President's Letter

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

I am very excited to invite you to join me for the 69th Annual Meeting of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in San Jose, California, from April 17-21, 2012.

In keeping up with our ever growing desire for providing the highest quality research and patient care in these times of rapid advances in technology, the theme of this year’s meeting is “Excellence – Is There an App for That?”  Dr. Helen Sharp, PhD and the 2012 Annual Meeting Program Committee have put together an outstanding program emphasizing the quest for excellence in all aspects of our work.  I am sure you will learn a great deal about how we can all improve outcomes, and know when technology can and cannot make a difference in what we do.  They have assembled a terrific array of panels, scientific sessions, and study sessions which are sure to satisfy attendees of all disciplines.

Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, MD, our D. Ralph Millard keynote speaker, will open the meeting.  He is Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and Oncology and Director of the Pituitary Tumor Center at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.  Dr. Quiñones-Hinojosa has a fascinating personal story taking him from childhood in Mexico to migrant worker in California to community college, then University of California, Berkeley, Harvard Medical School followed by residency and fellowship at UCSF prior to his faculty position at Johns Hopkins.  Dr. Quiñones-Hinojosa has identified in his life the role of teamwork, compassion, mentorship and perseverance as keys to pursuing excellence.

Delora L. Mount, MD and David Kuehn, PhD are the co-chairs of this year’s one and one-half day Pre-Conference Symposium, “Global Aspects of VPI,” which will precede the Annual Meeting on April 16th and 17th.  This symposium will cover a broad series of topics focusing on multidisciplinary approaches to diagnosis and treatment of VPI and should be of great interest to all professionals who care for children who have or are at risk for this speech disorder.  “Nuts and Bolts for Team Care” co-chaired by Noreen Clarke, MSN, RN and Karen B. Via, MSN, RN, will again be held this year on Tuesday afternoon, April 17th.  As part of this session, Patricia D. Chibbaro, RN, MS, CPNP will chair “The Carol Ursich Memorial ‘How We Do It’” session which will showcase short presentations emphasizing unique ideas and innovations.

San Jose, the third largest city in California, is in the midst of the largest concentration of technology expertise in the world yet maintains its old-world tradition.  It boasts over 300 sunny days per year.  San Jose is proud of its ethnic diversity and offers a variety of cultural, recreational and entertainment opportunities.  The 2012 Planning Committee chairs Drs. Marie Tolarova, MD, PhD, DSc and Stephen A. Schendel, DDS, MD, have worked very hard to ensure that your visit to San Jose will be a memorable one.

I look forward to welcoming everyone in the ACPA family to our 69th Annual Meeting in San Jose.  This will be a great time to learn, share experiences, renew old friendships, make new ones and take home knowledge which will enhance the care of our patients and families.

Sincerely,

Howard M. Saal, MD, FACMG
2012 ACPA President