Cleveland Clinic Appoints Patrick J. Byrne, M.D., M.B.A., as Chair of Head and Neck Institute

Following an extensive national search, Cleveland Clinic has appointed Patrick J. Byrne, M.D., M.B.A., as chair of the Head & Neck Institute.

Dr. Byrne joins Cleveland Clinic from The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he served as director of the Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery. He also was professor of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Dermatology and Biomedical Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, director of the Johns Hopkins Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship program, and a co-director of the Johns Hopkins Face Transplant Team.

A renowned facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, and head and neck surgeon, Dr. Byrne specializes in complex reconstructive surgery of the face, head and neck, including microsurgical reconstruction. He is internationally recognized for his work treating patients with facial paralysis. His clinical and research interests focus on facial deformities, skin cancer surgery and reconstruction, facial aesthetic surgery, and facial reanimation. An active researcher, his innovative investigational work on skin cancer reconstruction, facial reconstruction, facial paralysis treatment and related topics has been published in more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles.

“Patrick is a world-recognized facial plastic and reconstructive specialist and an innovative leader who has held major administrative roles at Johns Hopkins,” said Cleveland Clinic Chief of Staff Herbert Wiedemann, M.D. “He brings a wealth of knowledge, expertise and understanding to this position.”

A holder of U.S. patents, Dr. Byrne developed a specialized mechanism that assists surgeons working with cartilage, safeguarding this tissue by preventing its entry into the cutting apparatus. He has worked in conjunction with basic science researchers to develop a novel regenerative biomaterial, funded by the Department of Defense, which recently completed a Phase II FDA trial. He also invented a Class 1 medical device to aid in nasal breathing that recently completed a first of its kind human clinical trial.

Dr. Byrne is very involved in international and humanitarian work. He served as a Johns Hopkins International Medical Director for over 10 years, assisting with the achievement of Joint Commission International accreditation for medical centers in Central America and Asia. Dr. Byrne has traveled overseas his entire career, leading teams performing volunteer surgery and providing medical relief to those in need in developing countries around the world. He led a sustained effort with nonprofit organizations to develop a comprehensive multidisciplinary free program dedicated to the treatment of cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities for children in Nicaragua and other developing countries.

Dr. Byrne earned his M.D. from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. He completed a surgical internship at the University of California in San Francisco and a residency in otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at the University of California San Diego. He was a research fellow at the San Diego Cancer Center at the University of California followed by a fellowship in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Minnesota. Additionally, Dr. Byrne completed a fellowship in Health Care Management at the Advisory Board Company. In 2015, he earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Byrne succeeds Michael Benninger, M.D., who served as chair of the Head & Neck Institute since 2008. Dr. Benninger will remain as a member of the medical staff.