Tirbod Fattahi, MD
Assistant Professor and Chief, Division of Oral and Maxillofacial
UF College of Medicine - Jacksonville
UF maxillofacial surgeon's skills attract top-notch students
For Dr. Tirbod Fattahi, it's all about appearances. An oral surgeon at the University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville, he repairs disfigured faces of trauma patients and enhances those of people who just want to look better.
Fattahi is an assistant professor in the department of surgery and chief of the division of oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS). At Shands Jacksonville, he cares for people injured in accidents and other traumas and sees patients who elect to have cosmetic plastic surgery at the college of medicine's private practice at Emerson Medical Plaza. Several mornings a week he performs facial or jaw reconstruction in Shands Jacksonville's operating room, almost always with the assistance of surgery and OMS residents. His team of six surgeons also performs pediatric craniomaxillofacial surgery, corrective jaw surgery, head and neck oncology and microvascular rehabilitation, and head and neck reconstruction.
Fattahi was instrumental in the expansion of his division's residency program from four to six years and in the development of its one-year fellowship in head and neck and microvascular surgery.
Most satisfying: teaching residents
"From day one of my residency I wanted to do full-time academics. I just love being around residents and I enjoy teaching them," said Fattahi. When he came to UF COM-Jacksonville in 2002, its residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery had already been in existence for many years, but had been integrated as a joint program with the Gainesville campus. Eventually, it was re-established as an independent program and under Fattahi's leadership has become one of the finest in the nation. In 2006, he was named chief of the division as well as chief of oral and maxillofacial surgery services at Shands Jacksonville.
"Without a doubt, one of Dr. Fattahi's most important accomplishments was the transition from a four-year residency to that of a combined six-year MD/Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency," said Dr. Ann Harwood-Nuss, a professor and assistant dean for program development, UF COM-Jacksonville. "This program modification resulted in a highly competitive combined program that now enjoys a national reputation and attracts the most highly qualified applicants to UF for medical school and subsequent training in oral and maxillofacial surgery." She said Fattahi was solely responsible for curriculum development, recruitment efforts, and the educational and financial justification for the increase from 8 to 18 residents. Each year, more than 100 students apply for the intense six-year program. Three are selected.
"It's amazing to think where we were and how far we have come in seven years," Fattahi said. "I'm blessed to be surrounded by good people. All five of my partners are just superb." The expanded program boosted the college of medicine's impact in three areas, he said: on residents, who become well-trained surgeons; on alumni, whose loyalty is well-rooted; and on citizens, who receive excellent care.
"Under Dr. Fattahi's leadership, the division of oral and maxillofacial surgery has grown its residency to one of the strongest and best regarded training programs in the U.S. In addition, he has added a fellowship, increased productivity and expanded clinical service offerings," said Dr. Michael Nussbaum, professor and chair, department of surgery. "Dr. Fattahi is passionate about resident education, clinical research, patient care and providing leadership in the department of surgery and the medical center."
Nationally recognized for his surgical skills and educational endeavors, Fattahi is a Florida Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons trustee. His numerous professional awards include UF College of Medicine's Exemplary Teacher and the prestigious Dr. Roger M. Hehn Award for Excellence in Teaching in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery—both last year—and the Faculty Educator Development Award presented at the 87th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in 2005. He made mission trips to Mexico to perform cleft lip and palate surgery and has been invited to present lectures on facial surgery and related subjects at universities and scientific meetings throughout the United States and in South America. Author of four books, most recently the second edition of "Operative Maxillofacial Surgery, Endoscopic Surgery including Brow and Face Lift," he has had more than 25 articles published in medical journals.
Family influence is profound
Fattahi maintains that everything happens for a reason. "The REAL reason I came to Jacksonville is because I would meet my wife here," he said, smiling at a wall full of family photos in his office. A year and a half after his arrival, he married the former Julia Soud. Artwork by their daughters Layla, 4, and Nadia, 2, compete with medical degrees and certificates for wall and shelf space.
The surgeon's compassion for his patients stems in part from his own trauma at age 9 when his father, a government worker, was forced to leave their native Iran during the country's revolution in 1979. The plan was for Fattahi and his mother to join his father and older brother and sister in Washington, D.C., within a month. But a war and dangerous hostage situation kept the family separated with the mother and son in Iran until he was 13. "I think about that now that I have children," he said. "Those four years instilled something in me that I'll carry for the rest of my life."
Fluent in English from private schooling in Iran, Fattahi spent his teen years in the nation's capital adjusting to a new culture. After his brother and role model became a dentist, Fattahi did, too. He graduated from Howard University College of Dentistry in Washington, where he had a dental practice with his brother for a year before craving bigger challenges. He went on to receive a medical degree from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, where he also completed his internship in general surgery and his residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery. He then enrolled in a facial cosmetic surgery fellowship under the guidance of Dr. T. William Evans in Columbus, Ohio, a decision that has brought him huge personal fulfillment. Although he finds the gratification of treating trauma patients enormous, Fattahi ranks the satisfaction of performing elective cosmetic surgery right up there with that of teaching residents. "There is nothing like a healthy patient whose self-esteem has been elevated," he said.
Continual search: the next challenge
Indeed, the rewards of Fattahi's 11 additional years of schooling have been great.
"I was willing to be a resident and go to medical school knowing there would be bigger opportunities ahead. I wanted to do oral and maxillofacial surgery because of my dental background. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing," he said of his profession, as well as his life.
An avid Redskins fan from his years in Washington, Fattahi has otherwise embraced life as a Floridian. "I love the city of Jacksonville and can't imagine leaving," he said. Still seeking challenges, he foresees significant growth in his division over the next 10 years, possibly with it becoming its own department. "By then, we should be the best oral and maxillofacial surgery program in the country," he said.
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