Latest Blogs

Below is a list of blogs written by ACPA members and the National Office Team.

If you are interested in writing a blog, please email Alyssa Kirkman for more information.

*Disclaimer-The American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association claims no responsibility for the content published by others on its web site. Published content does not imply endorsement of the organization or the content of the meetings.

Upcoming ACPA Webinars - Register Today!

By Alyssa Kirkman posted yesterday
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Earn continuing education credits at any time with on-demand courses on ACPA Online Learning . ACPA offers courses on a variety of topics, including Surgical Procedures,Speech and Audiology, Psychosocial Outcomes, Ethical Issues, Care Coordination and more. Register for a live or on-demand webinar today. All webinars are available as on-demand courses within a week. Upcoming live webinars include: Challenging Multilingual/Multicultural Cleft Cases in the U.S. and Abroad October 17, 2019 2:00 PM ET Anatomy of The Unilateral Cleft Nasal Deformity and Its Correction October 23, 2019 6:00 PM ET Ethical Considerations in Advertising Cleft ...
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ACPA Members Recognized with ASHA Award

By Alexis Giannattasio posted 5 days ago
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ACPA Members Mary M. O’Gara, MA, CCC-SLP, Lynn Marty Grames, MA, CCC-SLP and Jamie L. Perry, PhD, CCC-SLP are recipients of the 2019 Fellowship of the Association Award from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Fellowship is one of the highest honors the Association bestows, and the status of Fellow is retained for life. To be awarded Fellow, the nominee must have made outstanding contributions to the discipline of communication sciences and disorders. According to ASHA’s website , “The key word for this award is ‘ outstanding :’ the nominee must truly stand out among one's peers. The term implies contributions that are significant ...
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Issue 56.8 of The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal is now available

By ACPA posted 7 days ago
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The new issue of The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal (CPCJ) is now available. All ACPA Members receive a free subscription to CPCJ - just log-in to your ACPA account to access the online version.   Not a member and want journal access?  Join now ($240 for 2018 National Active Membership) or purchase an individual subscription ($324 for print and e-access). Morphology of the Musculus Uvulae In Vivo Using MRI and 3D Modeling Among Adults With Normal Anatomy and Preliminary Comparisons to Cleft Palate Anatomy Jamie L. Perry, PhD, Joshua Y. Chen, BS, Katelyn J. Kotlarek, MS, Abigail Haenssler, MS, Bradley P. Sutton, PhD, David P. Kuehn, PhD, Thomas ...
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2020 ACPA Association Awards and Professional Scholarships are Open

By ACPA posted 11 days ago
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The nomination period for ACPA’s 2020 Association Awards and the application period for ACPA’s Professional Scholarships are now open. ACPA Association Awards: Submit a nomination for the Honors of the Association, Distinguished Service Award, Emerging Leader Award, or Family Services Leadership Award. All nominations are due Friday, October 4, 2019. To nominate a candidate, visit https://acpa-cpf.org/about-acpa/honors-awards/ . Professional Scholarships: Consider applying for a scholarship. These awards offer cleft care providers the opportunity to engage in ACPA’s Annual Meeting. Members and nonmembers are welcome to apply. ACPA is accepting applications ...
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Connecticut Children's 3rd Annual Craniofacial Awareness Picnic

By Erin Mallis posted 13 days ago
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The Connecticut Children’s Craniofacial Team hosted its 3 rd Annual Craniofacial Awareness Picnic. The annual picnic aims to bring together families with children who receive craniofacial care at Connecticut Children’s. This year, there were games, arts and crafts, a raffle, a watermelon eating contest and great food. After the event, the team put together the following video that shows just how much fun the team had with all of their patients and families. Watch the video. September is Craniofacial Acceptance Month. Share your team stories and activities with ACPA for a chance to be featured on the blog and/or social media
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ACPA Approved Team Receives Proclamation in Durham

By Alexis Giannattasio posted 26 days ago
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Members of the ACPA Approved Team at Duke Cleft and Craniofacial Center celebrated National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Month by receiving a proclamation from their local government. On August 5, many members of the team gathered together at City Hall for a presentation of the proclamation. Marilyn Taylor, a 7-year old Durham County resident and a patient of the team, accepted the proclamation along with Dr. Jeffrey Marcus, the Duke Program's Director.   Thank you for spreading awareness with us, Duke Cleft and Craniofacial Center! Continue sharing your team news, stories and activities with us for a chance to be featured on the blog and/or social ...
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Abstracts for ACPA's Annual Meeting Due September 9

