The Tale of the Unrepaired Cleft—Retrospective Evaluation of Cases Encountered by an Indigenous Mission in a Northern Nigerian Community

2020 ◽  
pp. 105566562096543
Author(s):  
Ifeoluwa Oketade ◽  
Seidu A. Bello ◽  
John Adeoye
Keyword(s):  
Cleft Lip ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Categorical Variables ◽  
Orofacial Cleft ◽  
North Central ◽  
Outreach Programs ◽  
Surgical Mission ◽  
Funding Agencies ◽  
History Of ◽  
Case Files

Objective: This study aims to document the experience of an indigenous surgical mission on the occurrence of unrepaired cleft in 2 visits to Minna, North-Central Nigeria. Design: This retrospective study involved participants with orofacial cleft anomaly at 2 surgical outreaches held in Minna in 2011 and 2017. Baseline data were initially obtained from case files of patients at both programs. Data collected were analyzed employing appropriate statistical tests for continuous and categorical variables. Setting: Two outreach programs in Minna, North-Central Nigeria by Cleft and Facial Deformity Foundation in 2011 and 2017. Results: A total of 117 participants with cleft anomaly were encountered at both surgical outreach programs. The sample prevalence of unrepaired cleft was 61.5% with an overall mean age (standard deviation) of 10 (13.2) years. Most participants presented with unilateral complete cleft lip (70.8%) which was more common on the left side and had no family history of orofacial cleft (54.2%). Information on the surgical program was mostly obtained via friends and relatives in 32.6% and lack of wherewithal to offset the expense of cleft surgery and supportive treatment represented the most common reason for the delay of surgical repair (50%). Conclusion: We found a high proportion of patients with unrepaired cleft in our sample which may mirror happenings in other developing world centers. We advocate continued collaborations between indigenous missions and international funding agencies to further encourage continued repair of unrepaired cleft in developing centers.

scholarly journals Exploring Subclinical Phenotypic Features in Twin Pairs Discordant for Cleft Lip and Palate

2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth J. Leslie ◽  
Jenna C. Carlson ◽  
Margaret E. Cooper ◽  
Kaare Christensen ◽  
Seth M. Weinberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cleft Lip ◽  
Cleft Lip And Palate ◽  
Monozygotic Twins ◽  
Fisher Exact Test ◽  
Orofacial Cleft ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
History Of ◽  
Orbicularis Oris Muscle ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Larger Sample

Objective Monozygotic twins of an individual with an orofacial cleft have a significantly elevated risk for orofacial cleft compared with the general population, but still the concordance rate for orofacial cleft in monozygotic twins is about 40% to 50%. The goal of this study was to determine whether unaffected cotwins have an increased frequency of orbicularis oris muscle defects, a subclinical form of orofacial cleft. The presence of such defects may reduce the overall rate of discordance. Method A total of 63 discordant monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs, 262 unaffected nontwin siblings, and 543 controls with no history of orofacial clefts were assessed for orbicularis oris defects by high-resolution ultrasound. Frequencies were compared by the Fisher exact test. Results Unaffected cotwins from discordant monozygotic pairs had a higher frequency of defects (12.5%) than the other test groups (6.38% to 6.99%), but the difference was not statistically significant ( P = .74). Conclusions In this study, orbicularis oris defects were not statistically significantly more common among the unaffected twins from orofacial cleft discordant twin pairs. The trends in the results warrant future studies with larger sample sizes and additional subclinical phenotypes.

scholarly journals An epidemiological study on prevalence of hypertension and its risk factors among school boys of Burdwan municipal area

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
pp. 4213
Author(s):  
Kaushik Nag ◽  
Manas Patra ◽  
Avijit Paul ◽  
Indranil Saha ◽  
Krishnadas Bhattacharyya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Family History ◽  
Random Sampling ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Categorical Variables ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Adolescent Boys ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Chewing Tobacco ◽  
History Of

