Honored in Africa

In 2006 Dr. D’Antonio was the originating force behind the Pan African Conference on Cleft Lip and Palate held in Ibadan, Nigeria. The goal of that historic meeting was to identify cleft care providers in Africa and bring them together for collaboration and training and to work with Smile Train to increase cleft care in Africa. The meeting was an overwhelming success and ended with the unexpected formation of PAACLIP, the Pan African Association for Cleft Lip and Palate.

Following that first meeting Dr. D’Antonio received a grant to hold a consensus conference in Kenya where some of the key stakeholders in cleft care in Africa worked together in groups to create a short and long term plan for increasing cleft care in Africa. The principles and plans established at that meeting are still actively referenced and in use in Sub-Saharan Africa today. In 2007 Dr. D’Antonio worked with her colleagues from the newly formed PAACLIP and with Smile Train to hold the second Pan African Congress. Since that time the new organization has blossomed and now more congress meetings have been held, both organized and hosted by members of PAACLIP. At the meeting of the association in 2011 in Ghana, Dr. D’Antonio was honored for her contributions to cleft care in Africa with a Declaration read at the meeting and then delivered to her.

Click here for more about Dr. D’Antonio’s work in Africa