PITTSBURGH, May 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Seventy-five years after its founding in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA) returned to the state for its five-day Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh, April 10-14. More than 830 cleft and craniofacial health care providers attended the professional development event.
Fittingly, the theme for this year's Annual Meeting was to honor the past, challenge the present and inspire the future. Over the course of the meeting, attendees learned from colleagues across disciplines, explored advances in research, clinical and team-driven care and discussed new and old ideas with those experienced in the field.
"This was a monumental event for ACPA and it's exciting that we were able to come together and celebrate our long and paramount history in the state where it all began," said Amelia F. Drake, MD, ACPA president. "ACPA was welcomed with open arms from both the city of Pittsburgh and the state of Pennsylvania, and we are pleased to report that we saw a record number of members attending this year."
In another nod to ACPA's storied history, two proclamations were issued to recognize its founding in the state and celebrate its 75th anniversary. Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto declared the start of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association's 75th Annual Meeting as April 10, 2018. Further, Governor Wolf declared April 10-14, 2018, as American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association Week in Pennsylvania.
In addition to the educational sessions, ACPA's Annual Meeting offered a number of sessions and events to highlighted ACPA's history and commitment to team-based care in conjunction with its 75th anniversary. Dr. Rubin Pillay, a renowned medical futurist and professor of healthcare innovations, provided the keynote address on improving innovation intelligence.
Other breakout sessions included a Junior Investigator session, which supports research by investigators either recently graduated or currently enrolled in a cleft and craniofacial training program, and a Game Changer session that celebrated advancements in cleft and craniofacial care.
To learn more about the association and cleft and craniofacial conditions, please visit acpa-cpf.org.
About the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association
The American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) association of interested individuals and health care professionals who treat and/or perform research on oral cleft and craniofacial conditions. Since 1943, ACPA has worked to optimize outcomes for individuals with oral cleft and craniofacial conditions through education, support, research, advocacy and interdisciplinary team care. For more information, visit acpa-cpf.org.
SOURCE American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association