Dr. Keagle Joins the Cleft Palate Team at White Memorial Hospital

One of the most common problems found in newborn babies — about 5,000 each year in the U.S. or one in 700 births — cleft palette deformities are caused by the incomplete closing of the upper lip and palate (the bony plate at the roof of the mouth) on two sides of the face in a developing embryo.

Dr. Keagle's experience and training — as one of only a select few women who has completed the UCLA Craniofacial Fellowship — make her uniquely qualified to help families overcome the challenges of this malformation, which can only be treated with surgery and therapy. 

If left untreated, children with cleft lip and palate can suffer life-long handicaps including severe facial deformities, chronic dental and hearing problems, malnutrition and difficult social interactions.

The Cleft Palate Program at White Memorial Medical Center provides coordinated cleft team care at a single location, working side by side with the patient's own pediatrician or primary care physician. This program is an important service to the community, and depends on financial gifts from generous donors for continuity.