Always working
in progress.

Ideal interdisciplinary learning environment.

When a baby is born with a condition like a cleft lip or cleft palate, it is not merely a cosmetic problem. The child may have issues with feeding, breathing, speech, and social development.

That’s why the Cleft-Craniofacial Center at UPMC Children’s Hospital brings together a high-level team from multiple disciplines, with the patient and family at its center.
The center is perhaps the largest and most long-standing example of interdisciplinary education in the Health Sciences at Pitt. It has been caring for children with malformations of the face and skull since the 1950s.
Each child’s team may include a surgeon, an orthodontist, an audiologist, a speech-language pathologist, a pediatric dentist, a nurse practitioner, and a psychologist. Other specialties may be involved depending on the patient’s needs, such as occupational therapy, neurosurgery, or ophthalmology. The child’s care often stretches from birth through the teen years as the teeth and bones develop.

While the purpose of the interdisciplinary team is to provide the best possible care for the patient, it also provides an ideal interdisciplinary learning environment for Pitt students in many schools of the Health Sciences. Those interested in getting involved can go through their individual schools.