Cleft and Craniofacial Research and Training

Educating and training the next generation of surgeons and team specialists are also primary responsibilities of our program. 

Board-certified and experienced surgeons will care for your child, while various members of the ENT, Plastic Surgery and Oral and Maxillofacial residency programs may be present.

Because of the volume and complexity of patients we see, we are dedicated to higher level trainees as well, in both our craniofacial plastic surgery, Pediatric ENT and Pediatric Neurosurgery fellowships. These trainees have already completed their respective residencies and are in the final stage of training before being equipped to join cleft and craniofacial teams anywhere they chose.

Vanderbilt is also fortunate to have one of the nation’s top Hearing and Speech programs. Over 100 faculty members train the next generation of speech, audio, feeding, and language therapists and pathologists who are regular members of our Cleft and Craniofacial team clinic.

As part of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, all our medical providers are faculty members who not only want to care for your child, but constantly strive to improve diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for children with cleft and craniofacial differences. 

Matthew Pontell, MD, is the director of Pediatric Craniofacial Research and directs the Craniofacial Biology Lab which coordinates intra- and extra-murally funded studies in both translational and clinical outcomes research. Multiple ongoing research projects include the family experience of a multi-disciplinary cleft and craniofacial team, the effect of cranial vault remodeling on brain development, and machine learning for velopharyngeal insufficency (VPI). 

Our team members routinely attend The American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association (ACPA) and American & International Society of Craniofacial Surgeons meetings to present our research and ensure we remain up-to-date on the latest developments in the field to improve patient care.

Michael Golinko, MD, chief of Plastic Surgery and director of the Cleft and Craniofacial Program at Vanderbilt, and Christopher Bonfield, MD, neurosurgery director of the Pediatric Craniofacial Program, are leading a study that uses new imaging approaches to help clarify how craniosynostosis (CS) affects babies’ neurodevelopment.

The Division of Pediatric Plastic Surgery at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt maintains an active and growing research program spanning basic science, translational investigation, and clinical outcomes. 

Dr. Matthew Pontell serves as Director of Pediatric Plastic Surgery Research and Principal Investigator of the Vanderbilt Tissue Engineering and Cytology (VTEC) Lab, supported by the Department of Plastic Surgery and the Joseph DeLozier Craniofacial Research Fund. The VTEC Lab focuses on the isolation, expansion, and scaffold integration of pediatric human skeletal stem cells for patient-specific craniomaxillofacial reconstruction, with additional work characterizing the mechanisms of cranial suture ossification. Experiments are led by MD/PhD student Anvith Reddy, whose dedicated laboratory efforts form the scientific foundation of the program. This program has garnered support from the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons, the Plastic Surgery Foundation, and the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. The division maintains a heavy investment in cleft lip and palate outcomes research, anchored by a pending NIH R01 application focused on artificial intelligence-based detection of velopharyngeal dysfunction — a project that stands to transform point-of-care speech screening for children with orofacial clefts globally. Division Chief Dr. Michael Golinko leads a multi-site federally funded research program centered on craniosynostosis outcomes, reflecting the division's strength in craniofacial surgery investigation at the national level.

For information about studies actively enrolling in craniosynostosis, email Ashley.volk@vumc.org