The Third Annual Meeting of the Palestinian Cleft Society entitled “Dental and Orthodontic Needs of Children with Clefts” was held on November 14th at the Grand Park Hotel in Ramallah. The meeting concentrated on the Dental and Orthodontic aspects of Cleft Care with presentations touching on all aspects of care including Pediatric Dentistry, Orthodontics, Prosthodontics and Oral Maxillofacial Surgery. The presenters were a combination of local dental practitioners and international practitioners in Palestine on Dental and Surgical missions. The meeting was well attended by practitioners from all disciplines involved in Cleft Care.

After the educational component, a business meeting was held in which the Bylaws of the Society were presented to the members and approved in final form (See the website for a full copy of the Bylaws of the Palestinian Cleft Society). The Society also held its first elections for officers. Elections will be held annually at the Fall meeting.  The following individuals were elected: 

Dr. John Van Aalst was given the position of Executive Director in recognition of his efforts in establishing the Palestinian Cleft Society.
Dr. Khaled Abughazaleh was elected as the new President.
Dr. Moanad Aker was elected as Vice President.
Dr. Bilal Saib was elected as Secretary.
Dr. Sahar Alrayyes was elected as Treasurer.
 
Several Core Committees within the society were established, each with an appointed leader who will choose his committee members. The following Core Committees and leaders were designated.