A Team Approach
At the Kapiolani Cleft and Craniofacial Center (KCCC), our goal is to implement a specialized care plan for each child with a cleft or craniofacial condition. We are here to assist with timely appointments and ongoing coordination of care until each child reaches young adulthood.
Your child’s primary care physician can make a referral to the center before your baby leaves the medical center or after discharge. This should be done by contacting Kapiolani Cleft and Craniofacial Center at 808-983-8500, option 1. Neighbor island residents may call toll-free at 866-928-7927.
Meet the Kapiolani Cleft and Craniofacial Team
Diane Ching, MD
Pediatrics
Dr. Diane Lynne Ching is a pediatrician at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children. She earned her medical degree from Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and completed her residency at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
David Cho, MD
Plastic Surgery
Dr. David C. Cho is a board-certified plastic surgeon who is strongly passionate about cleft lip and palate reconstruction. He completed the International Pediatric Plastic Surgery Fellowship at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, Canada.
An active member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Dr. Cho contributes numerous publications to the plastic surgery peer-reviewed literature and is a speaker at the national level, most recently at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons conference.
Dr. Cho enjoys helping the underserved by providing free reconstructive surgery in developing nations. Over the last decade, he has made humanitarian trips to Central America and Africa to perform cleft lip and palate repairs.
Carl de los Reyes, MD
Plastic Surgery
Dr. Carl de los Reyes is a board-certified plastic surgeon and active member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. He attended University of Hawaii at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine and completed his Plastic Surgery Fellowship at the University of Minnesota.
Having grown up in Hawaii, Dr. de los Reyes enjoys serving the Hawaiian community. He has been a part of the KCCC team since its inception and has been involved with medical missions to underserved countries to treat cleft lip and palate patients as well.
Cecily Elizares, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech Therapy
Cecily received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees in communication disorders at the University of Redlands in California. After graduating in 2009, she returned home to Hawaii to work as a speech-language pathologist in various medical settings. Since beginning her career at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, she has continued to expand her knowledge of pediatrics and cleft and craniofacial anomalies.
Sherry Gaillard, APRN-Rx, PMHCNS-BC
Behavioral Health
Sherry Gaillard is board certified in child/adolescent psychiatric/mental health nursing. In her role with the KCCC team, she assesses the needs of children with behavioral and psychosocial health conditions and when appropriate, recommends or provides psychiatric treatment. Sherry works primarily in the Cleft and Craniofacial Center as well as the Pediatric Functional Abdominal Pain Clinic.
She serves on the board of directors for Hawaii Mothers’ Milk, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting breastfeeding mothers. She also volunteers for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Hawaii, a nonprofit organization providing a “home-away-from-home” for families with seriously ill children.
Her other interests include spending time with family, traveling, hiking and reading.
David Haynes, DMD
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Dr. David Haynes received his dental degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in 1992. He then completed a four-year residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., with an emphasis on the surgical management and care of the skeletal deformities associated with cleft lip/palate and other craniofacial disorders as well as orthognathic surgery, trauma, pathology and reconstructive surgery.
During his residency, he was an active participant with the craniofacial program at The Children's National Medical Center. Dr. Haynes is a diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, a Fellow of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, and past president of the Hawaii Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He is a member of the American Society of Dental Anesthesiologists, the American Dental Association and the Hawaii Dental Association.
Gregory Lung, DMD
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Dr. Gregory Lung received his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston and completed a two-year general practice residency at the Louisiana State University Medical Center. He completed his Oral and Maxillofacial Surgical Residency at the University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinic and a one-year fellowship at the Oral and Facial Surgical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
Dr. Lung takes an active interest in providing surgical services in maxillary alveolar cleft reconstruction, orthognathic surgery and trauma. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, a Fellow of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, and a member of the American Dental Association and the Hawaii Dental Association.
Joan Meister, MD
Pediatrics
Dr. Joan Meister is a neonatologist at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children. She earned her medical degree and completed her residency at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine. Board-certified in pediatrics, she completed her fellowship training at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children.
Michael R. Pharaon, M.D.
Craniofacial and Pediatric Plastic Surgery
Dr. Michael R. Pharaon received his medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin and completed his General Surgery Residency at the University of California, Irvine. He went on to continue a Plastic Surgery Residency at the University of Virginia, followed by an additional year of fellowship training at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he specialized in craniofacial and pediatric plastic surgery.
He has presented research at both national and international plastic surgery, cleft and craniofacial meetings. Additionally, Dr. Pharaon travels internationally each year to perform surgery for those in need. While abroad, he collaborates with other surgeons to help refine cleft surgical techniques in developing countries.
Erik Tinhan, MA, DDS
Orthodontics
Dr. Erik Tinhan graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo with Bachelor of Arts and Master’s degrees in psychology. He earned his DDS degree from State University of New York at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, where he graduated magna cum laude. He completed his orthodontic residency training at the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine and received training in the treatment of cleft lip and palate and craniofacial anomalies at the Craniofacial Center of Western New York.
Dr. Tinhan currently is a member of the American Cleft Palate – Craniofacial Association, the American Association of Orthodontics, the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontics, the Hawaii Society of Orthodontists, the American Dental Association, the Hawaii Dental Association and the Honolulu County Dental Society.
Dr. Tinhan has served as president of the Honolulu County Dental Society and the Hawaii Society of Orthodontists, and has served as a trustee for the Hawaii Dental Association. Dr. Tinhan has also served as a board member for the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists and is also currently a delegate to the American Association of Orthodontists.
Dr. Tinhan teaches and supervises dental residents and volunteers his time as the cleft team orthodontist.
Jamie Uesato, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech Therapy and Feeding Therapy
Jamie Uesato received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She has been working for Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children since 2004. In 2012, Jamie joined the Cleft and Craniofacial team, where the children have been inspiring and teaching her each week since.
Liezl Chan, Patient Services Representative (PSR)
Cleft and Craniofacial