Surgery

Craniofacial Surgery Fellowship

CRANIOFACIAL-PICNIC

The UCLA Craniofacial Surgery Fellowship was started by Henry K. Kawamoto, MD, DDS more than 30 years ago.  During his nearly four decades in practice, Dr. Kawamoto has earned international respect from his peers - and the deep gratitude of thousands of patients and their parents.  In 1975, he joined UCLA's Craniofacial Clinic.  Dr. Kawamoto was the first Los Angeles plastic surgeon trained in craniomaxillofacial surgery by the famous Dr. Paul Tessier in Paris, France.  Dr. Kawamoto devoted his entire career to training Craniofacial Surgery Fellows from across the United States and around the world.  He headed the craniofacial surgery component of UCLA's Division of Plastic Surgery until he accepted an appointment as Professor Emeritus at the end of 2013. 

Dr. Kawamoto has created an enduring legacy including training three of the current full-time UCLA craniofacial surgery faculty.  The UCLA craniofacial faculty include:  Wayne Ozaki, MD, DDS, FACS (director), Reza Jarrahy, MD, Justine Lee, MD, PhD, Libby Wilson, MD, and Henry K. Kawamoto, MD, DDS (Professor Emeritus).

While Fellows spend the majority of their time operating out of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, they will also participate in cases at the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, Harbor-UCLA, Kaiser-Sunset Orthopedic Hospital and White Memorial Hospital.  The salary for this position is commensurate with institutional guidelines relative to the educational level of the individual involved.

The UCLA Craniofacial Surgery Fellowship is a one-year, non-ACGME accredited fellowship offered to applicants who have completed their residency in plastic surgery.

The Fellow plays an important role in the education of the plastic surgery residents.  Fellows participate in hospital and clinical rounds with the plastic surgery residents.  They provide didactic instruction on craniomaxillofacial facial topics, and act as consultants to the plastic surgery resident covering facial trauma call.  In addition, the Fellow is expected to participate in, present and publish clinical research.

This clinical position is available on an annual basis (July 1 to July 15 of the following year) and includes the following:

  • Cleft lip and palate care
  • Craniosynostosis
  • Pediatric craniofacial surgery
  • Pediatric plastic surgery, including microsurgery
  • Acute trauma and secondary trauma reconstruction
  • Orthognathic surgery (with traditional and virtual planning)
  • Distraction osteogenesis
  • UCLA's multidisciplinary Craniofacial Clinic

Application Process

Thank you for your interest in participating in the Craniofacial Surgery Match. The ASCFS has developed a universal online application for all applicants to complete.

All applicants are required to register with the San Francisco Match.  Information on the registration process can be found online at https://www.sfmatch.org/.  UCLA Plastic Surgery only trains one craniofacial fellow per year.

Instructions for completion:

  1. You must register for the Match.
  2. Apply for the ASCFS Online Fellowship Application (You must create an account and your log in information will be forwarded to you).

All applicants must submit application materials through the new ASCFS central application portal.

Application Deadline: September 1, 2024
Interview Date: October 12, 2024 (in person)

Application Requirements

  • U.S. medical school graduate
  • ACGME-approved plastic surgery residency
  • U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or holder of a current H1B working visa.
  • Eligible for a California medical license
  • Proof of plastic surgery in-service exam scores

Interested applicants should submit materials to http://match.ascfs.org/

  • A copy of your CV
  • Fellowship application
  • 3 letters of recommendation (one from your plastics residency program director / chairman)
  • In-Service scores for all years of post graduate training
  • Current photograph

Please Note: The UCLA Craniofacial Fellowship is unable to sponsor visas for international applicants, including applicants from Canada who do not possess a valid US Permanent Resident Card. 

Contact Information

Fellowship Coordinator: Hugo Mannings
Email: [email protected] 
Phone: 310-825-5582

Address:
200 UCLA Medical Plaza, Suite 460
Los Angeles, CA 90095

Current Fellow

Jake Alford,
Jake Alford, MD

Previous Fellows

  • Tommy Liu, MD  2021
  • James Bradley, MD  2000
  • James Lee, MD 2020
  • Han Hoang, MD 2019
  • Thomas Willson, MD 2018
  • Brad Gandolfi, MD 2017
  • Rizal Lim, MD   2016
  • Roop Gill, MD   2015
  • Kristen Yee, MD   2014
  • Justine Lee, MD   2013
  • Gregory Lakin, MD  2012
  • Brian Andrews, MD  2011
  • Derrick Wan, MD   2010
  • Alan Lim, MD   2009
  • Anand Kumar, MD   2008
  • Reza Jarrahy, MD  2007
  • Jennifer Keagle, MD  2006
  • Samuel Rhee, MD   2005
  • Jose Garri, MD   2004 
  • Mark Urata, MD   2003
  • Peter Taub, MD   2002
  • Rashmi Taneja, MD  2001
  • Wayne Ozaki, MD   1999
  • David Staffenberg, MD  1998
  • Mitchell Stotland, MD  1997
  • Michael Longaker, MD  1996
  • George Orloff, MD  1995
  • Pravin Patel, MD  1994
  • Michael Novia, MD  1994
  • Steven Buchman, MD  1993
  • Kristopher Shewmake, MD  1992
  • Diana Elias, MD   1991
  • Steven Cohen, MD  1990 
  • Fernando Burstein, MD  1989
  • Jeffrey Resnick, MD  1988
  • James Stuzin, MD  1987
  • David Finkle, MD  1985
  • David Thomas, MD  1985
  • Seth Thaller, MD  1985
  • Walter Sullivan, MD  1984
  • Michael Cedars, MD  1984
  • Patricia Gowmuka, MD  1983