Caring for Cleft

Brought to you by Transforming Cleft, Caring for Cleft tells stories of Comprehensive Cleft Care around the world.

Episodes

From Isolation to Comprehensive Care: Caring for Cleft in Bulgaria

February 3, 2026 • 21 mins

Parent powered advocacy propels cleft care forward. In this episode we listen-in to the insights of three dedicated cleft professionals: Professor Youri Anastassov, Jana Angelova and Gareth Davies. Together, they are supporting a vision where families, cleft professionals, and NGOs work together to effect change. Their inspiring stories point to the transformation of a generation of cleft patients in Bulgaria.

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Comprehensive Cleft Care Solutions in a Time of Crisis

February 3, 2026 • 25 mins

COVID-19 has unleashed extraordinary disruption to the delivery of cleft care worldwide. In today’s episode, we explore how a diverse group of global cleft professionals is rallying toward seeing children and families receive the best care possible -- even amidst the ongoing pandemic. Matt Fell (Cleft Charity, UK), Karen Goldshmied (Smile Train, Chile), Jayanth BS (ABMSS, India) and Neeti Daftari (Circle of Cleft Professional...

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Building Momentum for Cleft Psychosocial Care: Bolivia and the UK

February 3, 2026 • 24 mins

Will my child be supported and accepted in our family? At school? In the community? Beyond the immediate medical concerns of feeding and securing a safe and effective surgery, parents with a cleft-affected child worry about the long-term social, emotional and psychological implications of the condition. While progress has been made in some High-Income Countries (HICs), cleft psychosocial support isn’t often accessible in Low ...

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The Transforming Faces Story

February 3, 2026 • 24 mins

In 1999, Transforming Faces was founded with a mission of delivering comprehensive care to children born with cleft lip and palate around the world. Twenty years later, we revisit our history with some of the organization's key stakeholders, including co-founders Jackie Elton and Jo Jamieson, longtime Executive Director, Esteban Lasso and local partner, Suraj Subramaniyan.

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Innovators in Action: Speech and Surgery Collaboration in Ethiopia and Tanzania

February 3, 2026 • 24 mins

Comprehensive Cleft Care professionals in Africa are innovators. Traditional volunteer outreach/mission models are being replaced – new systems are required.

With skilled local surgeons in place, addressing the need for speech therapy in their cleft patients is an important challenge. A new generation of cleft teams embrace it!

In part one of this two-part series, host Hugh Brewster sits down with four inspiri...

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Towards Face Equality

February 3, 2026 • 15 mins

A shared experience for everyone with a cleft lip is standing out from their peers. Even after successful surgeries, a facial difference can remain. In this episode, we welcome James Partridge (OBE) from the UK, Indian surgeon Dr. Manu Prasad, and Julieta Perondi from Argentina to discuss the difficulties of living with a facial anomaly, as well as strategies that support families in seeing their children thrive. We note with sadne...

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How a 3D Cleft Palate Simulator is Transforming Cleft Surgery

February 3, 2026 • 25 mins

Learn how a new training tool called the 3D Cleft Palate Simulator is transforming surgical results and improving the way surgeons are performing cleft palate repairs. In this episode, we speak with the creator of the simulator, Dr. Dale Podolsky, as well as Dr. Christopher Forrest, Division Head of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at SickKids Hospital. We also hear from Dr. Carlos Giugliano and Dr. Veronica Caller Farfan ...

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Completing the Circle

February 3, 2026 • 20 mins

Having a cleft can have a lasting impact. For our guests - Nang Ei Ei Phyu (Gift), Angelica Campos and Dr. Camila Caro - their unique cleft journeys drew them in to pursing careers in the cleft profession. Join Executive Director, Hugh Brewster, as we explore how the impact of cleft lip and palate at a young age has shaped the future of these inspiring comprehensive cleft care professionals.

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Launching the Speech Profession in Ethiopia

February 3, 2026 • 30 mins

Children born with cleft often require speech therapy to learn to communicate clearly. In 2019, the first cohort of speech therapists will be graduating from a brand new undergraduate speech program in Ethiopia! Today, we hear from Dr. Mekonen Eshete and Berhane Abera at Yekatit 12 Hospital, Marci Rose from TAAAC, and two of the students themselves about this new program. Learn more at: transformingfaces.org

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Cleft Surgery in East Africa - Progress to Celebrate!

February 3, 2026 • 23 mins

20 years ago, treatment options for children born with cleft in a typical East African village were very limited. But over the past two decades, local health professionals have been growing new approaches to address the needs of children born with cleft lip and palate in Africa, and beyond. Today’s episode of Caring for Cleft focuses on an area of burgeoning hope and progress: the inspiring efforts of a growing number of surge...

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The Madagascar Mission: A New Model of Care

February 3, 2026 • 17 mins

Historically, cleft in Madagascar was treated by foreign volunteers via a fly-in-fly-out surgical model. An infant with a cold during the “mission” dates may be excluded from surgery for a year or more! Clinique Santé Plus, in partnership with Transforming Faces and USA-based NGO Smile Train, has built the first CCC centre in Antsirabe, Madagascar and is working to inspire change nationally. In this podcast, we discuss the fi...

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