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Dr. Konofaos is Professor of Plastic Surgery at the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Dr. Konofaos received his MD degree in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Thessaloniki Greece. Dr Konofaos obtained the Greek Plastic Surgery Boards in 2010 and the European Board of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (EBOPRAS) in 2014. He completed a 2-year fellowship training in brachial plexus, facial paralysis and peripheral nerve reconstruction at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk Virginia. Dr Konofaos also completed fellowship training in Microsurgery (1 year) and in Pediatric Plastic and Craniofacial Surgery (2 years) at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Dr. Konofaos’ clinical practice focuses on peripheral nerve microsurgery (with emphasis on facial paralysis, brachial plexus, migraines and surgical treatment of pain) in pediatric plastic surgery and craniofacial surgery along with reconstructive microsurgery and facial aesthetics. Dr. Konofaos is a member of national and international Plastic Surgery associations and several Plastic Surgery committees related to Plastic Surgery research and education. Dr Konofaos serves on multiple editorial boards for plastic surgical journals, and he is actively involved in clinical research. Dr Konofaos has published over 130 peer-reviewed articles and co-edited several book chapters.

Throughout her career, Dr. Phillips has received a number of accolades. She has been included in the Best Doctors in America database, was listed in the Guide to America's Top Surgeons, was named a Texas "Top Doc" and has been listed in Super Doctors®. She was honored with the "Young at Heart" award from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons for her membership, and the Distinguished Service Award from the Plastic Surgery Foundation.

Linda G. Phillips, M.D., is the Truman G. Blocker, Jr., M.D. Distinguished Chair; Chief, Division of Plastic Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. She went to Medical School at the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Phillips also did her Residency at University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan (Plastic Surgery); and Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois (General Surgery). Dr. Phillips specializes in the healing of difficult wounds; body contouring after massive weight loss; reconstructive and aesthetic breast surgery; cosmetic facial and body contouring of all types. Dr. Phillips has Research Projects in Biology of surgical infection; use of pharmaceuticals to decrease postoperative nausea and vomiting; complications/outcomes in body contouring after massive weight loss.

Dr. Phillips is a member of 25 professional organizations, including the American Surgical Association, the Plastic Surgery Research Council, the American Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons, the Society of University Surgeons, the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons, the American Association for Hand Surgery, the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation, the American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons and the Singleton Surgical Society. She is a fellow of both the American Association of Plastic Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons. She has served as President or Chair of the Association of Women Surgeons, the Plastic Surgery Research Council, the Residency Review Committee for Plastic Surgery, the American Board of Plastic Surgery, the Plastic Surgery Foundation, the American Council of Academic Surgeons, and the Texas Society of Plastic Surgeons.

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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. Daniel P. Donato is an Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas.

He earned his medical degree with honors at the Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, Ohio, in 2012. He went on to complete his residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, from 2012-2018, and then completed a fellowship in hand surgery at HealthPartners Institute for Education and Research-Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, from 2018-2019.

Dr. Donato has authored over a dozen peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals and is involved in several national professional medical societies. He was also honored with a Resident Teaching Award in 2018 at the University of Utah for his excellence in teaching as a plastic surgery resident.

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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Dr. Ludwik K. Branski was born in Kraków, Poland. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Bonn (Germany) and Masters of Medical Sciences degree from University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX. In addition to completing a residency in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, integrated program, in Munich and Hannover, Dr. Branski completed a clinical fellowship in Acute Burn and Burn Reconstruction at the University of Texas Medical Branch and Shriners Hospitals for Children-Galveston. He also completed a postdoctoral training in translational burns research at Shriners Hospitals for Children-Galveston. In 2013, Dr. Branski returned to the University of Texas Medical Branch and currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Plastic Surgery Division, and as a staff surgeon at Shriners Hospitals for Children. He also serves as the Medical Director of the Tissue Bank at Shriners Hospital.

