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Overview


Pediatric plastic and craniofacial surgeon, taking care of children with cleft lip/palate and other facial differences.

Dedicated to the improvement of multidisciplinary team-based care, especially by way of standardized, prospective outcomes measurement ("If you don't measure it, you can't improve it.")

Passionate about causal inference for real-world data (RWD) in observational studies.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Associate Professor of Surgery · 2022 - Present Surgery, Plastic, Maxillofacial, and Oral Surgery, Surgery
Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences · 2022 - Present Population Health Sciences, Basic Science Departments
Affiliate Faculty Member, Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy · 2024 - Present Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy, University Institutes and Centers

Recent Publications


A 5-Step Simplification of the Fisher Anatomical Subunit Cleft Lip Repair.

Journal Article Plast Reconstr Surg · June 1, 2026 Unilateral cleft lip repair methods have evolved from straight-line repairs to geometric procedures, rotation advancement, and contemporary hybrid techniques. The Fisher anatomical subunit repair is a versatile, effective, and highly reproducible technique ... Full text Link to item Cite

Natural Language Processing for Automated Classification of Cleft and Craniofacial Procedures From Operative Notes: Model Development and Feasibility Study.

Journal Article JMIR Med Inform · May 11, 2026 BACKGROUND: The accurate classification of operative notes is essential for surgical outcomes research; however, CPT code classification is notoriously nonspecific for many procedures. In such situations, the operative note (or "dictation") must be reviewe ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Rating Scale for Obtaining Specific, Actionable Evaluations of Nasolabial Aesthetics after Unilateral Cleft Lip Repair.

Journal Article Plast Reconstr Surg · May 1, 2026 BACKGROUND: Surgeons pursuing improvement in the aesthetic outcomes of their cleft lip repairs may benefit from a granular scale evaluating individual objectives of the repair. METHODS: A working group of 9 surgeons convened to develop an assessment scale ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Optimizing Pain Management in Infants and Young Children Undergoing Cleft Palate Repair

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Gerber Foundation · 2026 - 2028

Directing Stem Cells to the Adipocyte Lineage in Infantile Hemangiomas

ResearchCollaborator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2022 - 2024

View All Grants

Education


University of Texas Medical School, Houston · 2003 M.D.