By Alyssa Kirkman posted 29 days ago
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ACPA’s 77th Annual Meeting, March 31 – April 4, 2020 in Portland, OR is now accepting abstracts.  All ACPA members and interested nonmembers are invited to submit abstracts on new research, developing information or instructional courses on cleft lip/palate and craniofacial anomalies. The Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Team shared why they love to attend ACPA’s Annual Meeting. Watch the video. Why do you attend the meeting? Let us know! The deadline to submit an abstract to ACPA’s 77 th Annual Meeting is September 9, 2019. For more information about abstract submissions, visit ACPA’s website. #AnnualMe
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Earn CE From Anywhere with ACPA On-Demand Courses

By ACPA posted 08-16-2019
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You can earn continuing education credits from your desk - or your couch - when you have a break in your busy schedule.  ACPA Online Learning offers credits through on-demand courses. Just register for a course and you can start earning CEUs on your schedule.  Interested in an upcoming webinar but can't attend a live session? All webinars are available as on-demand courses within a week. ACPA offers courses on a variety of topics, including: Surgical Procedures Speech and Audiology Psychosocial Outcomes Ethical Issues Care Coordination And more. Register for a live or on-demand webinar today.  Upcoming live webinars include: ...
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Baylor Scott & White (Temple & College Station) Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Team Proclamations

By Alexis Giannattasio posted 08-15-2019
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National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Month has ended, but we are continuing to spread awareness activities and stories all year long. Baylor Scott & White (Temple & College Station) Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Team celebrated awareness month by receiving proclamations and presenting to local government officials.  "On June 27, 2019, the Mayor of College Station, Karl Mooney, presented Beautiful Community Smiles Cleft Palate Team a proclamation during its monthly town hall meeting. The mayor and many of his staff were not aware of what cleft palate was until our team sent a request. He dutifully noted he did 'a little research'. In Temple, we ...
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You’re Invited to ACPA’s Library Reading

By Catherine Choi posted 08-13-2019
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ACPA Approved Teams, members, patients and families worked to spread awareness during the month of July by sharing stories, hosting events and posting on social media. Awareness month has ended, but ACPA is continuing to spread awareness all year long. On Monday, August 19 at 10:30 am, ACPA is hosting a reading at the Chapel Hill Public Library–and you’re invited! Join ACPA for a reading of We’re All Wonders , followed by a discussion about cleft and craniofacial conditions. We hope you will join us on Monday and help us spread the word by inviting your team, patients and their families! Interested in hosting your own awareness event? Email your awareness ...
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ACPA Publications for the New School Year

By Alexis Giannattasio posted 08-09-2019
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It’s almost time again for students to head back to the classroom. As students prepare for the upcoming transition, they may anticipate new friends, new teachers and a new class. To help with the nearing changes, ACPA offers Help with Social Situations and To the Teacher of a Child with Cleft . These ACPA publications provide information developed by cleft and craniofacial experts in the field. Help with Social Situations and To the Teacher of a Child with Cleft both include information about teasing, answering questions from peers, helpful conversation starters and more. Sharing these factsheets with teachers and parents will not only ease the ...
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CHOC Children’s 3rd Annual Cleft/Craniofacial Family Event: The Luau!

By Raj Vyas posted 08-07-2019
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This July, we celebrated Cleft/Craniofacial Awareness Month with a Hawaiian Luau at the Santa Ana Zoo! In our 3 rd year, over 500 of our CHOC family joined together for delicious food and fun games like island face painting, Hula dancing, kids vs. volunteers tug-of-war, a 3-legged grass skirt race, and many more. Kids and parents lined up to take aim at their surgeons, nurses, and clinic staff – all sacrificed again and again in our first (surely annual) Dunk Tank Revenge! Once again, the annual Talent Show amazed us all and dozens of families intricately illustrated their stories in our Journey Poster Fair. While their friends celebrate the end of school ...
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Issue 56.7 of The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal is now available

By ACPA posted 08-05-2019
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The new issue of The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal (CPCJ) is now available. All ACPA Members receive a free subscription to CPCJ - just log-in to your ACPA account to access the online version.   Not a member and want journal access?  Join now ($240 for 2018 National Active Membership) or purchase an individual subscription ($324 for print and e-access). Eighteen-Year Follow-Up of 160 Consecutive Individuals Born With Unilateral Cleft Lip or Cleft Lip and Alveolus Treated by the Oslo Cleft Lip and Palate Team Emeline Mandal, DDS, Charles Filip, MD, PhD, Maud Els-Marie Andersson, DDS, PhD, Bjørn Øgaard, DDS, PhD Cleft and Craniofacial Team ...
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Spreading Awareness in Baltimore

