Physician Q & A

Jeffrey R. Marcus, M.D.

Assistant Professor
Chief of Pediatric Plastic Surgery and Craniofacial Surgery

Q. Where did you go to med school? Undergraduate school?
A. Both – University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Q. How long have you been a Duke physician?
A. Nearly 2 years

Q. Where did you work prior to coming to Duke?
A. I did two fellowships in Toronto at the Hospital for Sick Children: Craniofacial Surgery and Pediatric Plastic Surgery.

Q. Have you received any awards or honors? Do you sit on any boards or journals? If so, please list them along with a brief description.
A. Reviewer, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Q. What led you into the practice of aesthetic surgery (or the field in general)?
A. My aesthetic interest is primarily in refining and reshaping the nose (rhinoplasty); but, whether in treating complex craniofacial conditions or the appearance of an otherwise normal nose, the restoration of aesthetic form is something that drives my excitement in medicine.

Q. What are your areas of specialty and how have things changed since you entered the field?
A. Treatment of developmental conditions and aesthetic correction of nasal and facial structure. Most evolution has occurred as a result of a better understanding of the anatomic problems and the application of technologic advancement to their correction.

Q. Are you involved with any clinical trials or research studies? If so what are you examining?
A. We are examining the techniques used in surgery for the correction of cleft lip and palate to clarify the modern state of practice.

Q. What is the focus of your current research?
A. The Application of technology to the assessment and treatment of craniofacial developmental conditions, including craniosynostosis. We have developed a research consortium between the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Radiology, and Plastic Surgery for this purpose.

Q. How will your research contribute to the field of medicine?
A. We aim to better understand and treat congenital deformities by refining analytic abilities and by applying the most advanced technology to surgical procedures.

Q. What are some things you’ve discovered during the course of your research?
A. We have developed a better understanding of the structural changes that occur in conditions like craniosynostosis, and we are in the process of refining our capability to image the craniofacial skeleton with highly accurate neuroimaging techniques requiring a minimal x-ray exposure

Q. In a couple sentences please describe what you love about your work.
A. I enjoy making meaningful changes to normalize children with developmental malformations that will impact them for their entire lives.

Q. Do you have any special stories to tell about your experience as a physician?
A. Too many to count. Special stories happen every day.

Q. What do you think sets Duke Aesthetic Center apart from other Aesthetic practices in the area?
A. We are able to address problems from the most straight-forward to the most complex in an honest and realistic way. We have at our disposal the expertise of potential collaborators, all of whom are experts in their fields.

Q. Do you have any personal hobbies or interests that you would be willing to share?
A. Skiing and relaxing after skiing