Cleft-Craniofacial Center

The Cleft-Craniofacial Center at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh takes a team approach to evaluating and treating patients with a wide variety of congenital or acquired craniofacial conditions.

A team of skilled specialists from a variety of disciplines work in harmony to identify a child’s needs and provide the appropriate treatment. Team members strive to achieve optimal appearance, speech, hearing and psychosocial development at the earliest possible age.

The Cleft-Craniofacial team cares for children with a wide variety of craniofacial conditions, including:

• Abnormally shaped skulls
• Cleft lips and palates
• Conditions affecting the growth of the face
• Congenital birthmarks
• Craniofacial clefts
• Craniofacial tumors
• Malformed ears
• Wide-set eyes

With its 50-year history as a world-renowned pioneer in the treatment of patients with clefts and craniofacial anomalies, the center is the largest facility of its kind in the region, seeing more than 3,000 patients a year for evaluation and treatment.

The center’s multidisciplinary team comprises specialists in the following fields:

• Audiology
• Dentistry
• Genetic Counseling
• Neurosurgery
• Ophthalmology
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Orthodontics
• Otolaryngology
• Pediatrics
• Plastic Surgery
• Psychiatry and Psychology
• Social Work
• Speech Pathology
• Surgery

Referral Requirements

Referrals are required from primary care physicians or other Children’s Hospital specialty services. Referrals for patients enrolled in managed care insurance plans also may require authorization from the insurance provider and primary care physician. All necessary referral and authorization forms must be received before the patient’s visit. For accurate provider numbers or more information, please call the office number listed.