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Clinical Research

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Jesse Taylor, MD

Chief, Division of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Oral Surgery

Dr. Taylor is Chief of the Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Oral Surgery at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), specializing in the treatment of children and adolescents with congenital and acquired differences of the face and skull. He currently acts as Co-Director of CHOP’s Cleft Lip and Palate Program, Co-Director of the Craniofacial program, and Director of the University of Pennsylvania/CHOP Craniofacial Fellowship Program. He is also the holder of the Peter Randall Chair in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at CHOP. A graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Dr. Taylor completed his plastic surgery residency and fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and followed his passion for craniofacial reconstruction as a craniofacial surgery fellow under the well-respected Dr. Fernando Molina in Mexico City, Mexico. Dr. Taylor focuses his practice on enhancing the appearance and functionality of the face and skull in children and adults. He specializes in craniosynostosis surgery, jaw surgery, surgery for facial asymmetries, cleft lip and palate repair, rhinoplasty, otoplasty, cranial reconstruction, cranio-maxillo-facial distraction osteogenesis, and complex facial reconstruction. He is a competent and caring physician who uses innovative surgical techniques and treatment strategies to optimize outcomes for his patients. He cares greatly about creating a strong bond with families, taking particular pride in developing long-lasting patient relationships. Dr. Taylor is active in prestigious national and international plastic surgery organizations including the International Society of Craniofacial Surgeons, American Cleft Palate Association, the American Society of Craniofacial Surgery, the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgery, American Society of Plastic Surgery, and the American Association of Plastic Surgeons. He lectures both nationally and internationally to educate surgeons and patients as to the latest techniques in craniofacial and cleft surgery. Fueling these efforts, Dr. Taylor is actively engaged outcomes studies in cleft and craniofacial surgery, aiming to improve the standard of care in his field and the quality of life for his patients. His research is regularly presented at major national and international plastic surgery conferences and he continues to make a strong contribution to the literature in a variety of peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Taylor contributes to the care of international cleft and craniofacial patients through visiting professor appointments throughout Central and South America, Europe, and Asia. He also serves on international surgical mission trips in developing countries, providing pro bono care for children who may otherwise go untreated. He sees patients at both The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

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Benjamin Chang, MD, FACS

Attending Surgeon

Benjamin Chang, MD, FACS, is Co-director of the Hand Transplantation Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and an attending surgeon in CHOP’s Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Oral Surgery and Division of Orthopedic Surgery with special expertise treating both soft tissue and bony hand and upper extremity conditions.

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Cassandra A. Ligh, MD, FACS

Attending Surgeon

Cassandra A. Ligh, MD, FACS, is an attending surgeon in the Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Oral Surgery at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, specializing in treatment of infants, children, adolescents, and adults with congenital, acquired, and traumatic differences of the body. Dr. Ligh focuses clinically on achieving the balance of function and form of all components of the body that include face, chest/breast, abdomen, and extremities. She is the Director of the Pediatric and Adolescent Breast and Chest Program and is part of the CHOP Ear Deformities Program, CHOP Vascular Anomalies Program, and CHOP Facial Motion Disorders Program. Dr. Ligh is passionate about individualizing care for all patients. Her style of communication stems from her initial career as a middle school teacher in San Francisco’s public school system and believes it crucial that patients and families not only understand what their surgical options are, but also the rationale behind each one that is discussed with them. She describes while surgical technique is essential to becoming a surgeon, being able to communicate openly, effectively, and compassionately with patients and families is key to understanding how to provide personalized care. Dr. Ligh studied Neuroscience and Behavior at Columbia University in New York City and trained as a physician at the Duke University School of Medicine. She completed her plastic surgery training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She returned to CHOP after developing a complex pediatric and adult reconstructive practice in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Ligh combines her passion for medicine along with her love of teaching as an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Ligh sees patients and families with a wide variety of plastic surgery needs all over the body. She specializes in general reconstruction, which includes upper and lower extremities, abdominal wall, chest/breast, and face. She has special expertise in microvascular reconstruction, which involves transferring tissue from one area of the body to another through microsurgical techniques. As the Director of the Pediatric and Adolescent Breast Clinic, she sees boys and girls with a range of breast disorders such as gynecomastia, macromastia, juvenile hypertrophy, as well as a variety of congenital breast anomalies (Poland’s syndrome, hypoplasia, asymmetry, masses, extra breast tissue, tuberous/constricted breast, and other traumatic breast deformities). With the Ear Deformities Program, Dr. Ligh offers a range of ear reconstruction techniques that include autologous cartilage and porous polyethylene (MedPor) ear constructs. As part of the Facial Motion Disorders Program, Dr. Ligh works alongside a multidisciplinary team to provide a comprehensive treatment plan (encompassing the surgical and non-surgical solutions) for patients and families with a wide variety of facial nerve disorders. She also works alongside the CHOP Vascular Anomalies Program to provide an individual design and plan for those who may benefit from surgical intervention. Dr. Ligh believes that each patient’s experience is complex and multifactorial, and her role is to be a healthcare advocate – to listen, educate, and guide patients and families to a decision that is the best for them. She sees patients at the CHOP Main Hospital, Buerger Center, King of Prussia and Voorhees locations.

