Dr. Alan Widgerow MBBCh, FCS, MMed, FACS, Director of Center for Tissue Engineering
Alan Widgerow is a plastic surgeon who ran a solo private practice in South Africa for over 20 years. He has held various positions in numerous academic and professional associations including that of President of the Association of Plastic and Reconstructive surgery of Southern Africa (APRSSA). He is author of over 190 plastic surgical related publications and 2 books. He was also the founder and medical director of 13 wound clinics in South Africa. Prof Widgerow relocated to Irvine California in Dec 2009 to pursue his interests in medical device innovations, cosmeceuticals and wound care, but he still plays an active role in academic medicine world-wide. In 2012 he was appointed to the Faculty of the University of California Irvine Plastic Surgery Dept as Full Adjunct Professor and Director of the Center for Tissue Engineering and in 2021 was appointed as its Division Chief of Research. He is involved in multiple projects related to adipose derived stem cell and adipose decellularized matrix, wound healing and transplantation. In 2018 he was awarded the Distinguished Faculty Mentor of the year Award by the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science, UCI. Dr Widgerow has developed and licensed multiple products in the US and South African markets. In 2015 he joined ALASTIN Skincare, Inc. an early start up professional skin care company as their Chief Medical Officer. Over the past 6 years he has spearheaded the scientific innovations team introducing multiple new products based on novel wound healing pathways. The resulting products have been validated with gene expression, in vitro and ex-vivo testing, biopsies, and multiple clinical trials resulting in a range of products that have surpassed previous scientific validations in this space. He continues to pursue patented novel concepts, peptide technologies and vigorous testing thus contributing to Alastin Skincare’s position as the fastest growing professional skin care company in the US for the past 4 years. In 2021 Alastin Skincare was acquired by Galderma, the largest privately owned dermatology company in the world, and in June 2022 Dr Widgerow was appointed Chief Scientific Officer of Galderma, Head of the Skin Science Center for Innovation and Head of Alastin innovations. He is involved in aesthetic, prescription and consumer product science research and development.
Dr. Gregor
y R.D Evans M.D FACS: Chair of UC Irvine Plastic Surgery & Co-director of Center for Tissue Engineering.
Dr. Gregory Evans is Professor of Surgery and Biomedical Engineering and Chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery at The University of California, Irvine. Dr. Evans is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, is the former director of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and immediate past President of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Dr. Evans has over 344 publications and is a recipient of many grants in the field of plastic surgery.
Dr. Mary Ziegler, Ph.D
Mary Ziegler received her B.A. in Molecular, Cellular and Development Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She completed her Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Pathology at UCLA in the laboratory of Dr. Elaine Reed where she studied antibody mediated rejection in allograft transplantation. She did her postdoc work at UCI in the laboratory of Dr. Chris Hughes where she studied angiogenesis and the tumor microenvironment. Currently, she is a project scientist in the Center for Tissue Engineering at UCI. Her current projects involve characterizing human-derived allograft adipose matrix and utilizing this matrix in vivo to stimulate adipogeneis. In addition, she is using the matrix to generate cartilage in vitro by combing the martix with chondrocytes and adipose-derived stem cell in a 3D environment. As a vascular biologist, Mary is interested in the molecular mechanisms of pathological and physiological angiogenesis and their contribution to metabolic diseases, diabetic complications and wound healing.
Dr Miles J Pfaff, MD MHS
D
r. Miles J. Pfaff is an Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery at UC Irvine and Children’s Hospital of Orange County and a board-certified plastic and reconstructive with subspecialty training in cleft and craniofacial surgery. Dr. Pfaff has a particular interest in reconstruction of the face for pediatric and adult patients. Dr. Pfaff currently leads the CHOC Ear Anomalies Program, which he developed out of a passion for treating pediatric patients and adults with congenital, traumatic, and cancer-related differences of the ear, such as microtia. Dr. Pfaff’s research mission is to innovate the way we treat ear differences and to improve the pre- and post-operative experience for his patients. Together with the expertise and skill of the Center for Tissue Engineering, Dr. Pfaff is currently investigating the use of alternative cell sources to help create tissue engineered cartilage constructs. The goal of this research is to help reconstruct ears, noses, and other surgical problems by using patient’s own cells and the latest tissue engineering techniques to provide the best outcome for patients. Follow the links to learn more about Dr. Pfaff and his research and publication record.
Dr. Lohras
b Ross Sayadi, MD
Dr. Sayadi recently graduated from medical school at UVM college of Medicine in Vermont. He attended UC San Diego for undergraduate and majored in Neuroscience. He spent 2 years in the CTE lab as a research fellow and published over 15 articles during his time there. Dr. Sayadi is currently leading a team studying micro/nanobubbles and its effects in wound healing. In addition, he is also working on studying PRP for the purposes of scar treatment.
Dr. Sayadi is also developing a new technology he invented for plastic surgery. He loves drawing and panting as well as running when he has free time! Finally, Dr. Sayadi received a scholarship from Dr. Sumner Slavin at Beth Israel to attend the ISAPS plastic surgery conference. Finally Dr. Sayadi is currently a resident in the Department of plastic surgery at UC Irvine.
Dr. Tayo Arowojolu, MD, Ph.D
Dr. Arowojolu is a physician scientist with expertise in molecular and cellular biology, signal transduction, pharmacology and their applications to skin and soft tissue survival and stress responses. She completed her MD/PhD at NYU School of Medicine, where she identified cellular stress responses critical for melanocyte survival. These responses affect wound healing and tissue regeneration when manipulated. She loves cove hiking, cycling, arts and crafts, puzzles, cooking French and Asian inspired cuisines, and cuddling with her two puppies.