Craniofacial, Cleft and Pediatric Plastic Surgery Fellowship

Connect with former craniofacial surgery fellows to hear about their experiences with our program.

Christina Kapsalis, MD (2025, Current Fellow)

UT San Antonio Microsurgery Fellowship (2026-2027)

Idoryenin Ndem, MD (2024) 

Pediatric Plastic and Craniofacial Surgeon, Ochsner Children’s, New Orleans, LA

Jonathan Weyerbacher, MD (2023)

Pediatric Plastic and Craniofacial Surgeon, Mary Bridge Children’s, Tacoma, WA

Danielle Sobol, MD (2022)

Pediatric Plastic and Craniofacial Surgeon, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, Houston, TX

Alexis Tashima, MD (2021)

Pediatric Plastic and Craniofacial Surgeon, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA

Sara Neimanis, MD (2020)

Pediatric Plastic and Craniofacial Surgeon, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY

Jenny Lee Nguyen, MD (2019)

Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX

Daniel Cuzzone, MD (2018)

Adult Plastic and Craniofacial Surgeon, Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, GA

Jenny Chen, MD (2017)

Adult and Pediatric Plastic and Craniofacial Surgeon, Inova Health, VA and D.C. 

Brentley Taylor, MD (2016)

McCollough Plastic Surgery Clinic, Gulf Shores, AL

Courtney Carpenter, MD (2015)

Plastic and Craniofacial Surgeon, Christus Health, San Antonio, TX

Jordan Steinberg, MD, PhD (2014)

Pediatric Plastic and Craniofacial Surgeon, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Miami, FL

Magdalena Soldanska, MD (2013)

Pediatric Plastic and Craniofacial Surgeon, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA

ChiChi Berhane, MD (2012)

Private practice, Atlanta, GA

Mark Schoemann, MD (2011)

Private practice, Plastic and Facial Reconstruction, Encinitas, CA

Sam Maurice, MD (2010)

Pediatric Plastic and Craniofacial Surgeon, Mercy Medical Center, Des Moines, Iowa

Surgical Training:

Fellows gain extensive surgical experience in high-volume settings (2 major hospitals and 1 ambulatory surgery center), spending 4-5 days per week operating, with progressive autonomy throughout the fellowship. The operative experience encompasses a wide spectrum of both acute and elective procedures, including transcranial, maxillofacial, cleft, and pediatric plastic surgery. In addition to these core areas, fellows receive unique exposure to pediatric microvascular surgery, ear reconstruction, and adult craniofacial reconstruction. 

International opportunities: In most fellowship cycles, the fellow will have the opportunity to travel with a faculty member as part of one of several surgical international outreach organizations, providing exposure to the management of cleft and complex craniofacial surgical care in varied healthcare environments. 

Non-surgical Training:

Nonoperative patient care includes participation in pediatric plastic surgery clinics as well as multidisciplinary cleft and craniofacial clinics, where fellows engage in coordinated, team-based care alongside specialists in speech pathology, dentistry, orthodontics, and nutrition/feeding teams. 

Fellows also attend weekly interdisciplinary care conferences, which provide a forum for the discussion of complex cases and preoperative planning for upcoming surgical cases. In addition, fellows have the opportunity to participate in all scheduled virtual surgical planning sessions for orthognathic and reconstructive cases. 

The Fellow is expected to lead the Morbidity and Mortality Conference once a month. The Fellow guides the rotating plastic surgery resident in their presentation of the “Indications” conference held once a month. 

Through the program’s affiliation with Emory Division of Plastic Surgery, fellows may attend departmental Grand Rounds and are expected to deliver one formal presentation during their fellowship. Opportunities to participate in anatomy sessions offered by Emory are also available.

Fellows are expected to participate in research projects for manuscripts and presentations at regional and national conferences.

Fellows are also expected to participate in the monthly multi-disciplinary research meeting. 

View our publications.

Faculty members maintain clinical appointments in the Division of Plastic Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine. Plastic surgery residents at Emory University participate in rotations through Children’s.

Fellows are expected to teach residents in the operating room and through lectures at various conferences and labs. Fellows may participate in all Emory University plastic surgery conferences.

Learn more about the Division of Plastic Surgery at Emory University.

The fellow is charged with the management of the day-to-day inpatient surgical service, educational and surgical case assignments for trainees, and the presentation of the monthly mortality and morbidity conference. The fellow covers call in the “attending” capacity one weekend a month with a member of faculty as back-up.