About Our Clinic

Each year, we treat approximately 650 babies and children at the Clinic at The Johns Hopkins Cleft & Craniofacial Center. We believe that an individualized, interdisciplinary approach is advantageous for the patients entrusted to our care. Through our broad-reaching approach, our goal is to help the children we treat experience family life, friendships, school, sports, and hobbies with the advantage of heightened speech capabilities and minimized facial differences.

For treatment, we draw on the expertise of 15 specialists in many areas, including:
• Plastic Surgery
• Speech/Language Pathology
• Dentistry
• Orthodontics
• Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose & Throat or "ENT")
• Audiology
• Genetics
• Nursing
• Developmental Pediatrics
• Psychology
• Social Work

Prenatal Diagnosis and Counseling

The frequency of a prenatal diagnosis of cleft lip and palate is increasing with technical improvements in ultrasound technology. Despite the emotional distress this diagnosis can bring, it can offer families the opportunity to prepare for their baby's needs. During the prenatal consultation, you will meet with Dr. Redett, the team pediatric plastic surgeon, and Kim Seifert, RN, the Cleft Clinic coordinator and feeding specialist. In this initial meeting, we will review the diagnosis, outline the treatment plan and timeline, and explain the anatomical details of the cleft. In addition, we will teach you feeding techniques that may be required for a baby with a cleft and provide you with special bottles. We will help prepare you for the birth of your baby as well as explain how to set up the first visit once your baby is born.

Pre-adoptive counseling

During a pre-adoption visit, we will review any medical records and photos. Dr. Redett will explain the possible treatment plans based on the information provided and the child's diagnosis. We will address any special feeding techniques and answer questions about speech-language development. Once you have brought your child home, we will schedule a multidisciplinary team evaluation.

Medical Expertise. Compassionate Care. Close Communication.

With our medical expertise and advanced diagnostic techniques, our goal is to provide compassionate and expert care that addresses not only the physical, but also the emotional needs of our patients and their families. We are committed to working closely with the child's community, fostering good communication with patients, their families, and referring physicians. This close communication helps patients' referring doctors follow their progress during and after their care at Johns Hopkins.

Working with our young patients' team and referring physicians, we provide seamless, coordinated care for disorders such as:
Cleft lip and cleft palate
Craniosynostosis
Hemifacial Microsomia
Apert Syndrome
Crouzon Syndrome
Moebius Syndrome
Pierre-Robin Sequence
Saethre-Chotzen Syndrome
Treacher-Collins Syndrome
Facial Paralysis

Top-rated Hospital in the
United States 20 years in a row

The Clinic at Johns Hopkins Cleft & Craniofacial Center is part of The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Children's Center, named 15 times as the number one hospital in the United States by U.S. News and World Report 20 years in a row. Johns Hopkins proudly pioneered ground-breaking surgical techniques that benefit children with craniofacial differences.

Hopkins medical staff and research scientists are working to gain an even better understanding of craniofacial differences æ studying the genetic causes and processes of mutation, and craniofacial development. Hopkins experts are researching craniofacial development and mutation from a variety of disciplines, including:
• Genetics
• Epidemiology
• Anatomy
• Cell biology
• Surgical outcomes
• Animal model systems
• Behavioral Sciences

Why physicians and families
choose Johns Hopkins:

• Patient satisfaction-96% of patient families have been satisfied with the medical outcome of care at Johns Hopkins
• Doctors' respect-95% of referring physicians are satisfied with the treatment and medical outcome of their patients we treat
• Interdisciplinary care from pediatric specialists, backed by the resources and pediatric expertise of Johns Hopkins Medicine'
• Compassionate, comprehensive, individual treatment that addresses the full impact of Craniofacial differences, from the physical to the emotional
• State-of-the-art diagnostic techniques, including 3D-CT scan and genetic evaluation
• Groundbreaking procedures and materials used to reconstruct bone and correct craniofacial anomalies