Brian Sommerlad, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Chair of Trustees For over 40 years, I have been involved in operating on babies, children and adults who have been born with cleft lip and/or palate. Expand Although I have now retired from the National Health Service, I continued to operate both in the UK and in many countries abroad. As a plastic surgeon, I have been involved in many aspects of surgical reconstruction. However, I have increasingly focused on the challenge of trying to improve results in surgery for clefts. I have been aware of the lack of good quality data on techniques and outcomes and have tried to make some contributions in these areas. Travelling to many countries has convinced me of the need to try to help in improving care for children born with clefts in resource-poor countries. Most efforts by charities rely on flying in western teams for short visits or paying local surgeons to carry out the operations in private hospitals. Neither of these approaches builds for the future. If these NGOs disappeared, they would have had a negative impact in the long-term. In 2007, with Maddie Holmes (grandmother of a patient) and inspired by John Kettleborough (an ex-patient) we set up the charity CLEFT, with the aim of funding research to be carried out by the North Thames Cleft Team in Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and the St Andrew’s Centre, Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, and also to support cleft lip and palate teams in resource-poor countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Egypt and Kurdistan. We have achieved a lot but there is much more to be done – helping to bridge the gaps in knowledge about the causes and treatment of clefts and trying to bridge the gaps between treatment in countries like the UK and countries like Bangladesh. In addition to being the current chairman of CLEFT, I am currently trying to split my time between looking after my own patients, regularly visiting the centres that we support overseas, and also keeping in touch with my own family of five children and currently fourteen grandchildren. It would be better if there were more hours in the day and more days in the year! http://www.sommerlad.co.uk/
Richard Allan I became aware of CLEFT through discussion with Brian Sommerlad and was invited to become a trustee. Expand I am particularly interested in the work that our charity does overseas and have travelled to Bangladesh five times. It has been enormously satisfying to see the comprehensive cleft care centre in Dhaka developing and to get to know the key people involved. Much has been achieved, but there is so much more to do.There is the prospect of establishing other centres along similar lines. Sustainability is of paramount importance and this cannot be achieved overnight. Our charity sets itself long term goals so we need to continually plan ahead. I come from a business background and have wide experience in several industries. I hold a masters degree in business administration and have chaired audit committees in a number of major organizations. Helpful when producing action plans and budgets for our overseas projects.
Marie Pinkstone I am delighted and honoured to be a trustee of CLEFT. CLEFT is a charity that represents my values and commitment to research and treatment for patients and families affected by cleft. Expand My background is Lead Speech and Language Therapist for the North Thames Cleft Service based at St Andrews Hospital in Chelmsford and Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. I have worked in the service following its establishment in 2002 and have been working in the field of cleft lip and palate since 1997. My clinical speciality as enabled me to support CLEFT projects in Uganda, Ghana and in Bangladesh. Through working in new and challenging environments I have seen first hand the positive impact that Cleft brings to the patient journey with every penny raised influencing patient care and research. My focus is to improve all patient experience and clinical outcomes.. a focus that is shared with my fellow board members.
Debbie Sell, Senior Research Fellow/ Speech and Language Therapist Dr Debbie Sell is a Senior Research Fellow at Great Ormond Street Hospital and until 2018, Speech and Language Therapist in the North Thames Regional Cleft Service. Expand Previously in managerial and leadership roles in GOSH, Debbie now focuses on research, mentoring, supervision, teaching and independent clinical practice. Her PhD study in Sri Lanka (speech in patients with unoperated and late operated cleft palate) led to its Speech and Language Therapy training course. She has led on developing and testing speech outcome tools in cleft palate/VPI, setting standards for measuring speech outcomes and has participated in several multicentre national and international studies of speech outcome. Debbie’s current interests are parents undertaking articulation therapy in children with cleft palate supported by therapists and technology and is a Founder and co-Director with Dr Triona Sweeney of Speech at Home. CLEFT - Bridging the Gap funded the GOSH arm of the P.L.A.T. randomised controlled trial and was really fantastic at helping secure funding for the devlopment of the Speech@Home website. If you would like to listen to Debbie reflecting on research into speech and language therapy, please click here. [email protected]; [email protected] Twitter @debbie_sell
Raouf Chorbachi, Consultant Audio-Vestibular Physician Dr Chorbachi is Consultant Audio-Vestibular Physician for the North Thames Cleft Services at Great Ormond Street Hospital and St Andrew's Centre, Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford. Expand
Matt Fell I am excited to work with the CLEFT charity team, as part of the UK’s collaborative effort to help improve cleft care in the UK and overseas. Expand I am the Cleft Surgeon at the Welsh Centre for Cleft Lip and Palate. I have an Honorary Fellowship position to perform epidemiological cleft research with the Cleft Collective at the University of Bristol. Being able to contribute to global cleft care has always been very important to me. Being involved with CLEFT allows me to work amongst a great team to help improve the provision of cleft care for patients and their families living in resource-poor settings. If you would like to listen to Matt examining the problems of inequalities in access to cleft care in lower income countries, please click here.
