Craniofacial Fellowship

The Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Nicklaus Children's provides a one year,  ACGME-accredited Fellowship in Craniofacial Surgery. The program provides a broad exposure to all of the various areas of craniofacial surgery, including congenital anomalies,  vascular malformations, reconstruction after tumor ablation, and trauma. There is a strong collaboration with a very active pediatric  neurosurgical service.  In addition, there is a solid exposure to various types of orthognathic surgery, with or without distraction osteogenesis. There is also, through the Craniofacial Center, an extensive experience with primary and secondary repair of cleft lip and palate deformities.  Eligible applicants for the Craniofacial Plastic Surgery Program must have satisfactorily completed a Plastic Surgery Residency program accredited by the ACGME.

Curriculum

During the one-year fellowship, the fellows have the opportunity to participate in all aspects of adult and pediatric craniofacial surgery. This includes the correction of congenital defects, trauma, and adult facial reconstruction. In addition, the fellows will also participate in aesthetic surgery of the face and neck. It is this broad diversity of the fellowship that makes it one of the most unique in the country. The service is also extremely busy with other aspects of pediatric plastic surgery including pediatric hand surgery, giant nevi reconstruction, vascular anomalies, peripheral nerve surgery, and other such cases.

In addition to the time spent at Nicklaus Children's Hospital, the fellows have the opportunity to work at several other centers in South Florida. While at these centers, the fellows can gain additional training in orthognathic surgery and will learn how to interact with orthodontic colleagues to facilitate orthognathic cases.

On occasion, the fellows also have the opportunity to work with established plastic surgeons in the community to gain additional insight into their most up-to-date practices in aesthetic surgery.

Research is highly encouraged during the fellowship year. The fellows are expected to publish and present at national meetings. There is ample material to review, and there is also an institutional collaboration with the Florida International University College of Medicine should fellows have interest in any basic science research.

Given Miami’s geographic proximity to South America, there are often unique cases that are seen here. This opportunity to work with international patients and potentially have the opportunity to travel internationally is of much benefit to the fellows.

The volume of cases at Nicklaus Children's Hospital and our collaborative institutions is amongst the highest in the country. Fellows who finish here are highly capable of not only and craniofacial surgery, but aesthetic surgery and general reconstruction of the head and neck area.

How to Apply

The ASCFS has developed a universal online application for all applicants to complete.

Instructions for Completion

  1. Register for the Match at www.sfmatch.org.
  2. Complete the ASCFS Online Fellowship Application, which is available at match.ascfs.org. After creating an account, your login information will be forwarded to you.

Before you begin your application, please be aware of the following requirements:

  • Proof of plastic surgery in-service exam scores
  • Three (3) Letters of Recommendation, including names and emails
  • Current CV
  • Current Photograph

Please know the programs to which you would like to submit your application. See list at http://ascfs.org/fellowships.cgi. You may start an application, save it, and return to it before submitting. You will need your log in information to access the application.

By participating in the match process and completing the online application, you agree to the Match Rules for Applicants (http://ascfs.org/match/applicant-rules.cgi) and you certify that the information you are submitting is complete and correct to the best of your knowledge.

About Our Staff

The Fellowship was founded by legendary craniofacial surgeon S. Anthony Wolfe, MD, who received his training in craniofacial surgery from the founding father of our field, Dr. Paul Tessier, in Paris, France.  Dr. Wolfe serves as emeritus faculty and continues to work with the craniofacial fellows throughout the year.  The Program Director is Jordan P. Steinberg, MD, PhD, who has been with Nicklaus Children’s Plastic Surgery since August, 2021 after serving as Craniofacial Fellowship co-director previously at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD.  Dr. Steinberg’s interests are in cleft lip and palate, complex congenital craniofacial and maxillofacial anomalies, and orthognathic surgery.  Other faculty participating in the Fellowship include: craniofacial and pediatric plastic surgeon Chad Perlyn, MD, PhD, founder of our surgical program for Beckwith Wiedemann Syndrome at Nicklaus Children’s and President of our Nicklaus Children’s Pediatric Specialists physician group; craniofacial surgeon and neurofibromatosis expert McKay McKinnon, MD; and hand, brachial plexus, and facial/peripheral nerve surgeon Aaron Berger, MD, PhD.