The Trainee Section was created in 2022 to unite trainees of all disciplines who are passionate about improving global cleft care. The trainees across the United Kingdom provide a valuable network of facilitating and promoting regional audit and education on sustainable global surgery, as well as developing CLEFT’s presence at regional events. The Trainee Section also provides a forum for trainees to discuss global cleft surgery with opportunities to feed into CLEFT’s wider international steering groups.
You can find out who are Trainees are in our Team section - or by clicking here.
This June, Marie Pinkstone (CLEFT Trustee) and Izzy Snape, one of our Trainee section members, introduced CLEFT to Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) students at University College London. Their presentation coincided with the North Thames Cleft Service's lectures at Great Ormond Street Hospital and aimed to showcase CLEFT's history, ethos, and opportunities for involvement. Read more
The annual conference held by the Craniofacial Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2024 took place in Manchester this April. The conference is always a fantastic opportunity for new and experienced clinicians to meet and share information on a wide variety of subjects. CLEFT was very proud to see three members of the Trainee Section deliver presentations, and one member contributed to an academic poster. Read more
Shonnelly Novintan has created some insightful videos by collaborating with clinicians from the CLEFT Trustee board and steering committees. The videos look at why they pursued their chosen career paths, what their motivation was for joining the CLEFT charity and what advice they would give trainee surgeons thinking about pursuing a career in cleft care. Read more
Izzy joined the Trainee Section at the end of 2023 and has been an important and valued member of the group since then, working to raise awareness of Speech and Language Therapy amongst young cleft professionals. Izzy's path to joining the Trainee Section took a few steps over a few weeks and was an important journey for both Izzy and Shonnelly (Trainee Section Chair) to take together. Read more
Will and Shonnelly, the Chairs of the CLEFT Trainee Section, conquered the Dorney Duathlon and raised an amazing £1223. Read more
Shonnelly Novintan is Chair of the Trainee Section and is one of the founding members of this group. The Trainee Section has quietly and carefully found its place within the charity and we are exceptionally proud of the group's enthusiasm and commitment. Shonnelly has some exciting plans for the year ahead so watch this space! Read more
If you are a trainee working in one of the specialties of cleft care and interested in being part of our Trainee Section, find out here how you can get involved. Read more
Find out what our Trainee Section is up to and the projects they are involved with. Read more