The Division of Plastic Surgery has a long and renowned history at the University of Utah Health. The mission of the Division of Plastic Surgery encompasses advancement in patient care, education, research, and community service. Our educational programs include the training of surgical residents, fellows, and medical students. We concentrate on state-of-the-art patient care using the latest surgical and technological innovations and research with a focus on advancing the field of plastic surgery.
We have a talented group of surgeons who provide reconstructive and aesthetic surgical care to patients at the University of Utah Health, Primary Children's Hospital, and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center as well as University ambulatory care centers. By offering a broad range of subspecialists within plastic surgery, we serve as a unique resource for patients from all over the Rocky Mountain West.
University of Utah Health scientists have been awarded funding from the National Institute of Health (NIH) for research projects that address opioid addiction and the overdose crisis.... Read More
Firefighter teams from around the state of Utah will be bringing their chili cooking skills to the ring - competing for the coveted “Battle of the Axe” trophy. Winning this event gives bragging rights for the yearly winner throughout the Intermountain West.
... Read More
Dupuytren’s disease is a common condition that many people have probably never heard of. The disease causes knots of tissue to form under the skin of the hand, slowly pulling one or more fingers into a bent position. The fingers then cannot be straightened back out, leaving the hand deformed. “About five percent of people in the United States at some point will have some element of Dupuytren's Disease,” says Shaun Mendenhall, MD, a hand and wrist surgeon with University of Utah Health. “It could happen to anybody of almost any age.”... Read More
There is a lot going on inside your wrist. Packed into that little space are numerous bones, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. Nine of those tendons and a large nerve are all together in an even smaller area known as the carpal tunnel. In such close quarters problems can arise. “Any time those tendons become inflamed, or the wrist is flexed or extended for a prolonged period, the pressure within that tight little tunnel goes up,” said Shaun Mendenhall, MD, a hand surgeon with University of Utah Health. “That causes compression on the median nerve and potentially nerve damage if left untreated. This is what we call carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).”... Read More
No one likes to have cold hands. But imagine if your hands got cold and then couldn’t warm up? This is what happens to people dealing with Raynaud’s phenomenon. In response to cold stimuli blood vessels in their fingers spasm, decreasing blood flow. “Fingers can turn purple, blue, white, and often individual fingers have different colors,” said Shaun Mendenhall, MD, a hand and wrist surgeon with University of Utah Health. “Another symptom is pain. It can be pretty uncomfortable when this happens.”... Read More
Air quality has been associated with numerous adverse health outcomes from asthma to pre-term birth. Researchers at University of Utah Health found women living along the Wasatch Front — the most populous region in the state of Utah — had a higher risk (16 percent) of miscarriage following short-term exposure to elevated air pollution. The results are available online on December 5 in the journal Fertility and Sterility.... Read More