Please find below the Schedule at a Glance for the 2026 Annual Meeting. Please note that small adjustments to the schedule may occur as details are finalized. The recorded sessions are indicated below. The full educational agenda will be available in the coming weeks. Education sessions will conclude on Saturday morning.
Tuesday, March 24
12:00 – 7:00 pm
Registration Desk Hours (Ballroom B Foyer)
12:30 – 5:30 pm
Pre-Conference Symposium
Separate registration required.
Topic: Global Care
3:30 – 4:30 pm
Family Resources Committee Meeting
Room: Commonwealth
4:00 – 5:00 pm
Membership Committee Meeting
Room: The Square
5:30 – 6:00 pm
New Member and First Time Attendee Reception
Room: The Loft
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Welcome Reception
Room: Grand Ballroom
Wednesday, March 25
7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Registration Desk Hours (Ballroom B Foyer)
7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Poster Session 1
Room: The Square
7:00 – 8:00 am
Poster Session 1 – Poster Presenter Hour
Room: The Square
While posters will be up all day for your viewing, please come during the poster presenter hour. Presenters will be available during this time to discuss and answer questions about their poster.
Coffee and light breakfast items available.
8:00 – 8:45 am
Opening Ceremony and Award Presentation
8:45 – 9:45 am
Opening Keynote: The Power of a Care Team
Session 100 – This session will be recorded.
Ben Kjar was born with a craniofacial anomaly called Crouzon Syndrome. With no chance of living an ordinary life, he chose to live an extraordinary one. He is excited to share with you an incredible story of a man with a facial difference who chose to make a difference and inspire others along the way!
Ben has defied the odds from a young age, in the elementary school hallways to the most prestigious wrestling stages in the world.
Come join us to relive the experiences that Ben faced throughout his life, as he chose to be “disobedient to average” and go beyond what anybody ever would have thought he could achieve!
10:15 – 11:55 am
General Session 1
Session 110 – This session will be recorded.
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Lunch Break
12:00 – 1:00 pm
2026 Program Task Force Meeting
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Advocacy Committee Meeting
12:00 – 1:00 pm
CPCJ Editorial Board Meeting
1:00 – 2:00 pm
Impactful Innovations: Moving the Needle in Cleft and Craniofacial Care
Session 120 – This session will be recorded.
2:00 – 2:45 pm
Visiting Scholar Presentations
2:00 – 3:00 pm
Student-Trainee Chapter Meeting
2:45 – 4:15 pm
General Sessions 2A & 2B
Session 131 – This session will be recorded.
General Session 2A
Session 132 – This session will be recorded.
General Session 2B
4:15 – 5:15 pm
ACPA Discipline Forums & Happy Hour
Enjoy a beverage of your choosing for these breakout discussion forums based on care disciplines.
5:30 – 7:00 pm
Movie Screening
Room: Georgian
Standout: The Ben Kjar Story
A documentary about wrestler Ben Kjar, born with Crouzon Syndrome, who overcame bullying and physical challenges to become a champion, embracing his difference as a strength. Refusing to be limited by his appearance, he defies societal prejudices as he attempts to become a world-champion wrestler.
Thursday, March 26
7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Registration Desk Hours (Ballroom B Foyer)
7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Poster Session 2
Room: The Square
7:00 – 8:00 am
Poster Session 2 – Poster Presenter Hour
Room: The Square
While posters will be up all day for your viewing, please come during the poster presenter hour. Presenters will be available during this time to discuss and answer questions about their poster.
Coffee and light breakfast items available.
7:00 – 8:00 am
Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
Care Coordination
Research Development
Mental Health / Psychosocial
8:00 – 8:20 am
Awards Presentations for Young Professional Service and Emerging Leader
8:20 – 9:20 am
Keynote: Our Current Understanding of the Etiology of Orofacial Clefts
Session 200 – This session will be recorded.
As common and visible facial anomalies, orofacial clefts (cleft lip and cleft palate) have long been of interest to human populations, leading to a variety of explanations as to their etiology. The evolution of our understanding of the etiology of orofacial clefts nicely parallels the evolution of human genetics research methods, and of the Human Genome Project in particular. In this talk Dr. Marazita will summarize the trajectory of evidence leading to our current understanding of the complex risk factors for orofacial clefts.