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Joseph A. Napoli, MD, DDS

Attending Surgeon

Joseph A. Napoli, MD, DDS, is an attending physician with the Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Oral Surgery at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

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Eric Granquist, DMD, MD

Attending Surgeon

Eric Granquist, DMD, MD, is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

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Hyun-Duc Nah-Cederquist, DMD, MSD, PhD

Director of Craniofacial Orthodontics

Hyun-Duc Nah-Cederquist, DMD, PhD, is Director of Craniofacial Orthodontics in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

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Leanne Magee, PhD

Pediatric Psychologist

Leanne Magee, PhD, is a pediatric psychologist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, specializing in working with children with appearance differences.

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Kajal Patel, MPH, BDS

Clinical Research Coordinator

Kajal earned her Bachelor of Dental Surgery from MGM Dental College, India and Master of Public Health from Temple University, Philadelphia. She has worked extensively on the development of a mobile application for oral cancer screening and detection. She effectively collaborated with multidisciplinary experts including clinicians, researchers, software developers, UI/UX developers, ensuring a harmonious synergy among various domains crucial for app development. Kajal is currently working as a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Center for Craniofacial Innovation. Her responsibilities include subject screening and recruitment, biospecimen processing, accurate input, organization, and maintenance of research-related data, managing and ensuring regulatory aspects of research studies. Outside her professional endeavors, Kajal loves to travel and explore various cuisines.

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Meagan Wu, MA

Craniofacial Research Fellow

Meagan Wu is a Craniofacial Research Fellow at CHOP and medical student at Thomas Jefferson University. Prior to medical school, she received her BA in Art Practice and MA in Art History from Stanford University. Meagan plans to pursue Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and has interests in medical illustration, education, and the medical humanities.

