Maria Siemionow

2014 Great Immigrants

Maria Siemionow

Surgeon

Born in Poland

Renowned plastic surgeon Maria Siemionow, born in Poland in 1950, led a team of surgeons that performed the first near-total face transplant in the U.S. Undertaken in 2008, it was the most complicated operation of its type to date. Siemionow is currently the director of plastic surgery research and head of microsurgical training for the Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Plastic Surgery, where she trains international fellows in the fields of microsurgery and transplantation research. She has authored more than 250 scientific publications. Updated 2014