Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital

The Cleft and Craniofacial Center at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital

The Cleft and Craniofacial Center at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital is staffed by a team of experienced and dedicated physicians and other professionals who are committed to providing leading-edge care to children with craniofacial anomalies and their families. The core members of our team include, but are not restricted to:

• Pediatrician
• Nurse care coordinator
• Pediatric craniofacial surgeon
• Pediatric neurosurgeon
• Orthodontist
• Pediatric dentist
• Speech-language pathologist
• Feeding specialist
• Pediatric otolaryngologist
• Audiologist
• Parent advocate
• Social worker
• Pediatric psychologist
• Geneticist
• Nutritionist

Other specialists available for consultation and treatment include a pediatric ophthalmologist, pediatric radiologist, pediatric anesthesiologist, pediatric pulmonologist and a pediatric intensivist.

The Importance of Team Care

We believe the treatment of patients with craniofacial anomalies is best – and most effectively – provided by an interdisciplinary team of specialists. Here are a few of the many reasons team care can be so effective:

• Optimal care for patients with craniofacial anomalies is provided by teams that see sufficient numbers of patients each year, which helps maintain clinical expertise in diagnosis and treatment
• The optimal time for the first evaluation is within the first few weeks of life; however, referral for team evaluation and management is appropriate for patients at any age
• Team members make every effort to assist the family in adjusting to the birth of a child with a craniofacial anomaly and the consequent demands and stress placed upon the family
• Treatment plans are developed and implemented on the basis of team recommendations
• Care is coordinated by the team but is provided at the local level whenever possible
• Complex diagnostic and surgical procedures should be restricted to major centers with the appropriate facilities and experienced care providers

Our Goal

We strive to develop treatment plans that improve the lives of our patients and their families. To do this successfully, our experienced team members work with the patient's primary care physician, as well as the patient's family members, to determine a reasonable course of therapy for the patient.

Our Commitment

Our team is fully committed to offering our patients some of the best and newest treatment modalities. We consistently research – and implement – new and innovative ways to improve therapies for not only our patients but also for other craniofacial patients around the world.