Welcome Message
Providing innovative care for children with cleft and craniofacial disorders is intertwined with developing and conducting important clinical research.
Dr. Skirko is the Director of the Cleft and Craniofacial Program at Banner-Tucson and is a surgeon-scientist who has melded his expertise in clinical research with his passion for providing care for children with cleft and craniofacial disorders. The combination of clinician and researcher allows for evidence-based care alongside innovative research that is life-changing for families. As a Cleft Surgeon, he works with families to choose the best treatment plan for their child based on leading research. As a clinical researcher, he uses his observations and clinical insights to help design research that is important to improving the care of children with cleft and craniofacial disorders.
Dr. Skirko leads a team of researchers at the University of Arizona, where his research is funded by the NIH, PCORI, as well as other foundations. Dr. Skirko also leads collaborative research with a consortium of cleft and craniofacial centers across the country. Creating and building a multisite consortium of cleft centers is critical to advancing our understanding of rare cleft and craniofacial disorders so that we can provide the best care to our patients.
Dr. Skirko has expanded the services available to children with cleft and craniofacial disorders in Southern Arizona. In addition to expanding access to secondary surgeries like alveolar bone graft and speech surgery, he has also brought cutting-edge surgical options to southern Arizona, like 3D-printed custom plates for orthognathic surgery.
The problems facing children with cleft and craniofacial disorders can be complicated. Often, parents have difficulty fully understanding all the problems their children may face and the procedures they may need. While nothing replaces a discussion with your surgeons, having additional high-quality information can be a powerful resource. We hope the information in these pages helps parents understand the difficulties their children may face and the treatments that could help them address these issues.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Skirko, MD, MHPA, MPH
Cleft and Craniofacial Research Director
Contact Information:
Research Questions: You can reach our research team at cleft-research@arizona.edu or Dr. Skirko at jskirko@arizona.edu
Clinical Questions: If you want a clinical evaluation, you can request a consultation with Dr. Skirko
Banner University Medicine Multispecialty Surgery Clinic
3838 N. Campbell Ave.
Bldg. 2; Clinic F (ENT)
Tucson, AZ 85719
Phone: (520) 694-6144
Fax: (520) 694-6101