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Meet Dr. David Staffenberg
It is our pleasure to welcome and introduce David A. Staffenberg, M.D., a great addition to the IRPS Medical Team and newly appointed Clinical Professor of Plastic Surgery and Chief of Pediatric Plastic Surgery at the NYU Langone Medical Center. Dr. Staffenberg specializes in craniofacial surgery and the reconstruction of facial differences that are either congenital or acquired, including the correction of craniosynostosis, cleft lip and palate, jaw surgery, surgery for missing or deformed ears, and nose surgery.
Dr. Staffenberg joins the Institute after serving as Clinical Professor and Chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery at Montefiore Medical Center and the Program Director of the Plastic Surgery Residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. His achievements are internationally known and include the successful separation of conjoined twins, an accomplishment for which he received the Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Science and Technology and an honorary degree from The College of Mount Saint Vincent.
Dr. Staffenberg is the author of several textbook chapters on plastic and craniofacial surgery and sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery and the International Journal of Pediatric Otolaryngology. He has been a visiting professor in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the US and is a consultant to the Ministry of Health in Brunei. Dr. Staffenberg was educated at Binghamton University in New York and New York Medical College. He did his post graduate medical training at Maimonides Medical Center and Emory University School of Medicine and was a postdoctoral fellow at both the University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine and the Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center.
NFFR recently interviewed Dr. Staffenberg about his return to the IRPS and his past and present work for the Institute:
What first attracted you to this line of work and what do you enjoy most about it?
When I was an intern in general surgery, I dreamed of becoming a cardiac surgeon. This changed suddenly when I spent a rainy day in the medical-school library and I stumbled upon a beautiful two-volume book called “The Artistry of Reconstructive Surgery.” Each chapter reviewed a single patient with a difficult facial reconstructive challenge: I was completely amazed. I knew that this was what I wanted to do but I had no idea how to pursue this career. To set me in the right direction, I was referred to Dr. McCarthy. I still remember that Friday, early in 1990, when I first set foot in the Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, and sat at the conference table (the same table I am sitting at right now) waiting to meet Dr. McCarthy. That meeting ultimately led me to a two-year research position in craniofacial surgery at the IRPS. During those two years, we were able to perform much of the experimental work that made distraction osteogenesis the new standard of care in midface advancement, as well as demonstrating that multidimensional distraction was possible and that intraoral device placement was a possibility. Most important, I fell in love with a discipline that I was not even aware of in medical school; a specialty that allowed me to be a physician, surgeon, engineer, architect and artist.
You did your post-grad research at IRPS. What made you decide to return?
Coming home to the Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery is something that I dreamed about since leaving (“graduating” from my research fellowship) in 1993. The history of great plastic surgery, research, and teaching and the number of outstanding leaders that have come through the doors are awesome.
What do you do on a normal day?
Each day is full of activity. On days that I see patients, I may see up to 40 children. Evaluating new clinical problems in young babies and children, reassuring parents and planning for surgery, account for a tremendous amount of my time. Time with the residents is primarily spent teaching (sometimes I am teaching them, but always learning from them as well). I remember how inspired I was seeing my professors operate and I take the responsibility of teaching very seriously.
Are there any special cases or patients of yours that stand out in your mind?
There are many cases that stand out in my memory, but Carl and Clarence are memorable in so many ways. Carl and Clarence were conjoined twins, sharing skull and brain in a way that only occurs in about 1 in 10,000,000 births. I am always asked about separating them in 2004. People ask what it was like to accept a rare challenge in plastic surgery. It was gratifying to show how important even the simplest of plastic surgery principles are and how plastic surgical techniques are invaluable to the care of complex patients. Ultimately, however, as is true in so many of our achievements, our successes are frequently not due to “what” we treat our patients with, but “how” we treat our little patients.
Is there anything else you wish to add or comment on?
I look forward to increasing our pediatric plastic surgery volume as we plan our transition to the new IRPS on 33rd Street. I realize that everything we do for our patients is made possible by the generous support of the NFFR and I am profoundly grateful for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
We look forward to working with Dr. Staffenberg and welcome him to the IRPS family!
Welcome Dr. Staffenberg! We look forward to meeting you someday. The Beeler Family, Portland, CT
IRPS is lucky to have Dr Staffenberg – not only is he a world class surgeon but he is a wonderful, down to earth man who has changed many lives. As the director of a non-profit organization that serves families of children with Craniosynostosis I can tell you that Dr Staffenberg is always there when we need him. Thank you Dr Staffenberg and best f luck at IRPS!