World-leading reconstructive plastic surgeon Simon Talbot Photo: supplied
World-leading surgeon Simon Talbot talks to Kathryn Ryan about his pioneering work in reconstructive plastic surgery. The Director of the Upper Extremity Transplant Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston has participated in seven face transplants and successfully led groundbreaking double arm transplants in 2011, 2014, and 2016.
In 2016 he caught the attention of the media when he lead a team transplanting two donor arms to a retired marine who lost all four limbs in Afghanistan.
He is and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and leads a research laboratory with funding from the United States Department of Defense to further this work. He's just been recognised as an Auckland University distinguished alumni for his outstanding contribution to his professions, communitity in New Zealand and internationally.