Dr. Branski is an expert in surgical reconstruction of severe burns. He is currently funded by the Department of Defense to study the benefits of growth factor on muscle regeneration in severely burned patients and by the National Institute of Health on the effects of chronic Catecholamine exposure on post-burn scarring. His other research activities center on the use of fat grafting for alleviating hypertrophic scars after severe burns. He has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications and presented his work at numerous national and international meetings.

He is a member of the American Burn Association, International Society for Burn Injuries, Wound Healing Society, Shock Society, Society of Critical Care Medicine, and the German Association of Surgery and the German Association of Plastic Surgery to name a few. He is the recipient of several awards, including a young investigator award from the Society of Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Branski's research interests are in burn metabolism, hypertrophic scarring and burn reconstruction, CO2 Laser treatment for the treatment of hypertrophic scarring, wound healing and burn wound infections.

Dr. William B. Norbury was born in Worchester, England. He obtained his Bachelor of Medicine degree from St. Bartholomew's and The Royal London Hospital Medical College. He completed his MRCS (Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Glasgow) in 2003 and FRCS (Plast) in 2012. In addition to completing his residency in plastic surgery, Dr. Norbury completed fellowships in therapeutic use of lasers in the UK and in reconstructive burn surgery, surgical critical care at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and Shriners Hospitals for Children-Galveston. During his last year of plastic surgery training he was rated the UK's top fellow. He also completed a two-year fellowship in burn care research--one year focused on acute burn care and then one year emphasizing reconstructive surgery at Shriners Hospitals for Children-Galveston. In 2015 Dr. Norbury joined UTMB as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Plastic Surgery Division, and as a plastic and reconstruction staff surgeon at Shriners Hospital. Dr. Norbury has been universally lauded as a clinician, educator, and researcher by both teachers and peers.

Dr. Norbury serves as an expert in surgical reconstruction of severe burns. He is currently Principal Investigator on 2 IRB approved protocols and Co-Investigator on multiple other IRB approved protocols. He is an active researcher on the UTMB/SHC Burn Center Team and participates in multiple clinical trials. His other research activities center on nutrition in burn care, hyper-metabolism, wound healing, sepsis, burn reconstruction, and CO2 Laser treatment of hypertrophic scarring.

He has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications and presented his work at numerous national and international meetings. In February of 2016 he was an invited presenter at the 38th Annual John A. Boswick Burn and Wound Care Symposium in Maui, Hawaii. He is a member of the American Burn Association, British Medical Association, Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Glasgow, and the Medical Defence Union to name a few. He is the recipient of several awards, including a young investigator award from the Society of Critical Care Medicine.

Dr. Julie E. Park is the Stephen R. Lewis, MD Professor of Plastic Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas. She is an expert in microsurgical perforator breast reconstruction, which uses a women's own tissue for breast reconstruction in a muscle sparing manner. She also specializes in reconstruction of nipple sparing mastectomies, direct to implant reconstruction, and oncoplastic reconstruction at the time of breast conservation therapy. Additionally, she offers breast reductions, and operations to improve the aesthetics of the breast and abdomen.

Dr. Park is the Director of Breast Reconstruction and is the Residency Program Director in the Division of Plastic Surgery. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1994 and obtained her medical degree at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1999. She trained in plastic surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital and completed a fellowship in breast, microsurgical, and aesthetic surgery at Mercy Medical Center with Dr. Bernard Chang. Prior to joining UTMB in 2017, Dr. Park was the Director of Breast reconstruction and Program Director of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. She is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Park is the past President of the Illinois Society of Plastic Surgeons, and remains active in leadership of various committees for national medical professional organizations and serves as a journal reviewer for several scientific journals. She has authored over 30 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals and ten book chapters in surgical textbooks. She serves on the Advisory Council for the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is an oral board examiner. Dr. Park has trained numerous plastic surgery residents and microsurgical fellows and regularly moderates scientific sessions to help advance plastic surgery.

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