Training Programs

Smile Train offers our partners a range of clinical training opportunities and resources in surgery, anesthesia, nursing, and comprehensive cleft care.

Smile Train medical training

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 [email protected] to find upcoming opportunities near you and your team. We also offer a range of online training resources for our partners.

virtual cleft surgery

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.

Simulare cleft lip simulator

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 Simulare Cleft Lip and Palate 3D-printed simulators 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 advanced techniques for various stages of cleft surgery through 3D animations and live recordings.

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 to administer high-quality nursing care for children undergoing cleft surgery.

Contact your Country Regional Manager or email [email protected] for access to the curriculum in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Bangla, Bahasa, or Hindi.

Cleft Palate Speech Training

In partnership with Teachers College, Columbia University, we offer an introductory online course on effective cleft palate speech care. 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