Multidisciplinary Collaborative Care
We can only advance by broadening our reach, and Carolina’s preeminent health-care enterprise enables us to do so. We look to bolster our interdisciplinary partnerships across campus, such as the UNC Craniofacial Center, the Pain Management Program and Prenatal and Baby Oral Health Programs. These collaborative enterprises will allow the school to continue leading in the fields of dentistry and medicine.
The Continuum of Care
Katie Sams was born with a cleft lip. Like most children with this and similar conditions, her case would typically require years of treatment and follow-up care. But fortunately, her burden was lessened with the help of a team of doctors in our Craniofacial Center (CFC). During what would become a life-changing experience for Katie and her family, our stellar CFC team was able to surgically repair Katie’s lip and relieve the heavy financial and physical toll they would have otherwise faced. The excellent care Katie received as a child inspired her decision to give back to others and is the reason she spent much of her career in the CFC.
“While my decision to work at the UNC CFC was directly related to the wonderful experience I had as a patient, I would actually go further and say my career was chosen based on my experience,” Katie said. “While having a medical condition that requires regular follow-up is very difficult for a child, I feel I owe a great debt to the CFC. My parents feel the same today.”
Every year, almost 7,000 children in the U.S. are born with a cleft lip or palate — making cleft abnormalities the most common birth defect in the country. Clefts and craniofacial conditions often come with other, complex health problems beyond the cosmetic, and the CFC addresses these issues through a unique interdisciplinary approach. Our team care model brings together health-care practitioners from across the University campus to provide patients and their families with the best care through specialized services. This is one of many reasons the CFC was honored with the 2016 William J. Gies Awards for Vision, Innovation and Achievement, a national distinction in the dental field.
