Rod J. Rohrich, M.D., F.A.C.S., internationally acclaimed as one of the best plastic surgeons, is an author, educator and leading innovator based out of Dallas, Texas. Since the beginning of his professional career in 1986, Dr. Rohrich has become a globally renowned and respected professional in the field of plastic surgery. He has been featured on television shows such as The View, Good Morning America and The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Dr. Rohrich has been recognized as one of the most influential plastic surgeons in the last decade for his innovative work and remarkable skills, not only as a leader and educator, but also as a compassionate surgeon.
After growing up on a ranch in North Dakota, Dr. Rohrich graduated from North Dakota State and the University of North Dakota summa cum laude for his undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Dr. Rohrich then attended medical school at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and graduated with highest honors. Dr. Rohrich’s time at Baylor influenced him tremendously and is one of the major reasons he returned to Texas after his training in plastic surgery.
After receiving his medical degree from the Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Rohrich went on to complete his residency in plastic surgery at the renowned University of Michigan. He worked under the leadership of globally recognized plastic surgeons such as Dr. William C. Grabb, Dr. Reed O. Dingman, and Dr. Stephen J. Mathes. Dr. Rohrich did further training at The Radcliffe Infirmary at Oxford University and at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) at Harvard in Boston before accepting his first academic position. In 1986, he joined the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas as an assistant professor.
By 1991, Dr. Rohrich had become Chairman of the Division of Plastic Surgery at UT Southwestern which, under his direction, subsequently became one of the first Departments of Plastic Surgery in the country. While continuing his work as a surgeon and consummate educator, he began his charity and foundation work in Dallas, Texas. Over the next two decades, he worked as a physician leader, academic professional and a well-respected chairman at UT Southwestern.
Throughout his career, Dr. Rohrich has encouraged and stimulated the next generation of professionals in his field by being an innovative leader and teacher for plastic surgeons. He has a unique ability to find the best talent in plastic surgery and advises them how to rise to excellence in their desired specialization.
He has been a visiting professor around the world, having given over 2,000 scientific presentations on all aspects of plastic surgery. Dr. Rohrich also helped oversee and develop one of the most respected residency training programs of plastic and reconstructive surgery. Under his leadership, this residency program was recently recognized by Doximity and U.S. News and World Report as “the best and most sought after Plastic surgery residency in the United States.”
Dr. Rohrich has published over 700 peer reviewed articles and 5 textbooks on the subject of plastic surgery. He has served as the editor-in-chief for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery for the past 10 years. During his academic career, Dr. Rohrich taught the art and science of rhinoplasty and other innovations, which he spearheaded, to over 6,000 plastic surgeons worldwide.
Though he is involved in and has led many different organizations and activities outside of the hospital, Dr. Rohrich continues to be a compassionate plastic surgeon at heart. He remains committed to his practice and is available to his patients on a daily basis. Dr. Rohrich’s skill in treating particularly difficult and complex cases is sought after by patients around the world. He is especially well-known for his work with secondary or corrective cosmetic surgery of the face and nose areas.
Dr. Rohrich has received numerous national and international honors for his selfless contributions to plastic surgery education. Featured in print, radio and television media regularly, Dr. Rohrich has made appearances on CNN, Oprah, The View, The Today Show, and has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and the Dallas Morning News.
As an educator, Dr. Rohrich advocates for the improvement of patient safety, while also making strides in effectiveness. He dedicates himself to teaching physicians to focus on the importance of evaluating each patient individually and emphasizes to residents the practice of delivering better patient care and improved safety outcomes.
Dr. Rohrich is also highly sought after as a global speaker, traveling worldwide to give seminars and special presentations. He is an in-demand teacher, who devotes his time to the education of the next generation of leaders in his industry. Dr. Rohrich has created educational models in effort to bring emerging technology to learning professionals, which has been emulated worldwide in plastic surgery.
