FGASCOS
Meet Our Team
Sarah K. Fadich, MCHS, PA-C (she/her)
Sarah Fadich, MCHS, PA-C is a transgender woman, aspiring gender-affirming surgeon, and current medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA). She has over 16 years of experience working in surgical services as both a US Navy medic and surgical physician assistant with Kaiser Permanente in Seattle, Washington. Her clinical and research interests include craniofacial plastic surgery, gender-affirming care, sexual health, community-engaged and patient-centered outcomes research, and global health equity aiming to empower, support, and partner with trans-led organizations in Mexico. She currently holds a position as a clinical outcomes researcher in the Lee craniofacial plastic surgery lab at UCLA. Outside of medical school and research she enjoys salsa dancing, advocating and promoting social justice issues, travel, snowboarding, cello, and learning new languages.
Justine C. Lee, MD, PhD, FACS is the Bernard G. Sarnat Endowed Chair in Craniofacial Biology in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. Dr. Lee is a craniofacial and pediatric plastic surgeon who specializes in the reconstruction of complex congenital, post-traumatic, and post-oncologic deformities of the head and neck region. Her practice focuses on patients with microtia, prominent ear, traumatic ear deformities, cleft lip/cleft palate, craniosynostosis, rare craniofacial syndromes, craniofacial microsomia, Parry-Romberg disease, facial nerve palsy, malocclusion, and vascular malformations. Her primary philosophy in treating patients is to combine aesthetics with reconstruction. She believes the goal of surgery is to help patients function normally as well as look and feel their best.
Dr. Lee was born and raised in Los Angeles. She was valedictorian of her high school class and awarded multiple scholarships including the University of California Regent's Scholarship, the UCLA Alumni Scholarship, and the National Merit Scholarship to attend UCLA. She graduated from UCLA summa cum laude with highest honors from the Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology with a bachelor of science degree (1999). In addition to her interest in clinical medicine, her scientific work resulted in multiple research fellowships, publications, and admission to the prestigious National Institutes of Health Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Her graduate work at the University of Chicago was additionally supported by a full academic fellowship from the Frank Family Foundation. She received both an MD and a PhD from the University of Chicago (2006) and went on to complete a combined residency in General Surgery and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Her work during residency culminated in an Outstanding Paper award at the American Society for Plastic Surgeons meeting, the Best Microsurgery Paper at the American Society for Plastic Surgeons Senior Resident Conference, and First Prize at the Illinois Society for Plastic Surgery Chief Resident Competition. She completed her training at UCLA as the 34th Henry Kawamoto craniofacial fellow.
Dr. Lee joined the UCLA faculty following her fellowship. She is active in multiple professional societies including the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons, the Plastic Surgery Research Council, the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association, and the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. In the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, she serves on the Women Plastic Surgeons Steering Committee, the Research Development Committee, and the Annual Meeting Program Committee. She is currently on the editorial board of three professional journals and serves as an ad hoc reviewer for 11 professional journals. Her research in clinical outcomes of craniofacial surgery and bone regeneration has been featured in over 65 international and national meetings and well recognized within each respective field. Since 2013, she has served as the curriculum director for the plastic surgery residency and received the 2016 Plastic Surgery Faculty Teaching Award. For her clinical, research, and teaching achievements, Dr. Lee was named the Bernard G. Sarnat Endowed Chair in Craniofacial Biology in 2016.
Nghiem Nguyen, B.A. (they/them)
Nghiem Nguyen (they/them) received their B.A. in Biology and minor in Asian American Studies at Pomona College. They are currently a fourth-year medical student at the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine. During their research year, they worked as a research fellow for the craniofacial outcomes team at UCLA with Dr. Justine Lee. They are passionate about social justice, intersectionality, and gender-affirming healthcare. During their free time, they enjoy reading and writing poetry, painting, and spending time with community.
Kaavian Shariati, M.Eng., B.S. (he/him)
Kaavian Shariati (he/him) received his B.S. in bioengineering and M.Eng. in biomedical engineering from Cornell University, and is currently a second-year medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. During his time at Cornell, he performed biomaterial design research under the guidance of Prof. Minglin Ma, and is currently supporting craniofacial regeneration and outcomes research under the supervision of Dr. Justine Lee. He is interested in biomaterial design, regenerative engineering, and reconstructive surgery. Beyond research, he enjoys generating 3D renderings and graphics that visualize projects pertaining to those fields.
