Kim Robertson Smith (CEO of Smile Foundation) and Helena Cullis (Co-founder of Cleft Friends) attended the Cleft 2022 14th International Cleft Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK from 11th-15th July. 
It was the first patient session to ever be included in an international medical cleft congress.
The topic of the panel was “Cleft support groups: roles, models and challenges”.
Included in the panel were support groups from Malaysia, Bulgaria, New Zealand, Mexico, Germany, France, Egypt and South Africa. 
The panel discussed how cleft support groups can improve overall outcomes for patients and families by building partnerships with cleft teams.
“It was a privilege to be part of this experience. I hope to implement new ideas in the Cleft Friends model from this Congress. Seeing the sites in Edinburgh was an added bonus.” Helena Cullis
