Fernanda Bassan: Providing Lifesaving Nutrition Care for Babies with Clefts in Brazil

Parents arrive holding a baby with a cleft and a question: Will my child be able to eat? In Brasília, nutritionist Dr Fernanda Bassan helps families find answers.

Meet Dr Fernanda Bassan, a Cleft Nutrition Specialist in Brazil

Dr Fernanda Bassan is a nutritionist on the cleft care team at Smile Train partner Asa Norte Regional Hospital (HRAN) in Brasília, Brazil.

Dr Fernanda Bassan smiling as part of a local cleft palate and cleft lip care team — Nutritionist Dr Fernanda Bassan. Local care teams power lasting impact – supporting nutrition and other areas of comprehensive cleft care

She didn’t plan on specialising in cleft care — the field found her. Fernanda was working in the hospital’s inpatient area and looking to move into outpatient care when the cleft clinic asked her to join their team. She decided to give it a try.

“Things just clicked, and I ended up falling in love with this specialty”, she shared.

Her passion for this work doesn’t only make it enjoyable; it’s the secret to her success.

Why Nutrition Is Essential to Cleft Lip and Palate Care

Parents often come to Fernanda with panic in their eyes and a tiny baby in their arms: “Will my child breastfeed? Will they be able to eat?”

Their fears are well-founded. Without proper nourishment early in life, children can face severe physical and cognitive impacts that may last a lifetime. Some will even die of malnutrition.

Infants with untreated clefts are at particular risk for malnutrition, because the cleft in their lip and/or palate can interfere with their ability to feed effectively — especially by making it difficult to create suction, which can compromise breastfeeding and lead to inadequate intake if families are not supported.

In fact, a 2022 study by Smile Train and the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington found that between 2000 and 2020, more than 46,000 children with clefts died from malnutrition-related causes. Of them, 21,000 died from malnutrition solely related to their cleft — in other words, if they had been born without a cleft, 21,000 of these children would never have experienced malnutrition at all.

Critically, malnutrition can also delay cleft treatment. A baby who isn’t at a healthy weight cannot safely receive anaesthesia, meaning surgery must wait until they meet the surgical team’s minimum weight and health thresholds.

Thus, for some, nutritional support can not only be lifesaving, but it also makes all other cleft care possible.

What a Comprehensive Cleft Care Team Looks Like

Dr. Fernanda Bassan and plastic surgeon Dr. Marconi Delmiro Neves da Silva in an office discussing local cleft palate and cleft lip care — Dr Bassan with plastic surgeon Dr Marconi Delmiro Neves da Silva. Cleft treatment requires teamwork, coordinating orthodontics, speech therapy, feeding support, and more, so patients can thrive long-term

Fernanda reassures families that she and her team of local experts will be there to provide the full spectrum of cleft care their child needs at no cost to them, thanks to Smile Train. While critical, surgery is often only one leg of the cleft journey — and every cleft journey is unique. Smile Train is committed to supporting multidisciplinary programs that treat the whole child, including:

Feeding & Nutrition
Surgery
Oral Health
ENT and Audiology
Speech Services

“The perspective of each specialty can bring a different solution”, Fernanda explained. “Sometimes I’m thinking about one thing, the paediatrician is already seeing another detail, and the speech therapist has already thought of another issue. So, during this joint assessment, each one raises a point, and we put the pieces together to find solutions that usually work for the patient”.

That’s the power of a coordinated, comprehensive cleft care team: shared eyes, shared expertise, and a shared plan.

Why Specialised Local Care Matters

Cleft-affected patient and mother meeting a local care team in Dr. Fernanda Bassan’s office — The mother of a cleft-affected baby meeting Dr Bassan in her office for feeding support

Recently, a baby with a cleft who weighed just 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs.) was rushed to HRAN.

“In cases like this, it truly matters to have a team specialised in treating children with clefts, because every detail must be examined”, Fernanda explained.

Her team performed a close evaluation of the method and timing of the baby’s feeding and possible metabolic issues that professionals without her background may overlook.

After making careful adjustments with the mother, the baby began gaining weight — possibly saving his life.

“I think it brings such relief when the family understands that they’re okay”, she said. “They’re not only nourishing their child, they’re nurturing them. They’re giving the affection that feeding brings. That’s the most magical part”.

Care, Lasting Trust, Lifelong Impact

Through Smile Train’s comprehensive and locally driven approach, children receive the breadth of cleft care they need in a more timely manner from partners like Fernanda who share their language and culture. This model builds trust, lasting relationships, and healthcare infrastructure that serves communities year-round, today and for generations to come.

I need to thank Smile Train’s donors for the continued support we receive. There are areas where we cannot act the way we would like given our budget as part of the public health system, and having this support from Smile Train is fundamental. Obrigado!