NOORDHOFF CRANIOFACIAL FOUNDATION PHILIPPPINES,
IN COOPERATION WITH
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES COLLEGE OF DENTISTRY,
TRANSFORMING FACES, CHANGING LIVES:
An Orientation to
Multidisciplinary Cleft Treatment
24 JANUARY 2024
8:30-11:30 AM
SMILE TRAIN CRANIOFACIAL CENTER-
Unit B, 2F Joshua Center, Taft Avenue, Manila
TRANSFORMING FACES, CHANGING LIVES: AN ORIENTATION TO MULTIDISCIPLINARY CLEFT TREATMENT
In line with the Memorandum of Understanding between the University of the Philippines College of Dentistry (UPCD) and the Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation Philippines (NCFP), a successful orientation to multidisciplinary cleft treatment was held last January 24, 2024. Thirteen graduate students and faculty members of the Orthodontic Program of the UPCD attended this event at one of the centers operated by NCFP -- the Smile Train Craniofacial Center, along Taft Avenue and across the Philippine General Hospital.
The orientation started with a lecture on Orthodontic Management of Patients with Cleft Lip and Palate from Birth to Adulthood by Dr. Cecile Cabrera, orthodontic program head of NCFP and faculty member of the UPCD Graduate Program in Orthodontics. This was followed by Ms. Katrina Pilla, one of the cleft patients treated at the foundation, who talked about her experience. She narrated how she was able to overcome the bullying during her younger years and how her treatments have helped her land a job at a BPO company, and how as a NCFP volunteer she now helps other patients in the foundation overcome their condition. Dr. Crysoine Marquez, an experienced orthodontist of NCFP narrated her journey as a volunteer and described how volunteering gave her fulfillment and how it has helped her learn and grow as a person and professional. Multiple cases from birth to adulthood were shown by NCFP corporate secretary and Smile train adviser Dr. Janet Pandan. She showed numerous photographs of difficult cleft orthodontic cases and how she was able to successfully treat them. During the open forum at the end of the activity, the speakers were joined by Dr. Bernard Tansipek, the President of NCFP.
It is hoped that with this activity, these students would be able to be interested in cleft treatment and be an advocate for quality cleft care and public service.
