As an active member of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association, Dr. Seun Adetayo, renowned plastic surgeon, author, and inspiring speaker, brings greater awareness to the many children who are born with cleft lips, cleft palate, and other craniofacial diagnoses and shares their need for ongoing expensive surgeries and therapies. 

OMAHA, NE – July 31, 2020 – Dr. Seun Adetayo, renowned plastic surgeon, author, and inspiring speaker, has posted a new article on her website entitled, “Celebrating Individuals of All Ages With Cleft And Craniofacial Differences,” in which Dr. Adetayo shares a personal experience as well as some heart-wrenching statistics.

Dr. Adetayo writes, “As a plastic surgeon with specialized training in pediatric craniofacial reconstruction, and a proud active member of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA), I make every effort to support the work of this extraordinary non-profit organization.” She continues, “July is dedicated to National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention and I love to contribute to greater awareness in any way that I can. The ACPA supports and educates families starting from the vulnerable beginning points in their cleft and craniofacial journeys into adulthood. In the past year, ACPA has connected with more than 10,000 families and provided personal and emotional support via phone, social media and email.”

“One of those 10,000 stories is one in which I had the privilege to serve as the surgeon. My patient is a very sweet and vibrant girl named Lacey, who was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. I performed the surgeries Lacey required as well as all follow-up care for Lacey and her loving family. I am grateful and humbled at the appreciation shown to me and my team from the families such as these.”

As Dr. Adetayo shares, “Lacey’s parents wrote, “Our daughter, Lacey, was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. She had lip adhesion first, then palate, and finally her repair–just recently. Lacey’s providers are members of ACPA, Dr. Adetayo and Joanne Wennstrom, and they are amazing. We couldn’t be more thankful for her team and happy with our choice. They have always been attentive to our needs and made sure we got all the help we needed, whatever it was, both before and after surgery.” They go on to note that, “Everything Lacey has done has been amazing. Her dentist even commented on how perfectly her palate was put together.” I especially love the last line of their note which says, “We loved Lacey’s smile before, but we also love it now, too!””

 

 

The entire article can be read at: http://seunadetayo.com/2020/07/22/celebrating-individuals-of-all-ages-with-cleft-and-craniofacial-differences/

 

 

About Dr. Adetayo

Dr. Seun Adetayo currently practices in Omaha, Nebraska. She is a board-certified Plastic Surgeon and a Diplomat of the American Board of Plastic Surgery.  She is a Professor of Surgery, and Chief of Pediatric Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Adetayo is unique in her field. As a gifted surgeon operating in a competitive field, Dr. Adetayo is also the first foreign-born (Nigerian) female minority surgeon to have built a successful nationally accredited multidisciplinary program for children with birth defects in Northeastern New York.  She continued in this trajectory of helping patients and families as she now heads the Division of Pediatric Plastic Surgery where she serves as the Chief at the Children’s Hospital. Her journey has been dedicated to caring for patients and their families; mentorship for students, residents, and faculty; advocacy for legislation at local and national level; research; education; and community engagement and leadership. She shares her journey and strategies for success via her print material, meeting panels, blogs and speaking engagements.

Dr Adetayo has authored several book chapters in leading texts, including the second edition of Comprehensive Cleft Care which is an authoritative text volume on cleft and craniofacial disorders and treatment.  She also authored a chapter in the Family Companion Guide for educating patients and families with cleft and craniofacial diagnoses. She was also the author of the chapter on treatment of zygoma fractures in the text Operative Techniques in Plastic Surgery.

She has received over 40 awards and recognition, and her work has resulted in over 50 published works and over 60 presented works at regional, national, and international meetings. She is published in peer-reviewed publications in leading journals including Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal, Annals of Plastic Surgery, Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, and Journal of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics.

Dr Adetayo plays an important role in mentoring and education in surgery, healthcare, and professional circles. She served as an invited surgeon and surgical educator during her last mission trip to Zimbabwe, where she served as the lead surgeon and guest lecturer for various hands-on plastic surgical reconstructions and teaching sessions. She is active in Women In Leadership lectures and advocacy. She served as a speaker for the Synthes collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Company on Improving Cultural Competence and Ethnic Diversity in Healthcare and was one of four selected panelist speakers on Pioneering Women in Reconstructive Surgery International Program by L’Oreal in conjunction with Resurge International. She was an invited speaker at the 2019 Healthcare Finance Management Association (HFMA) annual Women In Leadership Conference in upstate New York. In January 2020, she served as the Keynote Speaker for the Stryker Women’s Network National Conference National Women in Surgery and Leadership event in California.

Dr. Adetayo has served in various community leadership positions including Chairperson of the Long Beach Rescue Mission, Co-President of the Phi Delta Epsilon Premedical Society, Co-President of the Pritzker REMEDY Cuba Medical Aid Mission, Coordinator of the Chicago Local Chapter of the Adolescent Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) program for inner city Chicago school kids. She currently serves as Managing Editor and Co-Chair of the Learning Resource Committee of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA).

She has been involved in various medical education and surgical trips to several countries including Cuba, Haiti, Nigeria, Peru, and Zimbabwe as educator and surgeon.  She was awarded a Diploma of Honor conferred by the President of the Congress of the Republic of Peru.  She collaborates on meaningful initiatives with various international organizations including Rotary International and The Smile Train on improving surgical outcomes, healthcare delivery, patient safety, and quality control standards in surgical reconstruction. She continues to be active in advocacy and philanthropic efforts in developing children and advancing communities.

 

 

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