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06/05/2026

Today’s Grand Rounds featured Chief Clinic Case Presentations by Dr. Elizabeth Malphrus and Dr. Sharbel Elhage.

Through a series of challenging cases, they shared clinical pearls, funny experiences, and practical lessons from training. Thank you both for an engaging discussion and an outstanding educational session.

05/28/2026

Dr. Eric Liao delivered an inspiring talk today on bridging the translational gap in pediatric plastic surgery, highlighting the extraordinary growth and impact of the Center for Craniofacial Innovation at CHOP under his leadership. From biobanking and functional genomics to gene-editing and clinical translation, Dr. Liao showcased how thoughtful innovation can reshape the future of craniofacial care.

His vision for the evolving role of the plastic surgeon as both scientist and innovator was compelling, ambitious, and deeply motivating.

05/27/2026

Part II of our series honoring the life and influence of Dr. Linton Whitaker.

As this year’s Whitaker Lecturer, Dr. Kant Lin reflected on the origins of modern craniofacial surgery through the lens of Dr. Paul Tessier’s pioneering work, while sharing personal memories of training at Penn under Dr. Whitaker during the formative years of the specialty. Through remarkable operative cases and historical comparisons, Dr. Lin highlighted the technical innovation, curiosity, and mentorship that helped shape craniofacial surgery into the field it is today.

Thank you, Dr. Lin, for an unforgettable lecture and for helping preserve the history and spirit of Dr. Linton Whitaker.

05/21/2026

Part I of a special series honoring the life and influence of Dr. Linton Whitaker.

Last week, Dr. Jordan Swanson delivered Grand Rounds for the Center for Human Appearance on “Dr. Whitaker’s Legacy: The Present and Future of Craniosynostosis Surgery,” reflecting on the origins of craniofacial surgery at CHOP and Penn and the generations of surgeons, scientists, and multidisciplinary teams shaped by Dr. Whitaker’s vision.

Thank you to the CHA community, Dr. Swanson’s wife Magda, and Mrs. Whitaker for joining us for a meaningful evening celebrating a giant in craniofacial surgery.

05/10/2026

Dr. Serletti and Dr. Tecce were faculty this weekend at the Big Apple Nerve Course at NYU. The program directors were Nikhil Agrawal and Lisa Gferrer. The program and format was absolutely outstanding and congrats to Nikhil and Lisa. The program included lectures and cadaver dissection and will hopefully be repeated next year. Many thanks to Biocircuit and Brandon Mark for their support!

05/09/2026

Penn Plastic Surgery had an incredible showing at this year’s AAPS Meeting held in Lihue, Hawaii.

Our team was well represented at the podium, with presentations from Tim Olsen, Kirin Naidu, Dr. Peyton Terry, and Alvin Yu, as well as poster presentations from Tim and Dr. Maggie Hornick, who was recognized in the resident competition.

Faculty contributions were equally strong, with talks from Drs. Levin, Taylor, and Kovach, Dr. Azoury serving as a discussant, and Dr. Percec leading the Women’s Lunch panel. We are also proud to celebrate our newest AAPS inductees: CHOP faculty Dr. Ligh, former resident Dr. Mirzabeigi, and former fellow Dr. Bank.

Lastly, and most importantly, a very special congratulations to our Division Chief, Dr. Joseph Serletti, who will serve as the AAPS President in 2027, a tremendous honor not only reflecting his own direct contributions to academic plastic surgery but also the generations of surgeons he has trained, mentored, and inspired, many of whom have in turn shaped the field.

Congratulations, Dr. Serletti, and we look forward to seeing everyone again next year!

05/06/2026

Congratulations to our research fellow, Maggie Hornick, MD on receiving first place for Best Resident and Fellow Abstract at the annual MedStar Research Symposium 🎉

She presented on the use of large language models to extract data from operative notes to support scalable clinical research - a complex task that requires thoughtful prompting strategies.

A special thank you to our Penn Computer Science collaborator, Keyush Shah ,for his dedication and contributions to this project over the past year.

Proud of this team and the work behind this project.

05/01/2026

At Grand Rounds, Dr. Zachary Zapatero presented on Apert syndrome and the evolving patient-centered approach through adolescence. The talk reviewed craniofacial growth, surgical timing, and reconstructive strategies, including posterior vault distraction osteogenesis, fronto-orbital advancement, and midface correction. Dr. Zapatero masterfully highlighted CHOP/Penn’s historical and contemporary role in shaping how the field has approached the surgical care of these patients.

Well done, Dr. Zapatero!

04/25/2026

The Penn Plastic Surgery team gathered for dinner at our favorite South Philly restaurant, L’Angolo, this past Saturday night. Great food and even better company!

04/24/2026

Yesterday morning, we were honored to welcome Dr. Gerald Imber as the guest lecturer for the 8th Annual Lehr Lectureship. During Grand Rounds, he delivered a compelling biographical portrait of William Halsted, widely regarded as the father of modern surgery, reflecting on the ideas, discipline, and innovation that helped shape the field as we know it today. Thank you, Dr. Imber, for bringing surgical history so vividly to life.

Address

3400 Civic Center Boulevard South Pavilion
Philadelphia, PA
19104

Telephone

+12153165151

Website

https://www.pennmedicine.org/for-patients-and-visitors/find-a-program-or-service/plastic-surgery

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