Background: High blood pressure in childhood and adolescence is an important part of the natural history of hypertension. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of hypertension among the adolescent boys of class nine (IX) to twelve (XII).Methods: A school based cross sectional study was undertaken among 894 adolescent boys aged 13 to 18 years from May 2013 to October 2014 of Burdwan municipal area. Schools were selected by Simple random sampling and systematic random sampling was used to include sample students from each school. Statistical tests like chi-square test were applied for categorical variables and p<0.05 taken as statistical significance.Results: The prevalence of hypertension was found to be 5.7%. The study revealed highest prevalence of hypertension in the age group of 13-14 and 17-18 years (6.5%), Muslim religion (17%), General caste (8.4%), and upper socio-economic status (9.3%) among which religion and caste showed significant association with hypertension (P<0.05). Students taking non-vegeterian items ≥5 days a week, chewing tobacco users, obese and having family history were more hypertensive which was statistically significant (p<0.05).Conclusions: The association of hypertension with food habit, tobacco chewing, obesity & family history of hypertension was found to be statistically significant.

Do Orofacial Clefts Impair Breastfeeding and Increase the Prevalence of Anemia?

2021 ◽  
pp. 105566562110543
Author(s):  
Aluísio Eustáquio de Freitas Miranda-Filho ◽  
Heloisa de Sousa Gomes ◽  
Roberta Bessa Veloso Silva ◽  
Nelson Pereira Marques ◽  
Hercílio Martelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Cleft Lip ◽  
Cleft Lip And Palate ◽  
The Other ◽  
Deficiency Anemia ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Orofacial Cleft ◽  
Orofacial Clefts ◽  
History Of ◽  
Prevalence Of Anemia

Objective This study aimed to correlate the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia and breastfeeding with orofacial clefts in children. Design Data on the participant profile, presence and type of the cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P), and records on anemia and breastfeeding were collected from patients’ charts, and submitted to statistical analysis by χ2 test ( p < .05; software SPSS 23.0). Results Two-hundred and ten files were divided according to: CL/P presence (cleft group;    n = 132) or absence (control group;    n = 78). Group CL/P was subdivided according to the type of cleft: CL/P-I (cleft lip;    n = 35); CL/P-II (cleft lip and palate;    n = 45); CL/P-III (cleft palate;    n = 43); and CL/P-IV (rare orofacial clefts;    n = 9). Group CL/P had significantly more records on anemia ( p = .016) and fewer records on breastfeeding (P<.01) than controls. More records on anemia occurred in CL/P-II ( p = .004) and CL/P-IV ( p = .006) than the control group. The comparison among the orofacial cleft types regarding the anemia records showed no statistically significant differences ( p = .123). Group CL/P-I had more records on breastfeeding than the other cleft types ( p < .01). Conclusions Thus, it is suggested that the breastfeeding process is more complex, and the history of anemia is more frequent, in children with cleft lip and palate or rare orofacial clefts than in children without clefts.

scholarly journals Congenital Heart Disease in Cleft Lip and Palate Patients: How Common Is the Association?

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 53-56
Author(s):  
Benjamin I. Akhiwu ◽  
Akinwale A. Efunkoya ◽  
Helen O. Akhiwu ◽  
Rafael A. Adebola
Keyword(s):  
Congenital Heart Disease ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Congenital Heart ◽  
Cleft Lip ◽  
Cleft Lip And Palate ◽  
Maxillofacial Surgery ◽  
Orofacial Cleft ◽  
Case Files ◽  
Nigerian Population ◽  
Age Range

Aims and Objectives: To determine the prevalence of congenital heart disease in patients with orofacial cleft in a Nigerian population. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of all the case files of patients with orofacial cleft managed at the Dental and Maxillofacial Surgery unit of the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital between 2007 and 2014. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16. Results: A total of 133 patients with cleft lip and palate were seen during the period of study comprising 77 males and 56 females, giving an M:F ratio of 1:0.7. The age range was 15 days–36 years with a mean age of 6 years. There were five cases of congenital heart disease made up of two males and three females, giving a prevalence of 3.76 per cent. Conclusion: This study showed that the prevalence of congenital heart disease in patients with orofacial cleft was low. However, the need for routine echocardiography in all orofacial cleft patients especially children should not be overlooked.

scholarly journals Mortality and Conversion Rate to Below Knee or Above Knee Amputation Following Transmetatarsal Amputation

