Mr Brian Sommerlad is an honorary consultant plastic surgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, and at the St Andrew's Centre for Plastic Surgery, Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford. He was the first Clinical Director of the North Thames Cleft Lip and Palate Service (GOStA).

Although involved in many aspects of plastic surgery, Mr Sommerlad's main focus is on surgery for children and adults with cleft lip and palate and associated conditions. He has played a significant role in the development of the operating microscope for cleft palate repair and has refined techniques for repairing the muscles in cleft palate. Additionally, he has pioneered re-repairing the cleft palate as an alternative to pharyngoplasty in some patients.

Mr Sommerlad frequently travels to countries where cleft lip and palate services are less developed, collaborating with local surgeons and assisting in the formation of multi-disciplinary teams. He has worked with cleft teams in Sri Lanka, Iran, Egypt, Bangladesh, and Iraq. He is an honorary member of the Indian Society of Cleft Lip, Palate and Craniofacial Anomalies and regularly attends meetings in India. He is also a past president of both the British Association of Plastic Surgeons and the Craniofacial Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

Conditions Treated
- Cleft lip
- Cleft palate

Procedures
- Cleft lip repair
- Cleft palate repair
- Microsurgical cleft palate repair
- Muscle repair in cleft palate
- Re-repair of cleft palate

Mr Sommerlad's dedication to improving cleft lip and palate care worldwide and his innovative surgical techniques have made him a leading figure in his field.