Every child’s smile tells a story of resilience and hope. The Cleft and Craniofacial Program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital (MCJCH) at Vanderbilt is dedicated to ensuring those stories are filled with possibility. By providing comprehensive, long-term care for children with a wide range of facial differences, the program supports patients and their families through some of life’s most challenging journeys. With an integrated team of specialists, children receive not only advanced medical treatment but also the compassion and continuity that help them thrive from birth through early adulthood. In a display of community partnership and philanthropy, Delta Dental of Tennessee’s charitable arm, the Smile180 Foundation, pledged $1.075 million to the Cleft and Craniofacial Program. This landmark commitment established the Delta Dental of Tennessee’s Smile180 Foundation Directorship, fueling the program’s mission to expand its services and provide critical support for young patients and their families across Tennessee and beyond.
Delta Dental’s relationship with MCJCH at Vanderbilt is not new. Since 2001, Delta Dental and Smile180 have donated more than $2.3 million, supporting fundraising events and initiatives that have helped shape the hospital’s pediatric care landscape. The latest commitment to the Cleft and Craniofacial Program marks a significant expansion of this longstanding partnership.
The Cleft and Craniofacial Program, led by Dr. Michael Golinko, medical director and chief of Pediatric Plastic Surgery, and Dr. Jim Phillips, co-director of the Cleft Lip and Palate team, provides care for children with a wide range of facial differences. The complexity of these cases means that patients often remain with the program for years, receiving care from an integrated team of specialists.
“Our goal is to expand the scope of the Cleft and Craniofacial Program, establishing it as a premier, internationally recognized program for comprehensive, family-centric cleft and craniofacial care,” said Dr. Golinko. “This endowment will make a tremendous impact in our ability to meet the complex needs of patients with facial differences from birth through early adulthood, advance the field through research and innovation, and moreover, attract and retain outstanding leaders in cleft and craniofacial care.”
To date, Delta Dental and Smile180 have invested $1.2 million in this specific program, allowing MCJCH at Vanderbilt to make major updates in the Advancing Pediatric Care. The program has also been able to recruit a full-time craniofacial orthodontist and dentist amongst the many specialists that care for the kids. Dr. Golinko and other leaders of the program have been intentional in creating a thriving community of families, enacting their Annual Family Fun Day at the Nashville Zoo which has been a linchpin of Delta Dental's support.
As Dr. Jeffrey Upperman, surgeon-in-chief of the children’s hospital, noted, “Support from organizations like Delta Dental plays an important role in our mission to expand and enhance our quality, cutting-edge patient care and enables our teams to advance health care through translational research, all with the goal to meet the complex needs of children and families. We could not do the work we do every day without our community partners.”
The program’s true impact is seen in the restored confidence of its young patients, the relief of families who find expert guidance, and the community that rallies to transform lives—one smile at a time.
For more information about the Cleft and Craniofacial Program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, visit ChildrensHospitalVanderbilt.org.