Faces of Tomorrow

March 2009 Issue of INSIDE ARDEN

Written by Melinda Eppler Friday, 12 June 2009 22:15

Dr. Shih Dr. Rubinstein and 
Dr. Pahlavan of Faces of Tomorrow

Dr. Nima Pahlavan, Kaiser Permanente's Chief of Head and Neck Surgery in Sacramento, banded together with two of his former colleagues from UC Davis Medical Center to form an organization called Faces of Tomorrow.Faces of Tomorrow is a non-profit service organization that treats patients around the world who do not have access to corrective surgery for their facial deformities.

The Director of the organization, Dr. Brian Rubinstein (Kaiser Sacramento), and Dr. Charles Shih (Kaiser Oakland) are both Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. Together with Dr. Pahlavan, the team recently traveled to Quito, Ecuador for a 10 day medical mission. Working 12-14 hour shifts at Tierra Nueva Hospital, the Surgeons performed 55 cleft lip and palate surgeries on Ecuadorian children and adults. One patient, a 39 year old woman, had not looked in a mirror for 20 years.

Dr. Craig Senders, Director of the Cleft and Craniofacial Program at UC Davis and whose practice is primarily pediatric, has served as the Team's Mentor.

Dr. Pahlavan, who is also a Dentist, said the organization, which is dedicated to "giving children bright smiles for a brighter tomorrow", depends on Peace Corps and other volunteers to get the word out to prospective patients. For the Mission in Ecuador, radio and television messages were used to reach people in small villages.

The team plans to coordinate one mission per year, in different places around the world.

For more information about Faces of Tomorrow, visit www.facesoftomorrow.org or email Dr. Pahlavan at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it