Training Programs
Smile Train offers our partners a range of clinical training opportunities and resources in surgery, anesthesia, nursing, and comprehensive cleft care.
As the global leader in supporting cleft care, Smile Train offers our partners a range of clinical training opportunities and resources in surgery, anesthesia, nursing, and comprehensive cleft care. Contact partner@smiletrain.org to find upcoming opportunities near you and your team. We also offer a range of online training resources for our partners.
Smile Train Virtual Surgery Simulator
The Simulator is an advanced, interactive, freely-available, 3D simulation technology that provides instruction on a variety of complex cleft surgical procedures. The software is multilingual and combines actual intra-operative surgical footage from the operating theater, interactive animated three-dimensional content, text labels, and voiceover for an immersive learning experience.
Cleft Lip and Palate Simulators
In low-resource settings, access to safe, high-quality surgical training can be a challenge, particularly when it comes to training for specialized procedures like cleft lip and palate surgery.
We’re working to ensure that surgeons and trainees around the globe have access to the most advanced, effective cleft surgery-training tools available today. Our 3D-printed cleft lip and palate simulators from Simulare, a Division of Smile Train provide hyper-realistic models for cleft surgical training, leading to safer, higher-quality surgery for every patient, every time.
Virtual Surgery Videos
These educational videos present various stages of cleft treatment through 3D animations and live recordings of advanced surgical techniques.
Virtual Surgery Simulator Virtual Surgery Videos
Contributing Authors: Dr. Court Cutting (Smile Train Chairman Emeritus), Aaron Oliker, BioDigital et. al.
For additional interactive materials please see Smile Train's award-winning Virtual Surgery Simulator.
Nursing Care Saves Lives
Smile Train developed the Nursing Care Saves Lives curriculum in recognition of the key role nurses play in patient care and safety. This course provides nurses at Smile Train partner institutions with essential skills for administering high-quality nursing care for children undergoing cleft surgery.
Contact your Country Regional Manager or email partner@smiletrain.org for access to the curriculum in English, Bengali, or Hindi.
Cleft Palate Speech Training
We offer an introductory online course on effective cleft palate speech care in partnership with Teachers College at Columbia University in New York City. The purpose of the training is to empower more speech therapists and paraprofessionals with strategies to improve children’s speech and lives. The course is followed by an ASHA-approved CEU exam.
We also offer "Train the Trainer" manuals on cleft speech therapy for local trainers. These manuals make the course ready for local trainers worldwide to download and train the next generation of cleft professionals.
| Take Online Course for CEU Credit | English |
| Review The Online Course Modules (Video) | English |
| Train The Trainer Manual | English |
The Importance of Oral Health Guidance & Dental Care
Due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors, children with clefts are more likely to experience poor oral health, including tooth decay, gum disease, and crooked teeth, among other issues. Each of these conditions is made worse when children are marginalized and lack access to basic surgical and dental care. Dental care is thus an essential building block of successful cleft care.
Cleft Nutrition Program
Babies with clefts, especially cleft palates, may have difficulty feeding and are at an increased risk of malnourishment. That’s why Smile Train has developed a two-day course on effective cleft feeding in partnership with the global organization SPOON. The goal is to empower local professionals to train mothers and caretakers on effective breastfeeding, safe bottle/spoon/cup feeding, and weaning, as well as approaches to managing malnutrition in children with clefts. Download the manual and handouts in English and contact partner@smiletrain.org for access to the entire curriculum in English, Bengali, and Hindi.
Nutrition & Feeding Trainer Manual Nutrition Training Handouts