9:30 – 11:00 am
Instructional Courses and Study Sessions 1
Session 211 – This session will be recorded.
Instructional Course on the Multidisciplinary Care Delivery of Orthodontic Airway Plate Therapy
Session 212 – This session will be recorded.
Followers, Feeds, and Favorites: Navigating the Impact of Social Media on Youth With Facial Differences and Their Families in Craniofacial Team Care
Session 213 – This session will be recorded.
Cleft Palate Speech Assessment Practice: Rating Speech Parameters With the CAPS-A-AM
Session 214
MRI for VPI: Implementing and Interpreting Velopharyngeal MRI
Session 215 – This session will be recorded.
Is it Reflux? Managing Complex Feeding Issues in Patients With Cleft Lip and/or Palate
11:15 am – 12:55 pm
Junior Investigator Session
Session 220 – This session will be recorded.
12:55 – 2:00 pm
Lunch Break
1:00 – 2:00 pm
Past Presidents' Lunch*
*By invitation only.
1:00 – 2:00 pm
Student Luncheon
Room: Terrace
Free for students, but registration required.
1:00 – 2:00 pm
Education Committee: Junior Investigator Award Selection Meeting
Room: Clarendon
2:00 – 3:00 pm
Instructional Courses and Study Sessions 2 / Panels 1
Session 231 – This session will be recorded.
Unmasking Dysphagia: Videofluoroscopic Insights Into Craniofacial Swallowing Pathophysiology
Session 232 – This session will be recorded.
Evolution and Practice: A 13-Year Review of Cleft Prenatal Consults and Next Steps
Session 233 – This session will be recorded.
The Forgotten Generation: Addressing the Unmet Needs of Older Adults With Craniofacial Conditions
Session 234
Serving Unique Populations: Creativity in Care Coordination
Session 235 – This session will be recorded.
The Modern Craniofacial Surgeon – Tools for Innovation and Evolution
3:15 – 4:15 pm
Lived Experience Panel
Session 240 – This session will be recorded.
5:00 – 6:20 pm
Short Talks 1 (Surgical) & Short Talks 2 (Non-Surgical)
Session 251 – This session will be recorded.
Short Talks 1: Surgical
Session 252 – This session will be recorded.
Short Talks 2: Non-Surgical
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Lived Experience Gathering
Room: Studio
Friday, March 27
7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Registration Desk Hours (Ballroom B Foyer)
7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Poster Session 3
Room: The Square
7:00 – 8:00 am
Poster Session 3 – Poster Presenter Hour
Room: The Square
While posters will be up all day for your viewing, please come during the poster presenter hour. Presenters will be available during this time to discuss and answer questions about their poster.
Coffee and light breakfast items available.
7:00 – 8:00 am
ASCFS Member Breakfast
7:00 – 8:00 am
Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
Feeding Nutrition and Growth
22q11.2
Global Care
8:00 – 9:00 am
ASCFS Linton Whitaker Lecture & Panels 2
Session 301 – This session will be recorded.
ASCFS Linton A. Whitaker Lecture – Cleft and Craniofacial Surgery: The Achilles Heel of Training
Session 302 – This session will be recorded.
Clinical Management and Pathological Origins of Pediatric Dysphagia
Session 303 – This session will be recorded.
Considerations in Multidisciplinary Craniofacial Training for Professionals With Lived Experience
Session 304
Advancing Discovery and Equity: A Panel on Women in Craniofacial Research
Session 305 – This session will be recorded.
Importance of Implementation of an Audiologic Protocol for Patients With Cleft Lip/Palate and Craniofacial Conditions and the Significance of Sustained Audiologic Involvement Throughout Development
9:10 – 10:10 am
ACPA Annual Business Meeting
10:40 – 11:40 am
Instructional Courses and Study Sessions 3 / Craniofacial Surgery 1
Session 311
Building Bridges: Behavioral Health Integration in a Multidisciplinary Cleft and Craniofacial Center
Session 312 – This session will be recorded.
How Patient Lived Experience Informs Effective Speech-Language Therapy in the Cleft/Resonance Population
Session 313 – This session will be recorded.