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 2473011420S0011
Author(s):  
D. Anthony Barcel ◽  
Susan M. Odum ◽  
Taylor Rowe ◽  
Jefferson B. Sabatini ◽  
Samuel E. Ford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Conversion Rate ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Administrative Database ◽  
Categorical Variables ◽  
Diabetic Patients ◽  
Knee Amputation ◽  
History Of ◽  
Transmetatarsal Amputation

Category: Midfoot/Forefoot; Diabetes; Other Introduction/Purpose: Non-traumatic lower extremity amputations (LEA), especially those performed in dysvascular and diabetic patients, are known to have poor long-term prognosis. Perioperative mortality has been reported at between 4 and 10%, and the 1 and 5 year mortality rates range between 22-33% and 39-69%, respectively. While poor outcomes in these patients have been described, there is no consensus as to the predictors of mortality. The purpose of the study is to determine the percentage of patients who had a complication following transmetatarsal amputation (TMA) and identify associated risk factors for complications and mortality. Methods: We queried our institution’s administrative database to identify 247 TMA procedures performed in 229 patients between January, 2002 and December, 2016. Electronic health records were reviewed to document complications defined as reoperation, amputation and mortality. Mortality was also verified using the National Death Index. Additionally, we recorded risk factors including diabetes, A1c level, end stage renal disease (ESRD), cardiovascular disease (CVD), peripheral vascular disease (PVD), history of revascularization, contralateral amputation, and neuropathy. The majority of the study patients were males (157, 69%) and the average age was 57 years (range 24-91). The median BMI was 28 (range 16-58) and 29% of the study patients were obese with a BMI ≥ 30. Fishers Exact tests were used to compare categorical variables. Kruskal-Wallis and Independent T-tests were used to compare numeric data. All data were analyzed using SAS/STAT software version 9.4 (Carey, NC) and a 0.05 level of significance was defined apriori. Results: The conversion rate to below (BKA) or above knee amputation (AKA) was 26% (64 of 247). Males (p=.0274), diabetics (p=.0139), patients in ESRD (p=.019), and patients with a history of CVD (p=.0247) or perioperative revascularization (p=.022) were more likely to undergo further amputation following an index TMA. BMI was significantly higher in patients requiring BKA/AKA (p=.0305). There were no significant differences in age (p=.2723) or A1c levels (p=.4219). The overall mortality rate was 35% (84 of 229). Diabetes (p=.0272), ESRD (p=.0031), history of CVD (p<.0001) or PVD (p=.0179) were all significantly associated with mortality. Patients who died were significantly older (p=.0006) and had significantly higher A1c levels (p=.0373). BMI was not significantly associated with mortality. Twenty-two patients who had 23 further amputations subsequently died. Conclusion: In our series of patients undergoing TMA, 26% underwent further amputation and 35% of patients died. Conversion rate to BKA or AKA occurred at a high rate regardless of preoperative revascularization or the use of tendo-achilles or gastrocnemius lengthening procedures. Male sex, diabetes, ESRD, history of CVD or revascularization are significant risk factors for further amputation. ESRD, diabetes, history of CVD or PVD, older age and higher A1c levels are significant risk factors for mortality. These data provide useful insight into risk factors to be emphasized when counseling patients and their families to establish realistic postoperative expectations.

scholarly journals A22 PREVALENCE OF IRON DEFICIENCY AND SUPPLEMENTATION PRACTICES FOR PATIENTS ON HOME PARENTERAL NUTRITION

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 289-291
Author(s):  
L Russell ◽  
R Mangat ◽  
J Plant ◽  
S Hansen ◽  
D Armstrong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Deficiency ◽  
Parenteral Nutrition ◽  
Serum Iron ◽  
Iron Supplementation ◽  
Deficiency Anemia ◽  
Categorical Variables ◽  
Continuous Variables ◽  
Prescribing Practices ◽  
Sex Diagnosis ◽  
Funding Agencies

