Facial Transplantation, Paralysis and Evolutionary Facelift Techniques Highlighted at Upcoming Annual Meeting of American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

ALEXANDRIA, VA--(Marketwire - Sep 5, 2012) - The revolutionary success in facial transplantation surgery is just one of the exciting topics featured at the upcoming 47^th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), underway at the Wardman Park Marriott in Washington D.C., September 5-8, 2012.

In a truly unique session, special guests Bernard Deveachelle, MD, who performed the first face transplant in the world, and J.P. Meningaud, MD, who has performed five procedures, will share their experiences and thoughts on the future of facial transplantation. As an added highlight, actual patients of facial transplant surgery will be on hand to provide their own personal perspectives on this rapidly evolving field.

The academic events and program elements reinforce the Academy's mission to ensure members undergo extensive training and competence, embody high ethical standards and artistic ideals to enhance the quality of human life. The 2012 AAFPRS Annual Meeting presents its members with an extensive schedule of academic events, through 13 panels, 63 instruction courses, and 24 Master Seminars. In addition, the program includes lectures and workshops that encompass an array of emerging trends in facial plastic surgery procedures, such as rhinoplasty and blepharoplasty, injectables and volume augmentation, lasers and non-surgical technologies, management and rehabilitation of facial nerves.

"We are pleased to gather together such an exceptional and diverse group of experts from around the world," said Tom D. Wang, MD, President of AAFPRS. "This year's program was developed to offer our colleagues the most relevant and timely topics in the facial plastic surgery field, as we strive to uphold our 47-year tradition of academic excellence."

Guest speakers feature former AAFPRS president, colleague, and esteemed surgeon Ted A. Cook, MD, who was named this year's Gene Tardy Scholar as the John Conley Lecturer, Nancy Etcoff, PhD, a psychologist and faculty member of the Harvard Medical School who directs the Program in Aesthetics and Well-Being at the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry, focusing her research on the perception of beauty, emotion and the brain; Regina Herzlinger, PhD, the Nancy R. McPherson Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, as the Jack Anderson Lecturer, who will be addressing the current state of health care in the U.S.; and keynote speaker for the Women in Facial Plastic Surgery luncheon, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Beatrice Wilkinson Welters.

In addition to the Academy speakers, the Organization of Facial Plastic Surgery Assistants (OFPSA) welcomes Valerie Monroe, Beauty Director at O, the Oprah Magazine.

For a full schedule of this year's program, or interview opportunities, please contact Heidi Floyd at 973-263-8585 x25 or heidi@greenroompr.com.

ABOUT THE AAFPRS:
The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is the world's largest specialty association for facial plastic surgery. It represents more than 2,700 facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons throughout the world. The AAFPRS is a National Medical Specialty Society of the American Medical Association (AMA), and holds an official seat in both the AMA House of Delegates and the American College of Surgeons board of governors. AAFPRS members are board certified surgeons whose focus is surgery of the face, head, and neck. AAFPRS members subscribe to a code of ethics. In addition, the AAFPRS provide consumers with free information and brochures and a list of qualified facial plastic surgeons in their area by visiting the AAFPRS website, www.facemd.org.