Voices From the Past Informing the Future: First-Hand Insights From Founders of the Earliest US Craniofacial Teams
Session 314 – Cancelled
The Integration of Clear Aligner Therapy in the Orthodontic Management of Patients With Cleft Lip and Palate: From Mixed Dentition to Preparation for Orthognathic Surgery
Session 315 – This session will be recorded.
Mandated to Protect: Navigating Abuse and Neglect in Cleft and Craniofacial Care
Session 316 – This session will be recorded.
Craniofacial Surgery 1
11:40 am – 12:40 pm
Lunch Break
11:40 am – 12:40 pm
ASCFS Member Luncheon
12:40 – 2:10 pm
Concurrent Sessions 1
Session 321 – This session will be recorded.
Craniofacial Surgery 2
Session 322 – This session will be recorded.
Psychosocial / Quality of Life
Session 323 – This session will be recorded.
CLP Surgery 1
Session 324 – This session will be recorded.
Speech / VPI 1
Session 325
Craniofacial Biology and Anatomy / Neuroscience / Genetics
2:20 – 3:50 pm
Concurrent Sessions 2
Session 331
Craniofacial Surgery 3
Session 332 – This session will be recorded.
Otolaryngology / Airway / Sleep
Session 333 – This session will be recorded.
Speech / VPI 2
Session 334 – This session will be recorded.
CLP Surgery 2
4:00 – 5:30 pm
Concurrent Sessions 3
Session 341 – This session will be recorded.
Feeding / Nutrition / Team Care / Nursing / Pediatrics
Session 342 – This session will be recorded.
Global Health, Ethical & Socioeconomic Factors in Cleft and Craniofacial Care
Session 343 – This session will be recorded.
Orthodontics & Quality Improvement
Session 344
Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Imaging and Electronic Health Record Use
4:00 – 5:30 pm
ASCFS Young Surgeons Program Committee Meeting
Room: Terrace
4:00 – 6:00 pm
ASCFS Program Director's Meeting
Room: Clarendon
6:00 – 7:30 pm
Closing Night Celebration
Room: Avenue
As was the case at the 2024 and 2025 meetings, the Annual Meeting’s final night will host a Closing Night Celebration, including food, drink, and entertainment.
The Closing Night Celebration is held in place of the Gala Dinner of years past and will celebrate the culmination of a successful meeting of our community.
Saturday, March 28
7:00 – 8:00 am
Women in Surgery
Free, but registration required.
8:00 – 9:00 am
Instructional Courses and Study Sessions 4 & ASCFS Panel
Session 401 – This session will be recorded.
What I Learned From Having a Cleft of the Lip or Palate: Adult Perspectives on Lived Experience and Lifelong Impact
Session 402 – This session will be recorded.
Comprehensive Presurgical Infant Orthopedics Program Development and Coordination: A Collaborative Protocol for Interdisciplinary Management of Infants With Cleft Lip and Palate Undergoing Molding Therapy
Session 403 – This session will be recorded.
“Help Me Help You”: Managing Expectations in Dental Care of Patients With Cleft Lip and Palate
Session 404
Airway Obstruction Following Pharyngeal Flap: Occurrence, Prevention, and Management
Session 405
ASCFS Panel: ‘Best Save’ Cases
9:15 – 10:15 am
Panels 3
Session 411 – This session will be recorded.
Advocacy as Healing: Young Adult Perspectives on Identity, Storytelling, and Voice in the Craniofacial Journey
Session 412 – This session will be recorded.
Confession Booth: Management of Complications – Cases and Experience From Mid-Career Surgeons
Session 413
More Than Resources: The Diverse Contributions of Social Work to Interdisciplinary Team Care
Session 414 – This session will be recorded.
Same but Different – Approaches for Craniosynostosis Repair
10:30 – 11:30 am
Short Talks 3 & 4 / ASCFS Panel (Open to all meeting attendees)
Session 421 – This session will be recorded.
Short Talks 3
Session 422 – This session will be recorded.
Short Talks 4
Session 423 – This session will be recorded.
ASCFS Panel: Comprehensive TMJ Reconstruction for the Craniofacial Surgeon
