The Duke Department of Surgery is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeffrey R. Marcus, MD, as the new Chief of the Division of Plastic, Maxillofacial, and Oral Surgery. Dr. Marcus is the Paul H. Sherman Endowed Associate Professor of Surgery and an Associate Professor in Pediatrics at Duke. He has served as the Vice Chair of Surgery in Pediatric Surgical Affairs since 2009 and was appointed Duke Children’s Chief of Surgery in 2015. Dr. Marcus is the director of the newly created Center for Children’s Surgery, one of only five centers in the country designated a Level 1 program for children’s surgical care by the American College of Surgeons.
“I am so pleased to have Dr. Marcus assume this critical leadership role,” says Dr. Allan D. Kirk, Chair of the Department of Surgery. “He will follow Dr. Gregory Georgiade, one of the most outstanding surgeons ever to practice at Duke, who has led the division to a state of unprecedented stability. Dr. Marcus' appointment comes as a result of a nationwide search that attracted an exceptionally large number of outstanding candidates and eventually confirmed that the best candidate was already here.
“Dr. Marcus is an excellent clinical and academic surgeon, but most importantly, he has demonstrated himself to be a dynamic leader. His organizational skills exercised in his role as Chief of Children’s Surgery have been nothing short of masterful, and have benefited all children undergoing surgery at Duke. Importantly, the manner in which Dr. Marcus has practiced, and enriched the students, residents, faculty, and staff who have had the pleasure of working with him, is exemplary. His example will be made more apparent as Division Chief, and it will be to our collective benefit."
Dr. Marcus received a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Michigan in 1991. He completed a clinical and research externship in surgical oncology at the National Institutes of Health in 1993 and received his medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1994. Dr. Marcus completed his integrated plastic surgery residency at Northwestern University in 2001, followed by fellowships in craniofacial surgery and pediatric plastic surgery at the University of Toronto’s The Hospital for Sick Children in 2002. Dr. Marcus joined the faculty at Duke in January 2003 as an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Plastic, Maxillofacial, and Oral Surgery.
Dr. Marcus is an internationally recognized expert in lip and cleft palate, rhinoplasty, and craniofacial surgery. His clinical interests include functional and cosmetic nasal surgery (rhinoplasty) for adolescents and adults, facial paralysis, plastic surgery of the ear, and the full range of pediatric plastic surgery. Dr. Marcus serves as the Director of the Duke Cleft and Craniofacial Center and is the Chair of the Operation Smile Resident Leadership Program. He has authored over 76 publications in peer-reviewed journals and is the textbook editor of Essentials of Craniomaxillofacial Trauma. Earlier this year, he was appointed to the Editorial Boards for JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Dr Marcus is actively engaged in surgical innovation and is the holder of several patents related to intermaxillary fixation, which have substantively changed the practice of maxillofacial surgery in the U.S. and abroad.
Dr. Marcus is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Surgeons. He is a member of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Society, the American Medical Association, the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the International Society of Craniofacial Surgeons, the American Association of Pediatric Plastic Surgeons, and the Sir Charles Bell Society. He is the immediate past-President of the North Carolina Society of Plastic Surgeons and currently serves as the President of the Rhinoplasty Society, Inc. At Duke, he is a member of the Executive Committee of the Medical Staff and numerous leadership and strategic planning committees.
In his new role, Dr. Marcus will grow the clinical enterprise of plastic and reconstructive surgery and oral health services across the Duke Health System, including the recruitment of surgeons and surgeon-scientists in reconstructive microsurgery, breast surgery, oral surgery, and aesthetic surgery. Dr. Marcus will work to foster new collaborations, to support the ongoing research efforts of the faculty, and to further develop and grow the division’s academic interests in clinical outcomes, tissue engineering, surgical innovation and education, and vascularized tissue allotransplantation.
“For many years, I have dedicated my effort to building Duke Children’s Surgery into the leader that one would expect from our great Institution,” says Dr. Jeffrey R. Marcus, new Division Chief of Plastic, Maxillofacial, and Oral Surgery. “I am eager now to devote my energy and enthusiasm to build upon the longstanding tradition of excellence in the Division of Plastic, Maxillofacial, and Oral Surgery.”
“Duke has been the beacon for reconstructive surgery for decades, exemplifying the true societal value of plastic surgery in improving the quality of life of patients at every age. It is my intention to further solidify that position while providing the best and most well-rounded training experience in the country. Plastic surgeons are problem solvers and innovators. Over the coming years, we will expand our capabilities across the health system to provide state-of-the-art solutions to challenges large and small. As the new Division Chief, I hope to support innovation and transformational research, to support Duke’s world-class surgical and medical specialties with greater access, and to collaborate with our colleagues to offer Duke patients uniquely superior care.”