MDNews - Minnesota

A CHILD'S FIRST DAY of school is a milestone. Shy hellos between kindergarteners open paths to friendship, encouragement and reaffirming experiences of success. Although social acceptance is never guaranteed, children who have craniofacial anomalies face particularly challenging hurdles. In addition to experiencing the medical issues of some craniofacial condi- tions, these children can experience social devastation when their peers perceive them as looking or sounding "different." At Gillette Children's Specia lt y Healthcare, the Center for Craniofacial Services team understands the connec- tion between craniofacial conditions and a child's well-being. Gillette's comprehensive array of pediatric specialists offers the depth and breadth of expertise to address craniofacial conditions before they affect a child's physical or emotional development. In fact, teams tailored to the needs of each patient begin coordinating and managing care from the first consultation. Gillette's team also has developed innovative treatment approaches that have advanced care and treatment outcomes. "The sheer number of patients we have treated is what distinguishes our program," says Robert Wood, MD, pediatric plastic and craniofacial surgeon and Medical Director of the Center for Craniofacial Services at Gillette. "During the past 15 years, we have performed 3,000 intracranial craniofacial surgeries and treated more than 20,000 children who have conditions including cleft lip and palate, craniosynostosis, defor- mational plagiocephaly and torticollis — as well as rarer syndromes and malformations. Statistically, we treat a significant percent- age of all craniofacial pediatric patients in Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and western Wisconsin." A Boutique Team with Pediatric Fellowship Training Surgeries for conditions such as cleft lip and palate address delicate structures that affect both form and function. These situations are best addressed with the skills of a pediatric plastic surgeon — but few children's hospitals, outside of national centers, such as those at Philadelphia Ch i ld ren's, UCL A a nd Ne w York University, can attract pediatric plas- tic surgery specialists. Gillette's team includes boa rd-cer tif ied pediatric plastic surgeons, craniofacial surgeons and team members who have expertise in microsurgery. "Our team was not assembled from existing institution resources," Dr. Wood explains. "When I came to Gillette in 1999, we had the opportunity to build a boutique team one specialist at a time. Each person was handpicked for his or her level of expertise in treating pediatric craniofacial patients. We had the first fellowship-trained pediatric neurosurgeons in the state, as well as craniofacial surgeons, pediatric-trained By Marian Deegan PHOTOS © GILLETTE CHILDREN'S SPECIALTY HEALTHCARE COV ER+ FE AT UR E Gillette Children's Center for Craniofacial Services — a Lifetime Impact 6 | Minnesota MD NEWS ■ M D N E W S . CO M

• Cover