Abstract Background Iron deficiency (ID) is common in patients receiving parenteral nutrition (PN), likely due to a lack of iron in the PN formula. There is no clear consensus on how often serum iron should be tested or iron supplementation should be given, at which dose or route, in patients on long-term PN. Within the Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) home PN (HPN) program, the prevalence of ID or iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is unknown. This knowledge will contribute to better iron prescribing practices with ultimate benefit on patient’s health. Aims To assess the prevalence of ID and IDA in patients enrolled in the HHS HPN Program. The secondary aim was to assess supplementation practices for patients enrolled in the HPN program according to gastrointestinal(GI) diagnosis and duration on PN. Methods We conducted a retrospective study including consecutive adult patients enrolled in the HHS-HPN program from January 2015 to November 2020. We collected data on demographics (age, sex, and GI diagnosis), iron supplementation (dose, duration, and route), and information related to iron-deficiency (hemoglobin, serum iron, ferritin, TIBC, and folate) at pre-set intervals (enrollment, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 48, 60 months) and last measured. ID was defined as ferritin ≤45μg/L or serum iron ≤9μmol/L. IDA was defined as hemoglobin &lt;130g/L in men or &lt;120g/L in women in the context of ID. Data were expressed as median (IQR) for continuous variables and n/N(%) for categorical variables. Chi2 was performed to assess differences between groups and logistic regression to assess predictors of ID and IDA. The analysis was conducted using SPSS software(v26). Results The analysis included 125 HPN patients (50 males, median age of 55 (40–65) years). Patients received PN for a median of 195 (83–521) days. The most common diagnoses were malignancy (36.8%) and inflammatory bowel disease (23.2%); the most common indications for HPN was short bowel (29.6%) and bowel obstruction (27.2%). Iron profiles were measured in 77% of patients. At enrollment, 42.2% of patients had ID and 38.9% had IDA. Only 13% of patients with ID and 22.8% with IDA had iron supplementation (Figure 1). A total of 38 patients received iron either oral or IV (oral=44.7% vs IV=55.3%; p=0.66). There was no correlation between low levels of serum iron or ferritin with iron supplementation (p=0.23, 0.45 respectively). Age, sex, diagnosis, or reason for PN did not correlate with ID or IDA at any time point. Conclusions Iron-deficiency and IDA are common in patients enrolled in the HHS HPN program independently of age, sex, diagnosis and reason for PN. Prospective studies are needed to implement the most effective way to ensure proper monitoring and treatment of iron deficiency in this population. Funding Agencies None

The Relationship Between Maxillary Growth and Speech in Children With a Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate at 5 Years of Age

2021 ◽  
pp. 105566562110106
Author(s):  
Matthew Fell ◽  
Jibby Medina ◽  
Kate Fitzsimons ◽  
Miriam Seifert ◽  
Anne Roberts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cleft Lip ◽  
Cleft Lip And Palate ◽  
Poor Growth ◽  
History Of ◽  
Dental Models ◽  
Maxillary Growth ◽  
Growth Scores ◽  
Outcomes For Children ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Normal Speech

Objective: This study sought to investigate the association between maxillary growth and speech outcomes for children with a repaired unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) at 5 years of age. Participants: In all, 521 children (180 females and 341 males) with a nonsyndromic complete UCLP, born between 2007 and 2012 in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland were included in this study. Outcome Measures: Maxillary growth was analyzed using dental models scored by the 5-Year-Olds’ index, and perceptual speech analyses were scored by the Cleft Audit Protocol for Speech – Augmented rating. Results: Forty-one percent of the children achieved good maxillary growth (scores 1 and 2 on 5-Year-Old’ index). Fifty percent of the children achieved normal speech (achieving UK speech standard 1). Maxillary growth was not found to have an impact on speech outcome when described by the 3 UK National Cleft Lip and Palate Speech Audit Outcome Standards. Analysis according to individual speech parameters showed dentalizations to be less prevalent in children with good maxillary growth compared to fair and poor growth ( P = .001). The remaining speech parameters within resonance, nasal airflow, and articulation categories were not significantly associated with maxillary growth. Conclusion: The findings from this study suggest that children with a history of complete UCLP, who have poor maxillary growth, are not at a higher risk of having major speech errors compared to children with good or fair maxillary growth at 5 years of age.

