Speakers
MD, Professor and Vice Chair Department of Plastic Surgery and Director of the Facial Reanimation Program at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, USA.
Dr. Rodriguez is is the Head of the Department of Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery at Uppsala University Hospital and an Associate Professor at Uppsala Univerity, Sweden.
Dr. Rodriguez completed his medical education, postgraduate Ph.D. studies, and plastic surgery residency in Spain, followed by two-year microvascular fellowships at the Canniesburn Plastic Surgery Unit in Glasgow and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan. He has worked in Uppsala, Sweden, since 2010, leading one of the most active microsurgical centers in Scandinavia. He is the program director of the International Fellowship Program in Microsurgery at Uppsala University. He focuses his clinical and research activity on head and neck reconstruction, free tissue transfer, and facial paralysis. Dr Rodriguez leads one of the Swedish National Units for Facial Paralysis.
He has written over 84 peer-reviewed publications, 23 book chapters, and the book “ Facial Palsy: Techniques for Reanimation of the Paralyzed Face.” He is a member of the Editorial Boards of several journals in plastic surgery. He was awarded several awards, such as the 2021 Hans Anderl Award of the European Association of Plastic Surgeons.
Dr. Rodriguez is the co-director of the biannual courses “ Facial Palsy: A hands on Course” in Vienna, Austria , “ Nordic Facial Nerve Meeting” in Uppsala and the President of the upcoming International Facial Nerve Symposium in 2029 in Uppsala
MD, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Plastic Surgery at Maastricht University Hospital, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Dr. Stefania Tuinder is an internationally recognized plastic and reconstructive surgeon specializing in advanced breast reconstruction techniques and nerve-integrated flap procedures. She has been active in the Netherlands since 2005, obtaining her PhD in 2014 on “Clinical, Radiological, and Anatomical Findings on Perforator Flaps.” With over 75 peer-reviewed publications, she is an influential figure in reconstructive surgery research, focusing on improving patient outcomes and quality of life.
Ulrich Rieger is Head of the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery and Hand Surgery at AGAPLESION Markus Krankenhaus in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He completed his specialist training at renowned centers, including the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland and the Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria, as well as through international fellowships in Paris, France, and in the United States.
His clinical expertise focuses on microsurgical reconstruction from head to toe, particularly reconstructive and aesthetic surgery of the breast and face, as well as body contouring procedures.
He completed his habilitation in Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery at the Medical University of Innsbruck (Austria) and was appointed Adjunct Professor (apl. Professor) at Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany. In addition to his clinical work, he is actively engaged in research and teaching and is the author of numerous scientific publications.
Senior Consultant and Leader of the Facial-Nerve-Center Jena
ENT-Department, Facial-Nerve-Center Jena, Center for Rare Diseases, Jena University Hospital
apl. Prof. Dr. med. habil. Gerd Fabian Volk is active since 2006 as a physician at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of Jena University Hospital. Since 2012 he has built up and is the Leader of the interdisciplinary Facial-Nerve-Center Jena.
His clinical interests are: diagnostic and treatment of facial nerve palsy, telemedicine to improve diagnostic and treatment of rare diseases, application of botulinum toxin and electrostimulation in the head and neck region, functional diagnostics and therapy of peripheral nerve lesions, electrophysiological and imaging techniques, especially ultrasound and MRI, for the evaluation and rehabilitation of the muscles and nerves. Experimental topics: development of new methods of reconstruction of the facial and laryngeal nerve, electrostimulation as diagnostic and therapeutic tool, central changes after brain nerve failure, in particular of the facial and vestibular nerves, telemedicine and health care networks to improve treatment quality.