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Scott P. Barlett, MD

Attending Surgeon

What motivates Scott P. Bartlett, MD, is the knowledge that his work can make a profound change for the better in his patient’s lives. At CHOP, Dr. Bartlett says, patients “will get the absolutely best care on the planet in the safest and most caring environment.” Well known for his work in facial plastic surgery in children and adults, Dr. Bartlett treats patients for both reconstructive and cosmetic concerns. In his reconstructive work, he treats patients with facial trauma, facial palsy, congenital abnormalities and defects of the face following skin cancer surgery. “The complexity and intricacy of the face and all its component parts make this kind of work especially fascinating,” Dr. Bartlett notes. In the area of cosmetic surgery, Dr. Bartlett has special interests in the face and neck, concentrating on nasal, eyelid and facial rejuvenation procedures. His research is directed to learning the effects of growth and development, as well as aging, on the structure of the face and refining methods of facial reconstruction. Current projects include exploring methods for non-surgical treatment of ear deformities and methods for imaging facial bones without the need for radiation exposure. Dr. Bartlett’s other interests include development of novel implants and medical devices. By combining his expertise in infant and adult reconstruction with aesthetic procedures, he is able to marry form and function in restoration. The field of plastic surgery is constantly evolving, Dr. Bartlett notes. “We are finding surgical solutions to ever more complex problems, and importantly, developing new tools, techniques and approaches for our current patients that are shorter, safer and involve less down time and overall fewer surgeries during the life of a child.” Dr. Bartlett is a member of the Edwin and Fannie Gray Hall Center for Human Appearance at the University of Pennsylvania, a team of specialists dedicated to improving ways of treating appearance related problems. He is also the holder of the Mary Downs Endowed Chair in Pediatric Craniofacial Treatment and Research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He is widely published in specialty journals and books. Dr. Bartlett lectures worldwide and is a member of prestigious plastic surgery societies such as the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the International Society of Craniomaxillofacial Surgery, of which he is a former president. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Pediatrics and the former Section Editor in Pediatric/Craniofacial for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the most widely read journal in the specialty. Each year he travels to Poland in a volunteer capacity where he performs surgery and trains Polish physicians in methods of facial reconstruction for children and adults. Dr. Bartlett is an attending surgeon in the Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Oral Surgery and Director of the Craniofacial Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He is a Professor of Plastic Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his pre-medical studies at Weber State College in Utah and his medical studies at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. He interned and did his surgical and plastic surgery residencies at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. At Harvard University, he was a research fellow in surgical immunology and later a craniomaxillofacial and pediatric fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He is board certified in plastic surgery. Dr. Bartlett has had a career-long interest in ear reconstruction. For over 30 years he has been using autologous cartilage to fabricate new ears for children born with microtia or absence of the ear. He has recently adopted a new methodology in which a flap of tissue from the undersurface of the scalp is draped over a porous polyethylene framework on which skin grafts are applied. This single stage procedure reduces donor site morbidity and enhances surgical result. He is one of just a few practitioners who are performing this type of reconstruction on the East coast. Dr. Bartlett is also a pioneer in the non-surgical treatment of congenital ear deformations, having developed a system that if applied early in life, within the first few weeks of age, may obviate the need for surgery for many of these conditions.

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Oksana A. Jackson, MD

Attending Surgeon

Oksana A. Jackson, MD, is an attending surgeon, the Donato D. LaRossa Endowed Chair in Plastic Surgery and Co-Director of the Cleft Lip and Palate Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

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David Low, MD

Attending Surgeon

David Low, MD, is a reconstructive plastic surgeon who specializes in treating deformities that occur at birth or are acquired due to trauma, illness, cancer, or abnormal development. Dr. Low attended Harvard Medical School before completing an internship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, where he also completed both a General Surgery and Plastic Surgery residency. He has three decades of experience in the Cleft Lip and Palate Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and is proud to carry on the tradition of outstanding multidisciplinary cleft care established by Drs. Peter Randall and Don LaRossa, former plastic surgery leaders at CHOP. In addition to repairing cleft lips and palates in infants, his practice includes secondary surgery for related problems with speech, and persistent lip, palatal and nasal deformities in both pediatric and adult patients. Every patient presents a different reconstructive challenge that often requires unique and creative solutions, with the goal of helping each patient look and function as normal as possible — and feel positive about the outcome of their surgery. Dr. Low has received numerous awards in recognition for his work, including Philadelphia Magazine's Top Docs for Kids and the Don LaRossa, MD Annual Teaching Award, Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Oral Surgery. He currently serves as the Clinical Head for the Laser Safety Committee, and is also a member of the International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies, among several other international professional organizations. “It is a privilege to provide compassionate and comprehensive care to each patient and their family,” Dr. Low says. “My hope is that they feel they have received the attention and the empathy they deserve, and a happy outcome to their problem.” In addition to directing and participating in many international cleft missions to bring quality cleft care to children in Central America, Dr. Low also creates medical illustrations to help explain his colleagues’ research. In regards to his practice, Dr. Low finds that “the gratitude of families who have undergone successful reconstructive surgery, especially those with severe facial or bodily deformities, is immensely rewarding.”

