and gender-related implicit biases.
Comprehensive Team Care for Children with Clefts: Panel Moderator: Danelle Fisher, MD
7:45 AM - Welcome
8:00 AM - Surgery: Thinking for Today but Planning for Tomorrow | Reza Jarrahy, MD, Plastic Surgeon
8:25 AM - Orthodontics is More Than Just Straightening Teeth | Stanley Miyawaki, DMD, MS, Orthodontist
8:50 AM - Baby Teeth: What’s the Big Deal Anyway? | Carrie Loewen, DDS, Pediatric Dentist
9:15 AM - Speech Therapy and Then Some! | Julia Hobbs, MA, CCC-SLP, Speech Pathologist
9:40 AM - What Do Ears Have to Do With Clefts? | Abbas Anwar, MD, Otolaryngologist
10:05 AM - Discussion
10:15 AM - Coffee Break
Facial Differences: Individual Lived Experiences
10:30 AM - The Nuanced Experiences of Living with a Facial Difference and the Tension that Providers Need to Understand | Rasheera Dopson, MPH - Keynote Guest Speaker
11:15 AM - Patient Panel: Individual Experiences | Moderator: Julia Hobbs, MA, CCC-SLP | Rasheera Dopson, MPH | Ace Ellis | Lisa Fast | Jairo Ibarra
12:15 PM - Discussion
12:30 PM - Lunch
Specialized Workshops
1:15 PM - Workshops A. Cleft Speech Therapy: Do’s and Don’ts - Julia Hobbs, MA, CCC-SLP | Megan McCormick, MA, CCC-SLP | Aaron Tanner, MA, CCC-SLP | Barbara Moore, MA, CCC-SLP B. Clear Aligner Treatment for Clefts and More - Amy Gimlen, DDS, MS | Stanley Miyawaki, DMD MS | Amir Dadgar-Yeganeh, DDS, MS | Shiva Borukhim, DDS | Reza Jarrahy, MD | Aaron Tanner, MA, CCC-SLP C. Living With Facial Differences: The Family Lived Experience - Danelle Fisher, MD | Jacqui LoBosco, PhD | Rasheera Dopson, MPH | Ace Ellis | Lisa Fast | Jairo Ibarra | Aguillera Family | Garza Family | Langsdale Family
4:00 PM - Adjourn