Cleft & Craniofacial Team University of Minnesota

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Cleft & Craniofacial Team University of Minnesota

Comprehensive team care for children and adults with cleft lip and palate & craniofacial conditions.

08/10/2026

🎉 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗚𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗗 𝗜𝗧! It’s Karla!

Meet Karla Olesen Gruinheid, RN, BSN, PHN, LDA — Care Coordinator for the University of Minnesota Cleft & Craniofacial Team. 💛

If you know Karla, you know “care coordinator” barely begins to describe what she does.

𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀.

Cleft and craniofacial care is a journey that can span years and involve medical and surgical care, dental and orthodontic treatment, speech, hearing, feeding, mental health, school and more. Karla is the 𝗵𝘂𝗯 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱.

She helps families understand what comes next, coordinates care and referrals, helps navigate insurance barriers, communicates across specialties, connects with schools and community providers, and helps make sure important steps happen 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

And her expertise extends nationally. ⭐ Karla serves as the Care Coordination Representative on the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association (ACPA) Commission on Approval of Teams, helping support standards for cleft and craniofacial team care across the country.

𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀. 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 — and someone helping families navigate it.

And when Karla isn’t coordinating care? You’ll probably find her outside! ☀️ She loves paddleboarding, kayaking and biking with her husband in the summer and snowshoeing in the winter. She’s also a huge dog lover, has a German Shepherd, and volunteers with an animal rescue. 🐾

Favorite song? Red Red Wine by UB40 (blasted with the windows down in the car).

𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝘂𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗲’𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀. 💛

📍 University of Minnesota Cleft & Craniofacial Team
Moos Tower
515 Delaware St SE, 6-296
Minneapolis, MN 55455

📞 Clinic: 612-625-5945
📞 UMN Care Coordination: 612-625-9256
✉️ [email protected]

mncleft

08/06/2026

👶 GUESS WHO?! 👀 Throw back Thursday!

This adorable little one grew up to become an important member of the University of Minnesota Cleft & Craniofacial Team.

Can you guess who it is?

👇 Comment your guess below! We’ll reveal the answer tomorrow and introduce you to this team member and the important role they play in caring for children and adults with cleft lip, cleft palate, and craniofacial differences.

No cheating! 😉💛

08/03/2026

Feeding a baby with a cleft lip or cleft palate can feel overwhelming—but with the right support, most babies feed safely and grow well. 💙

In this guide, our University of Minnesota Cleft & Craniofacial feeding specialists from the School of Dentistry answer some of the questions parents ask most:

🍼 Can my baby with a cleft lip or cleft palate breastfeed?
🍼 Why is feeding different with a cleft palate?
🍼 How can I help my baby feed safely and grow?

Every baby is unique, which is why individualized feeding plans matter. Our team provides personalized feeding evaluations and support to help babies thrive from the very beginning.

Need help feeding your baby?

📍 University of Minnesota Cleft & Craniofacial Program School of Denstistry •
Moos Tower • Minneapolis, MN
✔ In-person and virtual visits
✔ Self-referrals welcome
📞 612-625-5945

Care Coordinator: Karla Olesen Gruinheid, RN

Save this post for future reference, share it with a family who may benefit, and send us a DM with questions you’d like our experts to answer in a future post.

CraniofacialCare

07/16/2026

Dr. Angie Morillas, MD, MA, CCC-SLP, is truly one of a kind. 💙

She recently joined the Our Forever Smiles ourforeversmiles podcast to discuss the importance of early intervention and speech therapy after cleft palate repair—an essential conversation for families navigating a cleft journey.

Dr. Angie is Minnesota’s only bilingual cleft and craniofacial speech-language pathologist.

Before becoming a speech-language pathologist, she practiced as a plastic surgeon in Peru and completed a pediatric cleft and craniofacial surgery fellowship at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She later earned her master’s degree in speech-language pathology and completed an advanced fellowship in cleft and craniofacial care.

Today, she provides speech, language, feeding, and swallowing evaluations and treatment for children and adults with cleft and craniofacial differences at the University of Minnesota Cleft and Craniofacial Clinic.

Thank you, Dr. Angie, for the extraordinary expertise and compassionate care you provide every day. 💙

Now accepting new patients.

☎️ 612-625-5945
📧 [email protected]
Link to podcast episode in bio.

07/10/2026

Not every smile looks the same. And that’s something worth celebrating. 🩵

Every person deserves to feel seen, confident, and proud of who they are.

Rock Your Smile. Because the world needs the smile only you can bring.

07/09/2026

When one child needs extra appointments, surgeries, or medical attention, siblings may quietly wonder, “What about me?”

The good news? Small, intentional moments can help every child feel seen, valued, and loved.

In our first Let’s Talk series, Dr. Eric Riklin, PhD, LP, pediatric psychologist with the University of Minnesota Cleft & Craniofacial Program, shares practical ways to support siblings while navigating a cleft and craniofacial journey.

Because caring for a child also means caring for the whole family.

➡️ Swipe for five simple strategies you can start using today.

Interested in meeting with Dr. Riklin? Psychology consults are available as part of your child’s cleft and craniofacial team visit.

To schedule an appointment, call 612-625-5945 or email [email protected].

What would you like Dr. Riklin to talk about next? Leave your questions in the comments—we’d love to hear from you. 🙌😊🙌

07/08/2026

For the past 12 years, our own Dr. Kerry Witherell, AuD, has served as the Healthy Hearing Clinic Director for Special Olympics Minnesota—a role that reflects her unwavering commitment to improving access to hearing healthcare. 👂🙌

A few weeks ago, at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, Dr. Kerry and an incredible team of volunteers provided more than 1,000 hearing screenings and evaluations for inspiring athletes from across the country.

We’re proud to celebrate these remarkable athletes and grateful for leaders like Dr. Kerry, whose expertise and compassion help make events like this possible.

Congratulations, Dr. Kerry, and thank you for 12 years of extraordinary service! 🩵

07/06/2026

When your child is born with a cleft or craniofacial condition, you’re suddenly faced with decisions you never expected to make. One of the hardest parts is knowing what questions to ask.

One question many families don’t realize they can ask is:

“What fellowship training have you completed?”

A Cleft & Craniofacial Fellowship is advanced specialty training dedicated specifically to the care of children and adults with cleft and craniofacial conditions. Understanding a surgeon’s training can help families make informed decisions and feel more confident as they navigate their child’s journey.

At the University of Minnesota, we’re proud to have Dr. Renie Daniel, Minnesota’s only dual-degree (MD/DMD), board-certified, fellowship-trained cleft & craniofacial surgeon. She provides comprehensive surgical care for patients from infancy through adulthood as part of our interdisciplinary Cleft & Craniofacial Team.

💙 Dr. Daniel is currently welcoming new patients. Whether you’re seeking an initial consultation, transferring your care, or looking for a second opinion, we’d be honored to partner with your family.

📞 To learn more or schedule an appointment, call our clinic or visit the link in our bio.

☎️ 612-625-5945
📧 [email protected]

Address

515 Delaware Street SE
Minneapolis, MN
55455

Telephone

+16126255945

Website

https://dentalclinics.umn.edu/specialty/cleft-craniofacial

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