Bruce Richard Consultant Cleft Surgeon (retired). Expand I lived in in Nepal for 11 years, (1989-1999) where I set up a Plastic Surgery Department for the Government of Nepal, trained 7 Nepalese surgeons in Plastic Surgery, initiated a Randomised controlled trial in Cleft surgery, and investigated the facial nerve in leprosy. My passion was working with Nepalese colleagues to improve outcomes for the people of West Nepal. For the last 19 years, I have been a Consultant Cleft surgeon in Birmingham, developing the cleft service, teaching Plastic surgery, supporting national Cleft Audit, and initiating several cleft clinical research projects. I continue with 2 PhD students that I co-supervise on computer artificial Intelligence projects developing a better cleft aesthetic outcome measure and investigating why some children’s midface does not grow sop well after cleft surgery. The CLEFT International Charity objectives, completely encapsulates my passion for development and sustainability of improved Cleft care in Low and Middle Income Countries by the ethos and methodology stated in the Mission Statement. I would like to help those objectives become more of a reality. If you would like to hear more from Bruce about his experiences of working and living in Nepal, please click here.
David Sainsbury I am delighted to be a Trustee of CLEFT and am very enthusiastic at the prospect of helping teams around the world to provide the best possible care for individuals with a cleft. Expand I am a Consultant Cleft and Plastic Surgeon in Newcastle upon Tyne – where I live with my wife and three children. I trained in plastic surgery in North-East England and completed Advanced Training in Cleft Lip and Palate (Newcastle, Leeds, Nottingham, Edinburgh) and the Paediatric Plastic Surgery Fellowship (Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto). I am a founder member of the Cleft Multidisciplinary Collaborative which produces multicentre, cleft related research across the UK and beyond. I am an Honorary Tutor at the Wound Healing Research Unit, Cardiff University.
Paul Whittaker I began working with CLEFT as a filmmaker and photographer in 2016, initially to highlight the progress of the multi-disciplinary cleft centre CLEFT has helped create in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Expand Since then, I have continued to document CLEFT’s work in Bangladesh, Egypt and Kurdistan through video and photography. Additionally, my involvement with CLEFT has evolved over the last 5 years to include fundraising, attending regular trustee’s meetings, and online meetings with the team of clinicians in Bangladesh. Having spent many weeks with patients and their parents, filming in local villages, hospitals and workshops alongside the local medical teams, I have developed a good understanding of some of the complex issues facing children born with clefts, especially in places where multi-disciplinary cleft care may be difficult to access. I believe CLEFT’s focus on supporting and facilitating local medical teams to improve cleft care is highly important. These local teams undertake the vital work to ensure that long-term and sustainable cleft care is available to those who need it. I am honoured to be a part of supporting these efforts. In addition to my involvement with CLEFT, I have worked extensively supporting refugees in Greece and vulnerable people in the UK. I have a BA in Film from Falmouth University and an MA in Migration and Diaspora Studies from SOAS University of London. I currently work in adult social services at Bristol City Council.
Kate Le Marechal Dr Kate le Maréchal is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist who has worked as the Clinical Psychology Lead within the Evelina London Cleft Service since 2009. Expand Kate graduated from the University of Nottingham in 1996 with a first degree in Psychology (BA Hons) and obtained her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) in 2001 at University College London. On completing her clinical training, Kate began her Clinical Psychology career in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) before moving to National and Specialist CAMHS (Autism and Related Disorders). She also worked within an Adolescent Forensic Mental Health team at the Maudsley Hospital and was the Lead Clinical Psychologist for the Tuberous Sclerosis 2000 research study. Within the Evelina London Cleft Service, Kate is responsible for overseeing the psychological input for patients and families who require support across the lifespan. This includes providing interventions to help individuals cope with issues around identify and difference, self-confidence and self-esteem and dealing with bullying and teasing. Kate has always had a wider role within UK cleft care and has been the Clinical Psychology representative on the Cleft Development Group (CDG), the Cleft Clinical Reference Group (CRG) and within the UK Clinical Psychology Clinical Excellence Network (CEN). Kate was President of the Craniofacial Society of Great Britain and Ireland for 2014/2015 and hosted the National Conference in London in April 2015. She contributes to national research projects and has presented at a range of national and international conferences. Kate enjoys providing teaching and training to a range of audiences including medical and dental registrars and other health professionals as well as with Clinical Psychologists both pre and post qualification.
David Orr, Consultant Plastic Surgeon David Orr has been a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Our Lady's Children's Hospital and St James's Hospital, Dublin since 1998. Expand David has a long standing interest in developing surgical services in resource-poor environments and, since 2006, has been involved in a collaboration with Jimma University Hospital in Ethiopia and Operation Smile to develop a plastic surgery unit and a cleft treatment programme.