scholarly journals A102 ADVERSE PREGNANCY-RELATED OUTCOMES IN WOMEN WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 77-79
Author(s):  
Y Hanna ◽  
P Tandon ◽  
V W Huang
Keyword(s):  
Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽  
Disease Activity ◽  
Bowel Disease ◽  
Pregnancy Outcomes ◽  
Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes ◽  
Categorical Variables ◽  
History Of ◽  
Inflammatory Bowel ◽  
Adverse Pregnancy ◽  
Aspirin Prophylaxis

Abstract Background Women with active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preeclampsia. Though aspirin prophylaxis is prescribed in the general population (prior to 16 weeks’ gestation) for those at high-risk of preeclampsia, its use in patients with IBD has not been established. Aims To determine the frequency of and risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with IBD, and to evaluate the risk for preeclampsia and the use of aspirin for primary prevention. Methods All pregnant women with IBD (Crohns disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) and IBD-unclassified (IBDU)) seen at Mount Sinai Hospital from 2016–2020 were retrospectively identified. Demographics, reproductive history, and IBD characteristics including therapy and activity during pregnancy were recorded. Adverse pregnancy outcomes were also identified. Active disease during pregnancy was defined as a fecal calprotectin &gt; 250 ug/g and/or using clinical disease activity scores. Categorical variables were compared using the Chi-square (x2) test and continuous variables using the Mann-Whitney test. A two-sided p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results 127 patients (66 with CD, 60 with UC, 1 with IBDU) were included with a median age of 32 years at conception. The majority were Caucasian (70.9%), married (82.7%), completed post-secondary education (69.3%), had no prior or current smoking (78.7%) or alcohol use history (67.7%), and had no other comorbidities (81.9%). 50.4% of women had a prior pregnancy. 3 had a history of preeclampsia and 15/127 were prescribed aspirin prophylaxis. 73.2% of women were in clinical remission at conception. Compared to women with CD, women with UC were more likely to have infants with low birth weight (LBW) (p=0.031), small for gestational age (SGA) (p=0.002) and had higher rates of active IBD during pregnancy (p=0.005). 13 women with IBD developed preeclampsia (6 with UC and 7 with CD). IBD type (p=0.844) and disease activity (p=0.308) were not associated with preeclampsia. Married women (p=0.001) while those who had a preconception consultation (50/127) (p=0.009) had lower rates of preeclampsia while those with a prior history of preeclampsia had higher rates (p=0.002). Among women who developed preeclampsia, pregnancy outcomes were comparable to those who did not. Women on aspirin prophylaxis (5/13) had a higher rate of preeclampsia (p=0.012), although they were also more likely to have a history of preeclampsia (p=0.002). Aspirin use was not associated with subsequent disease activity in pregnancy (p=0.830). Conclusions Women receiving aspirin prophylaxis had higher rates of preeclampsia, likely owing to a higher baseline risk. Preeclampsia prevention with aspirin prophylaxis does not appear to result in disease flares but larger studies are needed to confirm this finding. Funding Agencies None

scholarly journals POS0239 ROOT JOINT INVOLVEMENT IN SPONDYLOARTHRITIS: A POST-HOC ANALYSIS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL ASAS-PERSPA STUDY

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 340.1-341
Author(s):  
N. Ziade ◽  
J. El-Hajj ◽  
J. Rassi ◽  
S. Hlais ◽  
C. López-Medina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psoriatic Arthritis ◽  
Positive Answer ◽  
Categorical Variables ◽  
Joint Involvement ◽  
Main Diagnosis ◽  
Post Hoc Analysis ◽  
Wall Distance ◽  
History Of ◽  
Axial Disease ◽  
Post Hoc

