Doctors Who Treat Cleft Lip/Cleft Palate

Many children born with cleft lip/cleft palate are treated by a craniofacial team that provides coordinated care by a group of specialists with expertise in craniofacial problems, including:

A surgeon (plastic surgeon, oral maxillofacial surgeon, or neurosurgeon)
A pediatric dentist or other dental specialist (for example, a prosthodontist, who makes prosthetic devices for the mouth)
An orthodontist (to straighten the teeth and align the jaws)
A speech-language pathologist (to assist with feeding problems and speech therapy)
An audiologist (to assess hearing)
A geneticist (to screen patients for craniofacial syndromes and help parents and adult patients understand recurrence risks)
An otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat doctor)
An ophthalmologist (eye doctor to treat eye conditions sometimes associated with craniofacial conditions)

At the Weill Cornell Pediatric Brain and Spine Center, the Craniofacial Program specialists include:

Pediatric Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery: Vikash Modi, M.D., is a pediatric otorhinolaryngologist and co-director of the Craniofacial Program. In addition to cleft palate repair, Dr. Modi specializes in velopharyngeal insufficiency, pediatric airway disease, pediatric head and neck masses, pediatric sinus disease, and pediatric sleep disorders.

Pediatric Neurosurgery: Mark Souweidane, M.D., is a neurosurgeon with advanced skills in treating craniofacial disorders. Dr. Souweidane is the co-director of the Craniofacial Program at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and is routinely named to lists of America’s Top Doctors, Best Doctors, and SuperDoctors.

Facial Plastic Surgery: Anthony Sclafani, MD

Pediatric Oral Surgery: Jay Neugarten, DDS, MD.

Pediatric Dentistry: Jeremy Dixon, DDS

Pediatric Orthodontics: Mark Bronsky, DMD and Jorge Matos, DMD

Genetics: Christopher Cunniff, MD

Speech and Language Pathology: Yvonne Knapp, MS, CCC-SLP

Social Work: Mary Gray Kallman, MS, LCSW

Feeding Specialist: Jennifer Goldick, MS

Sleep Medicine: Haviva Veler, MD

Child Life: Vanessa Finnerty, MS, CCLS

Find out more about the Craniofacial Program at the Weill Cornell Medicine Pediatric Otolaryngology service.

For more information about the Multidisciplinary Cleft and Craniofacial Program, contact:
Carly R. Zupnick, MS, RN, FNP-BC
Pediatric Craniofacial Program Coordinator
Weill Cornell Medicine
428 East 72nd Street, Oxford Building, Suite 100
New York, NY 10021
Phone: 646-962-5443
Email: craniofacial@med.cornell.edu