Triona Sweeney Dr Triona Sweeney (BA, MSc, PhD) is a Cleft Specialist Speech & Language Therapist. She is a Founder and co-Director with Dr Debbie Sell of Speech at Home, an online therapy resource centre which aims to empower parents of children with cleft palate to deliver speech therapy at home under the supervision of a speech and language therapist. Expand Triona previously worked at Temple Street Children’s University Hospital, Dublin until 2013, in different positions including Manager and Clinical Specialist in Cleft Palate and was a part-time lecturer and adjunct professor at the University of Limerick. Research interests include the perceptual and instrumental assessment of and parent led intervention for speech problems associated cleft palate and structurally related anomalies. Triona along with Drs Debbie Sell and Anne Harding Bell, developed the Cleft Audit Protocol for Speech-Augmented, which is used for mandatory audit in the UK and Ireland. She has several publications on cleft palate speech assessment and intervention. Since 2007, Triona has volunteered with Operation Smile Ireland and in 2009 became involved with Transforming Faces, focusing on the development of speech and language therapy services in Ethiopia. More recently she supported the development of the Ethiopian speech therapy training course at Addis Ababa University.
Neil Brierley I am currently working as a national TIG fellow in Cleft Lip and Palate surgery in the Northern and Yorkshire Cleft Lip & Palate service. I live in Leeds with my son. Expand Prior to my current role I completed an advanced Cleft Lip and Palate fellowship in Addenbrooke’s hospital, Cambridge, and my higher Plastic Surgery training within the Yorkshire and Northern deaneries. I have been an international Regan Fellow with Operation Smile and visited a cleft hospital in Gujrat, Pakistan, with the Overseas Plastic Surgery Appeal, based in Kingston upon Hull. I have a passionate interest in equitable healthcare across the globe and hope my involvement in the International Steering Committee of CLEFT can help achieve this.
Khurram Khan, Consultant Cleft Lip & Palate and Plastic Surgeon Hello! I am a Consultant Cleft Lip & Palate and Plastic Surgeon working at Birmingham Children's Hospital. Expand I'm really honoured to be a part of CLEFT. I have always been very passionate about providing cleft care in resource poor settings and over the last few years have operated with different teams in Vietnam, India, Guatemala and Uganda.
Patricia Rorison I am a Consultant in Cleft Lip & Palate and Plastic Surgery. Expand I graduated from medical school in Glasgow and did my early surgical training in the West of Scotland. My training led me to work in Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne, including a laboratory based degree investigating the factors involved in human scar formation. I completed my specialist training in Cleft Surgery in London. My first Consultant post was for 10 yrs in the West Midlands Cleft Service in Birmingham, before moving to work in the North Thames Cleft Service in Gt Ormond St and Chelmsford in 2018.
Helen Robson Clinical Nurse Specialist Expand My name is Helen Robson. I have been a clinical nurse specialist within Cleft Lip and Palate for 15 years. I became involved with cleft at the establishment of the centralisation of specialist care. I joined a network and was pivotal in developing a nursing service at outreach centres within the network. I very much value multidisciplinary working and have enjoyed establishing a nursing service supporting early feeding support. I have maintained a community focused model enabling nurses to problem solve and practice autonomy. My research interests include the management of Robin babies and have been a participant in the international research consensus group. I also have an interest in sleep obstruction and am a PI in a research study called SLUMBRS. I am a non-medical prescriber. Developing research within cleft and especially within nursing is invaluable as well as education. I am involved in a teaching programme in Tajikistan and have also supported the European cleft nursing programme. I am really excited about being part of CLEFT and offering a positive contribution.
Chloé Rolland Consultant Orthodontist Expand Consultant in Orthodontics with a specialist interest in Cleft, currently working with the Cleft.NET.East team (Cambridge University Hospitals). I became interested in clefts at university, when learning about embryological development. My professional interests lie in teaching and research to improve outcomes for children and adults born with clefts. I am excited to be involved with the Cleft UK International steering committee since its focus is on ensuring that cleft care is undertaken sustainably and to a high standard by supporting local teams internationally.
Rowan Griffiths Photojournalist based in South Wales Expand I first worked with CLEFT in Bangladesh and was immediately struck by the life-changing positive impact that the Charities’ work can have on children and families. I’m excited to work with CLEFT to support and showcase the great working they are doing. I am a photojournalist with 20 years’ experience of working in print media. I’m based in South Wales and cover national and international news and humanitarian stories.
Imogen Underwood Lead / Consultant Speech and Language Therapist, West Midlands Regional Cleft Lip and Palate Service Expand Imogen is the Lead/ Consultant Speech and Language Therapist for the West Midlands Regional Cleft Service. She has worked in cleft care, improving speech outcomes in the UK for children and adults with cleft lip and palate, for over 20 years. One of her key accomplishments includes her presidency of the Craniofacial Society of Great Britain and Ireland (2017–2019), during which she contributed to advancing clinical practices and research in craniofacial conditions. Additionally, her focus on Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) has been influential in making healthcare more patient-centered, ensuring that quality of life and patient experiences are integral to the evaluation of treatment success. Imogen has also worked with overseas charities to support the delivery of cleft care in Vietnam and the Philippines and is passionate about further developing the support, training and collaboration with local teams in other countries.
Madhavi Seshu Consultant Cleft Orthodontist, Alder Hey Hospital Liverpool Expand My interests are working with parents to address inequalities in cleft care and working with colleagues internationally to develop collaborations which are culturally and economically relevant.