Dr. Giuliano & Dr. Podolsky at the two day workshop in Santiago
Dr. Dale Podolsky’s credentials are nothing short of extraordinary. He’s a medical resident in plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Toronto, with prior degrees in mechanical engineering and physics. And to top it off, his innovative new 3D Cleft Palate Simulator has recently been making headlines! Drawing on his unique skill set, he’s revolutionizing the way we teach one of the world’s most common surgeries – cleft palate repair in infants.
Transforming the way we teach cleft palate repair surgery
Dr. Podolsky spent two years working to create a 3D Cleft Palate Simulator, a true-to-life model of an infant’s mouth that improves the way surgeons around the world can practice cleft palate repair surgeries. For many years, this surgery has been taught using Styrofoam cups, which is problematic considering the incredibly intricate procedure of cleft lip and palate repair, especially in very young patients.
“The high-fidelity cleft palate simulator represents a paradigm shift in cleft surgery training, providing the opportunity to practice cleft surgery without compromising patient safety,” explains Dr. Podolsky.
This advancement is so essential because cleft lip and palate is one of the most common birth anomalies in the world. So common, in fact, that according to the US Census Bureau a child is born with cleft lip and palate approximately every two and a half minutes. The condition affects the upper lip and the hard and soft palate of the mouth, which can impact a child’s appearance, speech, teeth, eating, hearing and ability to develop socially.
Building capacity of TF’s partners in Chile
Dr. Podolsky travelled with Transforming Faces to Chile in December 2016, where he hosted a two day workshop with our local partners at Fundacion Gantz, located in the country’s capital, Santiago.
Podolsky notes:
“A landmark trial for the simulator was conducted in Santiago, Chile at Fundacion Gantz in collaboration with Transforming Faces. Sixteen surgeons from the surrounding region had the opportunity to use the simulator in a unique setting, demonstrating its efficacy and the feasibility of conducting similar training programs around the world to enhance the learning of this challenging procedure.”
The workshop covered the anatomy of the palate and an overview of the 3D Palate Simulator, and included discussion with the participating surgeons about the Chilean context and experience with cleft palate surgery. This was followed by two rounds of practicing with the simulator! Each of the 16 surgeons performed a palate surgery using the simulator, taking an average of about 2 hours per surgery.
Supporting innovative projects like these is an important part of our mandate at Transforming Faces. We are thrilled to have been able to bring Dr. Podolsky and our partners in Chile together. The cutting-edge technology of the 3D Palate Simulator, combined with our partners’ expertise, should prove to have a tremendous impact on the patients we reach in local communities.
Stay tuned for more updates, and in the meantime you can check out other articles on the 3D Cleft Palate Simulator here:
http://tvo.org/article/current-affairs/shared-values/how-a-medical-resident-is-helping-surgeons-around-the-world-fix-cleft-palates
https://www.statnews.com/2017/01/09/cleft-palate-surgery-training/
And for our Spanish friends:
http://impresa.elmercurio.com/Pages/NewsDetail.aspx?dt=2016-12-26&PaginaId=12&bodyid=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BprZzQBTluU