Specialists in Pediatric Reconstructive and Adult Cosmetic Surgery Join Cedars-Sinai Medical Group

Newswise — Internationally renowned reconstructive surgeons John Reinisch, M.D., and his colleague Sheryl Lewin, M.D., have joined the Cedars-Sinai Medical Group. The two plastic surgeons will provide corrective and cosmetic surgery to children and adults.

In joining the medical group, Reinisch also becomes the director of Craniofacial and Pediatric Plastic Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Reinisch, in practice for more than 25 years, is an internationally recognized pediatric plastic surgeon who pioneered a corrective surgery for children with microtia, a congenital ear deformity that can affect hearing. Reinisch, who has performed the surgery on children from around the world, uses a porous plastic framework covered with tissue and skin to shape a new ear. This surgery can provide a child as young as age three with a natural appearing ear compared to a previous technique which must be performed on older children and involves harvesting rib cartilage to shape the ear. Reinisch is also highly regarded for his skill in reconstructive techniques for young patients with large or complex vascular and pigmented birthmarks.

Reinisch and Lewin, who will be associate director of Craniofacial and Pediatric Plastic Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, specialize in cleft lip and palate correction, hemangioma (vascular tumors) removal, and nevi (pigmented birthmarks) reconstruction, of which they have performed thousands.

For adults, the surgeons perform breast surgery, facial rejuvenation, nasal reshaping, tummy tucks and other cosmetic procedures.

“For surgeries on children with tiny features and delicate skin, our technique is very refined; we use tiny sutures so that scarring and discomfort is minimized,” says Reinisch. “We use this same approach when treating our adult patients, which we believe is a real benefit to them.”

Reinisch was formerly at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), where he established the division of plastic surgery in 1983. He also served as the chief of the division of plastic surgery at CHLA and head of the division of plastic surgery at USC Medical Center. Board certified since 1980, Reinisch received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He completed his general surgery residency at the University of Michigan and Tulane University, and his plastic surgery fellowship at the University of Virginia.

Lewin is board certified in plastic surgery and received her medical degree from Stanford University. She did her plastic surgery residency at USC and obtained specialized fellowship training at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

Established in 1985, the Cedars-Sinai Medical Group includes more than 90 primary care and specialty physicians and offer a myriad of medical services, including internal medicine, gastroenterology, orthopaedics, dermatology, oncology, sports medicine and obstetrics and gynecology. The group recently received two honors for excellence in patient care, including the “Top Performance Award” from the Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA), a statewide non-profit healthcare group, and a top rating of “Excellent” from the Office of the Patient Advocate’s (OPA) 2007 Health Care Quality Report Card.

“Drs. Reinisch and Lewin share the medical group’s commitment to high quality medical care,” said Thomas D. Gordon, CEO of Cedars-Sinai Medical Delivery Network. “They also care deeply about their patients and their families – especially the children whose lives they literally change through surgery. We’re delighted to have them on our team.”

For more information on Dr. Reinisch and Dr. Lewin or to make an appointment, call 1-800-CEDARS-1 or visit http://www.cedars-sinai.edu.

The first in Southern California and one of only 11 hospitals in the state whose nurses have been honored with the prestigious Magnet designation, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is one of the largest nonprofit academic medical centers in the Western United States. For 19 years, it has been named Los Angeles’ most preferred hospital for all health needs in an independent survey of area residents. Cedars-Sinai is internationally renowned for its diagnostic and treatment capabilities, as well as breakthroughs in biomedical research and superlative medical education. It ranks among the top 10 non-university hospitals in the nation for its research activities and its human research protection program is fully accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc. (AAHRPP). For more information on Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, call 1-800-CEDARS1 or visit http://www.cedars-sinai.edu.