Changing Faces, Changing Lives
Education
Changing Faces, Changing Lives
Supporting future surgeons
Craniofacial Australia has a proud history of supporting education and upskilling programs for surgeons and clinical teams in countries where resources are limited. Our programs extend across Indonesia, UK and beyond.
We are committed to sharing knowledge and advancing best-practice care worldwide. By supporting and training the next generation of surgeons, we help them hone their skills and in turn, deliver life-changing best-practice treatment and rehabilitation for patients.
These are the programs we proudly fund:
bristol cleft fellowship
Now in its third year, the Bristol Cleft Fellowship provides senior trainees with the required knowledge, skills and mindset to start independent practice as a consultant cleft surgeon within a multidisciplinary cleft team. This is an important collaboration between the South West Cleft Services, The Cleft Collective and Craniofacial Australia.
Based at the University Hospital North Bristol and Weston General Hospital (UK), the program provides hands-on training as well as crucial research into the largest cleft lip and palate research program in the world – The Cleft Collective. The Cleft Collective cohort studies investigates the biological and environmental causes of cleft, treatment and impact on cleft patients.
Indonesian Lecture Series
Craniofacial Australia is proud to continue its series of online lectures with Dr Soetomo Hospital and Airlangga University Medical School in Indonesia. Led by our Board Member and Oral & Maxillofacial Specialist, Dr Ben Grave, the program provides vital professional development for the next generation of craniofacial multi-disciplinary teams.
By building skills and sharing expertise, we are helping to deliver better outcomes for patients in Indonesia.
2023 Bristol Cleft Fellow
Dr Nitisha Narayan
“I have had an incredible experience. The surgical aspect gave me hands-on experience which has given me confidence in preparing for my career in cleft surgery. The clinical work consisted of going to multi-disciplinary clinics, speech investigation clinics and more. I was also grateful to have been part of The Cleft Collective and have gone on to present my research projects at several scientific meetings”
Nitisha’s Publications include:
– Antibiotic prophylaxis for the prevention of fistulae in cleft palate repair: A quality improvement study
– Is Cleft Lip repair in older children associated with higher complication rates? A post-pandemic review.
– Outcomes of Furlow Palatoplasty in cleft related VPD and SMCP in a single centre
– Faltering growth in Cleft Lip and Palate