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Jordan W. Swanson, MD, MSc

Attending Surgeon

Jordan Swanson, MD, MSc, is an attending surgeon in the Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Oral Surgery at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who specializes in treatment of infants, children, adolescents and adults. Dr. Swanson focuses clinically on achieving optimal function and appearance of the face and head, and treats patients with cleft lip and palate, craniofacial, and other congenital, acquired and traumatic conditions. He specializes in cleft lip and palate repair, cranial vault and facial reconstruction, craniomaxillofacial distraction osteogenesis, rhinoplasty, otoplasty, and maxillo-mandibular (orthognathic) advancement, microsurgery, as well as minor pediatric plastic surgical procedures. In consultations and surgery, he brings attention to anticipating growth and development, striving to optimize treatment timing and procedure selection accordingly. Dr. Swanson is an Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Swanson has pioneered several techniques which improve the detection of craniofacial conditions, such as elevated intracranial pressure associated with craniosynostosis, which enable more expedient diagnosis and less invasive surgical treatment for certain patients. He is also one of few providers experienced in ear reconstruction using not only autologous cartilage but also porous polyethylene (MedPor) ear constructs, which enable ear reconstruction in fewer stages and at a younger age. Prior to practicing at CHOP, Dr. Swanson lived and worked in Nicaragua, collaborating with Operation Smile and the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health to build a joint Comprehensive Cleft and Craniofacial program. The program, based in Managua, treats children throughout the country with adaptive clinical and outreach programs staffed by an interdisciplinary team of Nicaraguan clinicians. He also served as Director of Surgical Innovation at Operation Smile, in which he co-led development of clinical training programs, surgical research, and clinical program design specific to lower-resource settings. He has lectured and led surgical training programs in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, is faculty of both CHOP and Penn Centers for Global Health, and is a faculty advisor to the Penn Global Surgery Group. Dr. Swanson’s innovation and research initiatives also focus on how surgical care can be better adapted to children in low-resource settings, through design of clinical devices and techniques, locally driven leadership and team capability strengthening, and reorienting care pathways appropriate to local contexts and resources. In parallel, these initiatives are also generating insight into less-invasive, patient-directed advances for surgical care delivery in tertiary settings. He was the primary investigator of the Cirugia Para el Pueblo pilot program, implemented by Operation Smile in partnership with the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health to advance the access to and impact of rural surgical care in Nicaragua. Dr. Swanson studied the History of Science at Harvard College, and trained as a physician at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He trained as a plastic surgeon at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital, and completed his craniofacial surgery fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He was also the recipient of the Tsao Fellowship in Global Surgery, and holds an MSc in International Development Management from the London School of Economics. Dr. Swanson is the Linton Whitaker Endowed Chair of Craniofacial Surgery and an Associate Professor of Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He sees patients at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania hospitals, and is a plastic surgeon at the Shriner’s Hospital for Children. “As a surgeon it is incredibly humbling and rewarding to restore form and function to patients born with cleft lip and palate anomalies.  With research, we hope our discoveries will lay the foundation for advances that will impact patients everywhere."

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Lawrence M. Levin, DMD, MD

Chief, Division of Dentistry

Lawrence M. Levin, DMD, MD, is Chief of the Division of Dentistry and an oral and maxillofacial surgeon in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

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Michelle Scott, DDS, MBA

Director of Cleft Lip and Palate Orthodontics

Michelle Scott, DDS, MBA, is a craniofacial orthodontist and Director of Cleft Lip and Palate Orthodontics in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

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Abinaya Arulselvan, BDS, MPH

Clinical Research Program Manager

Abinaya earned her Bachelor of Dental Surgery from M.S Ramaiah Dental College, India and Master of Public Health from Drexel University, Philadelphia. She is a certified clinical research professional and has worked extensively with the Directors of the Pediatric Platelet Disorder, Thalassemia and Sickle-cell Centers within the Division of Hematology in understanding the biology of these conditions and to develop targeted therapies to improve outcomes. Her projects involved managing and execution of all phases of adult and pediatric clinical trials for rare hematological disorders including multiple gene therapy studies. Abinaya is the current Clinical Research Program Manager for the Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Oral Surgery and is responsible for providing administrative, regulatory, and scientific leadership in the conduct of research programs within the division. She is an active member of SOCRA and an elected member of the Steering and Education committee of PROSPER at CHOP.

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Jinggang Jenny Ng, MA

Craniofacial Research Fellow

Jinggang is a Craniofacial Research Fellow and current medical student at the University of Pennsylvania. She is interested in cleft care, craniofacial surgery, and improving access to global healthcare.

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Dominic Romeo, MA

Craniofacial Research Fellow

Dominic is a current medical student at the University of Pennsylvania and Craniofacial Research Fellow at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He is interested in global health and pediatric craniofacial surgery. Prior to medical school, Dominic worked and studied in China and Japan for five years.

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