Background:In patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA), root joint diseases (RJD), i.e. hip or shoulder involvement, may be associated with a distinct disease phenotype compared to those with other affected joints. The ASAS-PerSpA study (PERipheral involvement in SPondyloArthritis) [1], offers a unique opportunity to study the phenotypes of patients with RJD in a global cohort.Objectives:Primary objective was to compare the clinical characteristics of SpA patients with and without RJD. Secondary objectives were to compare the prevalence of RJD across the different SpA subtypes and the different regions of the world, compare the severity of axial disease as well as the disease burden in SpA patients with and without RJD.Methods:This is a post-hoc analysis of the ASAS-PerSpA study, which included 4,465 patients with any subtype of SpA (axial SpA (axSpA), peripheral SpA (pSpA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), inflammatory bowel disease associated SpA (IBD-SpA), reactive arthritis (ReA) and Juvenile SpA (Juv-SpA)) according to the rheumatologist’s diagnosis. RJD was defined as a positive answer by the investigator to the following question: “Do you consider that the patient has ever suffered from RJD (e.g. hip, shoulder) related to SpA?” In case of a positive answer, a potential specific treatment (e.g. Total Articular Replacement) was investigated. The patient’s characteristics were compared between those with and without RJD involvement, using Chi-2 or Fisher exact test for the categorical variables and t-test for the continuous variables. Two separate multivariable stepwise binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with the dependent variables “hip involvement” and “shoulder involvement”.Results:RJD occurred in 1,503 patients (33.7%), with more prevalent hip (24.2%) than shoulder (13.2%) involvement. The prevalence of RJD as a group was the highest in Juv-SpA (52.7%), followed by pSpA (44.3%) and axSpA (33.9%). The highest prevalence of RJD was found in Asia and the lowest in Europe and North America. Among patients with hip involvement, 6.0% had a history of hip replacement (highest in the Middle East and North Africa and Latin America); among patients with shoulder involvement, 0.8% had a history of shoulder replacement. Hip had a distinct pattern of associations compared to shoulder involvement (Figure 1). Hip involvement was significantly associated with the SpA main diagnosis (highest in pSpA, lowest in PsA), younger age at first SpA symptom, lower prevalence of family history of psoriasis, positive HLA-B27, occiput-to-wall distance>0, and treatment with cs-DMARDs and b-DMARDs. Shoulder involvement was associated with the SpA main diagnosis (highest in Juv-SpA and pSpA, lowest in axSpA), older age at first SpA symptom, higher prevalence of enthesitis, dactylitis, tender joints count, IBD, occiput-to-wall distance>0, EQ5D score and treatment with cs-DMARDs.Conclusion:Hip involvement was more prevalent than shoulder involvement in patients with SpA, and had a distinct phenotype resembling axial disease whereas shoulder involvement was mostly associated with features of peripheral disease. Hip and shoulder involvement should be analyzed separately in future studies rather than under the RJD entity.References:[1]Lopez-medina, C. et al. Prevalence and Distribution of Peripheral Musculoskeletal Manifestations in Axial Spondyloarthritis, Peripheral Spondyloarthritis and Psoriatic Arthritis: Results of the International, Cross-sectional ASAS-PerSpA Study. RMD Open; 2021;7:e001450.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

The early story: A brief history of the creation of entrepreneurship at Babson College and the discovery of innovation’s missing imperative

2020 ◽  
pp. 095042222097856
Author(s):  
Robert Ronstadt ◽  
Jeffrey Shuman ◽  
Karl Vesper
Keyword(s):  
Academic Discipline ◽  
Early History ◽  
Academic Programs ◽  
Institutional Commitment ◽  
Undergraduate Major ◽  
Outreach Programs ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Core Part ◽  
Complete Story

The authors document in detail how the entrepreneurship program was created at Babson College in the 1970s. They recount the early history of Babson’s program because the school was one of the first, if not the first, to make a huge institutional commitment that led to entrepreneurship becoming a core part of its academic programs. At the time, other schools had an entrepreneurship course or two, but Babson’s commitment involved the creation of an undergraduate major, an MBA concentration, an annual research conference, a Distinguished Academy of Entrepreneurs, an Entrepreneurship Chair, and numerous outreach programs. These efforts influenced other universities to increase their entrepreneurship offerings to the extent that a new academic discipline—entrepreneurship studies—was born. A second reason for this article is the belief by those directly involved in the creation of Babson’s program that the complete story has not been told and is in danger of being misunderstood. Like most innovations, the creation of Babson’s entrepreneurship program was not a neat and tidy affair, but one more consistent with the turbulent notions put forth by Joseph Schumpeter and Clayton Christenson. Understanding Babson’s early history with entrepreneurship can help others pursuing or facilitating their own academic innovations.

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