Team Members

Cleft Palate Team

TEAM APPROACH

Your child needs a treatment plan that is individually tailored to his or her needs. Experts at the University of Oklahoma Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Team at the John W. Keys Speech and Hearing Center believe that a team approach, which combines the efforts of many specialists, is the best way to treat your child's condition. The team approach means more specialized care for your child born with a cleft. A core cleft lip and palate team has members from oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, speech pathology, and audiology. Other team members include specialists from counseling, nursing, pediatrics, dentistry, and genetics. The reason so many professionals experienced with clefts are necessary is that the timing and treatment of cleft lip and/or palate is complex, and usually is not managed adequately by any one specialist. All of these specialists are available to evaluate you or your child at every team appointment.

Our team is made up of a unique group of specialists, experienced in the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of individuals with cleft lip and palate and other craniofacial anomalies. This dedicated group of health care providers are experts in their fields. They work together and with your pediatrician and other providers in your community to ensure the best possible long-term care for your child. Thus, all the specialists coordinate to meet the comprehensive needs of a growing child with a cleft. The team approach brings a broad perspective to bear on family, social, emotional, psychological, and educational needs. This team is based at the John W. Keys Speech and Hearing Center, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders College of Allied Health. The Keys Cleft Team has been serving the needs of families since 1959 and is registered with the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association.

The University of Oklahoma Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Team at the John W. Keys Speech and Hearing Center will help you prepare for and deal with many of the situations you will face. Our dedicated team members are available to provide:

	a treatment plan that is tailored for your child throughout the years
	updates and education on your child’s condition and treatment schedule
	emotional counseling and support
	financial guidance

The cleft palate-craniofacial team members at are always available to you. You may speak with us during your visits or call us from home. Do not be afraid to ask for any type of help you need. We want to help you as much as we can.

Co-Director

Randolph E. Deal, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Professor Speech-Language Pathology, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Allied Health

Dr. Randy Deal was raised in Oklahoma and attended undergraduate college at The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. He completed his Ph.D. in Speech Pathology at The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 1971. Dr. Deal was a member of the John Peter Smith Hospital Cleft Palate Team, Fort Worth, Texas from 1974 to 1989, co-directing the team from 1983-1989. He was a member of the Baylor Hospital Craniofacial Deformity Team, Dallas, Texas from 1984-1986. Additionally, he served as consultant to the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Team, Keys Speech and Hearing Center, from 2002-2008, and in the Fall, 2008 he was named Co-Director.

Co-Director

Kevin S Smith, D.D.S.
Associate Professor Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Colleges of Dentistry and Medicine

Dr. Kevin S. Smith was raised in Oklahoma and attended under graduate college at The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. He completed his Doctorate of Dental Surgery at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry in 1988. Following completion of dental school with honors he was accepted into a one year General Practice Residency at the Veteran Administration Medical Complex in Houston, Texas. In 1989, Dr. Smith entered a four year residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at The University of Texas-Houston. During his residency he was involved with the cleft lip and palate team and performed numerous procedures regarding cleft lip and palate. This interest in cleft lip and palate care sparked the application and entrance into a foreign one year fellowship at The Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. During his tenure there Dr. Smith participated in the care of pediatric patients and had a special emphasis in on cleft lip and palate surgery and craniofacial surgery.

Upon his return to the United States in September 1994, Dr. Smith was appointed assistant professor in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery with appointments in the colleges of dentistry and medicine. Dr. Smith also is involved with the craniofacial team at The Children's Hospital of Oklahoma and works extensively with the pediatric neurosurgeon on cranial, orbital and facial remodeling. Keeping with the Oklahoma pioneer spirit, Dr. Smith was the first in the state to perform Distraction Osteogenesis (bone lengthening) on facial bones and is very active in this new field of facial transformation.

Dr. Smith has continued his service to cleft lip/palate and craniofacial patients with quarterly volunteer service to the Rotary International sponsored Thousand Smiles project in Ensenada, Mexico and traveled to Romania with the internationally acclaimed Operation Smile.

	Tarisai Dandejena, D.D.S., M.S., Orthodontics
	Kevin Haney, D.D.S., M.S.; Pediatric Dentistry
	Eva Saffer, Ph.D.-CCC-A; Audiologist
	Mary Hudson, Ph.D.-CCC-A; Audiologist
	Sandra Over, Au.D.-CCC-A; Audiologist
	Erica Cole, MS, LGC; Genetics
	Celine Womack, Nurse Practitioner
	Linda Simmons, M.Ed., BCD; Licensed Counselor
	Julie Rivers, Patient Advocate
	Christina Bezdek, Clinic Coordinator

	The University of Oklahoma
	An Interdisciplinary Team Approach to Cleft Lip and Craniofacial Problems