more than changing looks, new plastic surgeon changing lives

Forget what you’ve seen on TV. Plastic surgery for kids is so much more than tummy tucks and botox. For children born with conditions that alter the shape of their face, plastic surgery changes their lives.

That’s what Christopher Gordon, MD, FACS, FAAP, does. His experience and training at some of the most prestigious institutions in the world make him an expert in surgeries to correct the most severe malformations of a child’s face and skull. His specialty is complex jaw surgeries, in which the bone is stretched, almost like pulling taffy, to create a more balanced face and allow a child to breathe better. He joins Dayton Children’s as the medical director for the plastic surgery department.

“It is so gratifying to make a child born with a facial difference whole again,” says Dr. Gordon. “It’s all I have ever wanted to do.”

His passion extends to passing his gift on to others. He created a collaboration in Cuba to resurrect the country’s craniofacial (skull and face) program and, by serving as a liaison, is helping to train the next generation of Cuban surgeons. This five year program is already making a huge impact in the lives of hundreds of people who previously had no options to correct their conditions. Fluent in Spanish, Dr. Gordon has done a great deal of work throughout Latin America, and is a veteran of more than 70 international mission trips.

Dr. Gordon was most recently the attending craniofacial surgeon at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Shriner’s Hospital for Children, as well as a professor of surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Fast Facts:

• MD and BS from the University of Michigan
• Residency in surgery at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore and in plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Louisville
• Research fellowship in surgery at Johns Hopkins University
• Fellowships in craniomaxillofacial and minimally invasive plastic surgery

Dr. Gordon treats children with an array of conditions that affect the way the face and skull develop. These include Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS), Nager syndrome (NS), Crouzon syndrome (CS), Goldenhar syndrome (GS)/Hemifacial Macrosomia (HFM), Pierre Robin sequence (PRS), and Craniosynostosis, among others.  With his expertise, he has created custom specialized devices and uses minimally invasive surgery whenever possible. He also created a new design of helmet for a baby’s head when it needs reshaping. Cast in a doctor’s office, it allows treatment to begin immediately instead of waiting several weeks.

“Dr. Gordon heightens the already stellar care that children and their families find here at Dayton Children’s,” says Adam Mezoff, MD, chief medical officer. “His skill, training and dedication to giving children a better quality of life is unparalleled – and our kids deserve nothing less.”

For more information, contact:

Stacy Porter

Public relations manager

Phone: 937-641-3666

newsroom@childrensdayton.org