Dr. Rohrich was the first and founding chair of the department of plastic surgery at UT Southwestern and was named the initial Holder of the Crystal Charity Ball Distinguished Chair in Plastic Surgery in 1993. He received the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation, Distinguished Service Award in 1997 and was again honored in 2002, becoming the only recipient to be recognized twice. He was also named the initial holder of the Betty and Warren Woodward Chair in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 1999.
He was the President of the prestigious Association of Academic Chairman of Plastic Surgery and the Chair of the Residency Review Committee for Plastic Surgery, which oversees all plastic surgery resident education programs in the United States. During his time as the leader of these academic organizations, he redefined the plastic surgery training curriculum and vastly enhanced the uniformity of the education of plastic surgery domestically.
Dr. Rohrich has also served as a guest editor for the Annals of Plastic Surgery and Clinics in Plastic Surgery. He was previously an associate editor for the Canadian Journal of Plastic Surgery, Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal, Journal of Craniomaxillofacial Trauma and Operative Techniques in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He has also served on the editorial boards of Perspectives in Plastic Surgery and Selected Readings in Plastic Surgery.
Dr. Rohrich served as Chief of Plastic Surgery at Parkland Memorial Hospital, the Zale Lipshy University Medical Center, the Children’s Medical Center and the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He has been an attending surgeon at Baylor University Medical Center, Parkland Health and Hospital System, Dallas VA Medical Center, and the UTSW Hospitals. Dr. Rohrich helped shape these facilities into nationally recognized institutions for plastic surgery by balancing academic and educational advancement with enhanced patient care and improved outcomes.
Dr. Rohrich dedicates time to charitable organizations, having served on the Board of Directors for March of Dimes, Save the Children of Dallas and is a founding member of the Dallas for Children Foundation. He also served as a board member of the Dallas Chapter of the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the Evergreen Gala Advisory board, which directly benefits the Dallas community breast cancer efforts of the ACS.
He is the President of the Rod J. Rohrich, M.D. Foundation which funds a medical student’s education annually at the University of North Dakota. This scholarship is dedicated to providing primary care in Dr. Rohrich’s home state of North Dakota.
Dr. Rohrich is a founding member of the Alliance in Reconstructive Surgery Foundation (AiRS). AiRS is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating woman about breast reconstruction options after breast cancer. The foundation also provides breast reconstruction surgery, after mastectomies, to women who cannot afford the procedure.
Dr. Rohrich has earned numerous awards and honors throughout his professional career. He received the Rod J. Rohrich, M.D. Distinguished Professorship in Wound Healing and Plastic Surgery award from a grateful patient who had been severely burned in an accident. Dr. Rohrich performed over 25 reconstructive procedures on this patient during a 15 year period. Dr. Rohrich’s dedication and professional commitment to this patient has allowed him, and many others as well, to lead normal, active lives and have families.
As of December 2014, D Magazine has voted Dr. Rohrich as one of the best doctors in Dallas for the eighth consecutive year. He was also recognized, again in 2014, as a Texas Monthly “SuperDoctor” as he has been over the past decade. Nationally, Good Housekeeping Magazine and Castle Connolly’s Guide have named him one of the best and top doctors in America, respectively. Harper’s Bazaar recently named Dr. Rohrich one of the best plastic surgeons in the United States for his natural results in facial cosmetic surgery and innovations in face-lift surgery.
Dr. Rohrich was the youngest President of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the largest society of board certified plastic surgeons in the world. He has also served as the President of the Dallas Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Texas Society of Plastic Surgeons, and The Rhinoplasty Society which is a group of surgeons dedicated to excellence in rhinoplasty and nasal reconstruction worldwide.
He is a member of the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, the ASPS, and the ASAPS. Dr. Rohrich has served as a Director of the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is a founding member of the Board of Governors of the National Endowment for Plastic Surgery.
Dr. Rohrich received the 2002 Simon Fredericks Award for Best Panelist from the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. In 2005, he and his UTSW team won the Scientific Essay Contest Award from the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation.
As of 2013, the U.S. News and World Report recognized Dr. Rohrich in the top 1% of Physicians in the U.S.A.