By Stephanie Boblooch posted 07-31-2019
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The Greater Baltimore Cleft Lip and Palate Team hosted our Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Picnic on July 20th at a park in Baltimore.  Patients and their families attended, as well as team providers and their families. It was our largest attended event to date! Patients that attended ranged from age of 3 months to 10-years-old. The weather was very hot that day, and we stayed cool in the shaded pavilion with misting fans while we ate lunch together. We had several new families attend that were able to make connections with other families on our team. We love having events that create a stronger sense of community and connection within our team. The kids ...
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Geisinger Cleft Lip and Palate Team’s Awareness Event

By Alexis Giannattasio posted 07-29-2019
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July is coming to a close, but ACPA Approved Teams are continuing to spread cleft and craniofacial awareness across the country. Last Friday, the Geisinger Cleft Lip and Palate Team hosted a fun-filled awareness event at Knoebel’s Amusement Park for patients, families and providers. “On July 19 th , Geisinger’s Cleft Team held their 1 st Annual Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Event at Knoebel’s Amusement Park. It was a great opportunity for patients and their families to interact with each other, as well as the cleft care providers and their families. They were able to share experiences and offer support and encouragement to each other. The patients and ...
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You’re Invited to Submit an Abstract to ACPA’s 77th Annual Meeting

By ACPA posted 07-26-2019
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ACPA’s 77th Annual Meeting, March 31 – April 4, 2020 in Portland, OR is now accepting abstracts.  All ACPA members and interested nonmembers are invited to submit abstracts on new research, developing information or instructional courses on cleft lip/palate and craniofacial anomalies. ACPA Members Erin Shope, D.M.D., Clinton Morrison, M.D., and Melisande J. Ploutz, P.N.P., from the ACPA Approved Team at UR Medicine's Golisano Children's Hospital are working on their abstracts. While at their team’s Cleft and Craniofacial Camp to celebrate awareness month, they took a quick break to remind everyone to submit an abstract. Watch the video. The deadline to ...
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The Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters Craniofacial Center (CHKD) Spreads Awareness

By Karen Via posted 07-25-2019
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The Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters Craniofacial Center (CHKD) is celebrating National Cleft & Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month in July! This year legislation was passed to make July the state’s official Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness & Prevention Month in the state of Virginia! This initiation, made by the craniofacial program leadership and CHKD’s public relations department, is a great accomplishment for our patients, CHKD’s Craniofacial Center, and the state. To celebrate our patients and the CHKD Craniofacial Center we have had banners made to place in the hospital lobby.  For our patients seen in craniofacial clinic ...
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Spreading Awareness in Atlanta

By Alexis Giannattasio posted 07-24-2019
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The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Center for Cleft and Craniofacial Disorders, an ACPA Approved Team, is working to spread cleft and craniofacial awareness this month. On Thursday, July 11, the team set up an informational table outside of the cafeteria in their hospital during lunch hours. The table included helpful resources and educational information about cleft and craniofacial differences. Two of the team’s patients, born with Treacher Collins, were excited to join the team for this opportunity to spread awareness. The team was glad to report this event was, “well received and very educational.” What is your team doing to spread awareness? Email ...
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Training Courses for Cleft and Craniofacial Professionals

By ACPA posted 07-19-2019
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ACPA offers online education for all cleft and craniofacial professionals. Visit ACPA Online Learning to take an on-demand course at any time – or to register for an upcoming webinar. All webinars are available as on-demand courses within a week of the live session. ACPA offers courses on a variety of topics, including: Surgical Procedures Speech and Audiology Psychosocial Outcomes Ethical Issues Care Coordination And more. Register for a live or on-demand webinar today.   Register at least 10 days before the webinar and use code EARLYBIRD to receive the discounted rate. View ACPA’s catalog of courses to view pricing and continuing education ...
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ACPA Approved Teams Spread Awareness with Proclamations

By Erin Mallis posted 07-17-2019
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ACPA Approved Teams across the country are spreading awareness about cleft and craniofacial differences this month. Many teams received proclamations from local city and state governments, officially recognizing July as National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Month. The ACPA Approved Teams at Duke Cleft and Craniofacial Center, West Virginia Medicine Cleft Craniofacial Team and McLane Children's Specialty Clinic received proclamations from their local government and have presented or will present at local town council meetings. In addition to receiving a proclamation, the West Virginia Medicine Cleft Craniofacial Team is continuing its awareness celebration ...
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