Brian Sommerlad, Chairman of CLEFT: Treating Cleft Lip and Palate Through Collaboration, Training and Trust

Cleft lip and palate is one of the most common congenital conditions worldwide, yet effective care goes far beyond repairing a visible deformity. It requires long-term, multidisciplinary support that addresses speech, hearing, dental development and psychological wellbeing.

In this episode, Brian Sommerlad, a surgeon and Chairman of CLEFT, shares four decades of experience in cleft care across the UK and low and middle income countries. Drawing on extensive work in places such as Bangladesh and Nepal, he explains why short-term surgical missions alone are not enough and how well-intentioned philanthropy can sometimes undermine local health systems.

The conversation explores what sustainable cleft care really looks like. Brian outlines CLEFT’s distinctive approach, which focuses on training local professionals, funding non-surgical roles such as speech therapists and orthodontists, and supporting multidisciplinary teams that can continue delivering care long after external support has stepped back.

Key topics include:

• What cleft lip and palate is, how common it is, and why it affects far more than appearance

• The lifelong importance of speech therapy, hearing support and dental care

• The psychological and social impact of cleft conditions on children and families

• Why teaching and capacity-building create more impact than simply doing operations

• How poorly designed NGO activity can unintentionally weaken local services

• The value of treating local clinicians, hospitals and governments as equal partners

• Practical insights into allocating philanthropic funding for long-term benefit

Brian also reflects on his own journey from medical training in Australia to international work spanning Vietnam, Bangladesh, Iraq and beyond, offering candid observations on what has and has not worked in global health over time.

This episode is a thoughtful examination of how healthcare philanthropy can move from short-term intervention to lasting change, with lessons that extend well beyond cleft care alone.

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