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A BWH surgery team this week had the opportunity to meet and discuss facial transplants with one of the physicians who performed the world’s first partial face transplant.
Jean-Michel Dubernard, MD, PhD, and his team made headlines around the world in 2005 after they successfully grafted a nose, lips and chin from a donor onto the face of a French woman who was disfigured after being attacked by her dog.
Dubernard spoke in detail about the facial transplant—one of only three performed worldwide to date—and the outcome with BWH’s facial transplant team led by Bohdan Pomahac, MD, associate director of BWH’s Burn Unit.
BWH is the first hospital in the country approved to perform partial facial transplants. The BWH team and the New England Organ Bank will move forward with their collaboration to perform a partial face transplant when a suitable donor and recipient match are identified.
“There is no better place than the Brigham for a pioneer operation like this, thanks to all the teams of talented individuals from different specialties,” Pomahac said.