Dr. Ramón L. Zapata-Sirvent is an Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas. He also serves as a Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon at Shriners Hospitals for Children®–Galveston (SHC).

Dr. Zapata-Sirvent earned his Doctor of Medicine in 1981 at the Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV) in Caracas, Venezuela. He then became a research fellow in burn research at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colorado, from 1982-1984. Then from 1984-1986, Dr. Zapata-Sirvent became a research fellow in surgical immunology at the University of California Medical Center (UCMC) in San Diego, California. He went on to complete his general surgery resident training at UCV from 1986-1989 and returned to UCMC as a research fellow in burn surgery research from 1990-1992. For the next three years, Dr. Zapata-Sirvent completed his residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery at UCV.

Upon completing his residency in 1995, Dr. Zapata-Sirvent remained at UCV as a Clinical Professor in the Plastic Surgery Training Program. Then from 1996-2016, he worked in private practice as a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon at the Centro Medico de Caracas in Venezuela. In 2016, Dr. Zapata-Sirvent became a clinical fellow in reconstructive and burn surgery at UTMB and then joined as a faculty member in 2017.

Dr. Zapata-Sirvent is a member of several national and international professional medical societies, including being a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and serves as an editorial board member and journal reviewer for numerous scientific journals. He has authored over 70 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals and 75 books chapters in medical textbooks and has also served as an editor for 8 medical textbooks.

Dr. Eric Cole was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, where he graduated from high school as a national merit semifinalist. He attended Stanford University, and then returned to Durham for Duke University Medical School. He remained at Duke for his Otolaryngology residency, and then completed his Plastic Surgery residency at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Dr. Cole practiced both Plastic Surgery and Otolaryngology in Chapel Hill from 1999-2006 where he was on staff at many hospitals including the Durham Veterans Administration where he helped train Duke Plastic Surgery and Otolaryngology residents.

Dr. Cole joined an academic private practice in his wife's home town of Norfolk, Virginia in 2006 after the birth of their first and only child. He performed craniofacial and pediatric surgery at Childrens Hospital of the King's Daughters and continued his training of residents and medical students. He developed an interest in cleft surgery and travelled internationally with Operation Smile. His decision to pursue full time academics in 2010 led to his completion of the prestigious Craniofacial and Pediatric fellowship at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles / University of Southern California.

Dr. Cole joined the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) immediately after training, and he currently performs surgery at Shriners Hospital in Houston and Galveston in addition to UTMB. He enjoys his role as Director of Craniofacial and Pediatric Plastic Surgery. He has recently been on a medical mission for cleft surgery to the Dominican Republic in order to augment resident training and increase international ties to UTMB. He has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals, and has several more recently accepted. He recently authored a chapter on Pediatric Midface Fractures for the upcoming text Operative Techniques in Plastic Surgery. He is a member of multiple national Plastic Surgery organizations, and currently serves on the American Board of Plastic Surgery as an Oral Board Examiner.

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