During his career in Craniofacial Surgery, Dr. Cohen invented the first commercially distributed internal craniofacial distraction device, which has been distributed by Stryker since 1997 and patented on the first resorbable distraction device (Macropore Biosurgery, now owned by Medtronic). He performed the first neonatal mandibular distraction to prevent tracheostomy in a one week old infant with Pierre Robin (1997), the first internal Monobloc Distraction (1994) and Facial Bipartition with Distraction (1995). Dr. Cohen and his team were the third group in the world to perform endoscopic craniosynostosis surgery and helped launch Macropore Biosurgery, an innovative company making bioresorbable devices, which was taken public in 1999 and later sold to Medtronics. In 2000, Dr. Cohen along with Dr. Ralph Holmes and Christopher Calhoun founded LeonardoMD, one of the earliest cloud computing companies in medicine, sold to Azalea Medical in 2016.
Dr. Cohen has always loved innovation. Since 2002, Dr. Cohen has concentrated his efforts in the field of regenerative medicine and aesthetics, performing some of the earliest cases of adipocyte derived stem and regenerative cell assisted cases (now known as SVF, Stromal Vascular Fraction) for facial aging, and most recently (2016-2019) co-inventing several new disposable systems for fat grafting and nanofat production (Millenium Medical and Lipocube, Inc.). Dr. Cohen has a provisional patent on his technique of anatomic and regenerative fat grafting, ITR2, Injectable Tissue Replacement and Regeneration and recently submitted a patent with MicroAire for new tools for hydro-dissection of subcutaneous tissue during facelift surgery.
Dr. Cohen has been named as one of the best plastic surgeons in America by the US News and World Report, Castle Connolly and Best Doctors, Inc. for numerous years. He has been voted 11 times as one of the best plastic surgeons in San Diego by the San Diego Medical Society and previously was recognized as one of the best in Atlanta. He has served on the editorial boards of Plastic Reconstructive Surgery, the Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal, the Annals of Plastic Surgery, and presently is on the editorial boards of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal and the Journal of Aesthetic Surgery. He has written over 170 publications and edited two textbooks in Plastic Surgery, one of which, on aesthetic fillers has been translated into Korean and Mandarin. He is presently working on another textbook, Regenerative Facial Surgery, along with Drs. Patrick Tonnard, Alex Verpaele and Tunc Tiryaki. Dr. Cohen has been an invited lecturer, demonstrating surgical techniques throughout the world at centers such as Johns Hopkins and Stanford University Medical Center as well as in leading aesthetic and academic centers in Japan, Korea, Russia, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, France, Colombia and Italy to name a few. His work in facial aesthetics and most recently his new concept of fat grafting, which is based on anatomic placement and regeneration of decayed tissues has received worldwide interest. He received the Tiffany Award from the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery for his work showing progressive improvement in facial volume after Injectable Tissue Replacement and Regeneration, a new standardized fat grafting technique in combination with extended deep plane facelift.
Dr. Cohen is very involved in teaching and has been a Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Diego for over 20 years. He has received 4 “Professor of the Year” awards, including in 2020. He raised the money for and founded the Craniofacial Fellowship at Rady Children’s Hospital and the UCSD Aesthetic Fellowship (now inactive). He continues to teach worldwide on facial aesthetics, breast fat grafting and creativity. In addition to his medical career, Dr. Cohen is an artist, and his paintings are in nearly 100 private collections. In 2015 Dr. Cohen had a solo exhibition in Paris at the Gallery Beres. He continues to show and sell his work, donating the proceeds to Fresh Start Surgical Gifts and other worthwhile organizations.
Significant Contributions
- Lead article in the Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery- 1987 Part I: Tricuspid regurgitation in patients with acquired, chronic, pure mitral regurgitation. I. Prevalence, diagnosis, and comparison of preoperative clinical and hemodynamic features in patients with and without tricuspid regurgitation. Part II: Tricuspid regurgitation in patients with acquired, chronic, pure mitral regurgitation. II. Nonoperative management, tricuspid valve annuloplasty, and tricuspid valve replacement.
- Inventor of the Midface Internal Distractor (distributed by Stryker, Inc.)- 1995.
- First Monobloc Distraction and first facial bipartition case in the world with Internal Distraction- 1997 (has become the standard of care).
- First Mandibular Distraction in neonates with Pierre Robin syndrome- 1997 (has become the standard of care for treatment of neonatal airway obstruction)
- Endoscopic Craniosynostosis Repair- 3rd team in the world. Received the best paper of the year award from the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery in 2002.
- Co-founder, LeonardoMD- one of the earliest cloud computing companies in medicine, sold to Azalea Health.
- Biodegradable distraction devices, Patent granted September 7, 2004. US patent no. 6,786,919 B2.
- First to use adipose derived stem cells (SVF) for facial aging, 2004.
- First to develop and use Nanofat Biocreme for facial aging- patent pending.
- First to use Nanofat Microneedlng for Skin Regeneration- patent pending.
- Developed Injectable Tissue Replacement and Regeneration (ITR2) and Injectable Tissue Engineering- trademarked and patent pending.
- Tiffany Award from the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2018 for best scientific presentation.
Education, Training, Employment
- 1972 – 1976 ·
B.A. English (Summa Cum Laude)
Emory University
Atlanta, GA - 1976 – 1980 · M.D.
George Washington School of Medicine
Washington, D.C. - 1980 – 1981 · General Surgery Internship
Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center
New York, NY - 1981 – 1982 · General Surgery Residency/Fellowship
Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center
New York, NY - 1982 – 1984 · Clinical Associate in Cardiac Surgery
National Institutes of Health · National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute · Cardiac Surgery Branch
Bethesda, Maryland - 1984 – 1987 · General Surgery Residency
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Hanover, New Hampshire - 1987 – 1989 · Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Residency
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 1989 – 1990 · Craniofacial and Advanced Facial Plastic Surgery Fellowship
University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center
Los Angeles, California - 1990 – 1994 · University of Michigan, Director, Craniofacial Anomalies Program, Chief, Pediatric Plastic Surgery, Mott Children’s Hospital, Ann Arbor, California
- 1994 – 1999 · Atlanta Plastic Surgery, Co-Director, Center for Craniofacial Disorders, Atlanta Children’s Medical Center
- 1999 – 2019 · Medical Director and Owner, FACES+Plastic Surgery, Skin and Laser Center; Clinical Professor, University of California, San Diego, California; Emeritus Director, Center for Craniofacial Disorders, Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego, California