Meghan Miller, B.A. (she/her)
Meghan Miller (She/Her) received her double majors in Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies and Global Health with double minors in Chemistry and Biology from Duke University. She is currently a second-year medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. During her research year prior to medical school, Meghan worked as Northwell Health’s Plastic Surgery Research Fellow under craniofacial surgeon Dr. James P. Bradley in NYC. She is currently working in the Lee Lab at UCLA Medical School under Dr. Justine Lee forwarding research on facial gender affirming surgery. Meghan’s dream is to one day become a craniofacial surgeon herself to continue her work on forwarding the field of gender affirming care. Beyond research, Meghan is a yoga instructor at CorePower Yoga and loves to foster cats.
Miles Pfaff, MD, MHS, FAAP (he/him)
Miles J. Pfaff, MD, MHS is a UC Irvine Health board certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon and assistant professor within the Department of Plastic Surgery at UC Irvine. Dr. Pfaff’s practice is diverse and includes the treatment of craniofacial differences (including cleft lip and palate, craniosynostosis, and ear anomalies), oncologic defects affecting the craniofacial region, facial trauma, and gender-affirmation surgery. Dr. Pfaff also provides surgical and non-surgical aesthetic services.
A southern California native, Dr. Pfaff completed his undergraduate studies in cellular and molecular biology at the University of California, Berkeley. After graduation, Dr. Pfaff spent two years working as a basic science researcher at the University of California, San Francisco investigating novel methods to augment new blood vessel growth. Dr. Pfaff then went on to complete his medical training at Yale School of Medicine. While at Yale, Dr. Pfaff completed a National Institutes of Health research fellowship and earned a Master’s degree focused on investigating the complex biological mechanisms that result in premature suture fusion, also known as craniosynostosis. It was here that he found a passion for both adult and pediatric plastic and reconstructive surgery. Dr. Pfaff then went on to train within the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of California, Los Angeles where he earned awards and recognition for excellence in research, education, and patient care. Dr. Pfaff then completed a sub-specialized surgical training fellowship in cleft and craniofacial surgery at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh at the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Plastic Surgery, one of the largest plastic surgery programs in the country.
Dr. Pfaff joined the UC Irvine Department of Plastic Surgery after completing his craniofacial fellowship. He has over one hundred peer-reviewed publications and presentations, is a member of multiple academic surgical societies, and is an active reviewer for professional medical journals. Most importantly, however, Dr. Pfaff is committed to delivering excellent care to his patients. He currently sees patients at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), UC Irvine Medical Center Orange Campus, and the UC Irvine Costa Mesa Clinic.
Manraj Kaur, PT, PhD (she/her)
Dr. Manraj Kaur (She/Her) is a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)-funded investigator at the PROVE Center with extensive training and experience in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research, including modern psychometric analysis. A major focus of her work has been the development of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for individuals seeking gender-affirming care, most notably through the creation of the GENDER-Q, which captures the experiences and outcomes of transgender and gender-diverse individuals across multiple domains of care.
Over the past decade, Dr. Kaur has developed a strong research portfolio centered on the measurement of patient-reported outcomes, preference elicitation techniques, and health economic evaluation, including healthcare costing methods. She has led several projects in women with breast cancer and patients undergoing oncologic or aesthetic reconstructive surgery. Her most recent work also includes the development of the BREAST-Q utility module for cost-effectiveness evaluation in breast cancer interventions.
Dr. Kaur holds a doctoral and Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Science, with a focus on health economics and outcomes research, from McMaster University in Canada. Her research has been supported by the CIHR, the Canadian Cancer Society, and the Plastic Surgery Foundation. Currently, as a CIHR-funded Postdoctoral Fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, her work continues to advance patient-centered outcomes and health economics in reconstructive and gender-affirming surgery.
Thomas Satterwhite, MD (he/him)
Dr. Thomas Satterwhite is a fellowship-trained plastic and craniofacial surgeon who specializes in gender-affirmation surgeries, offering customized procedures for trans men, trans women, and gender non-conforming individuals. He is deeply committed to supporting each patient’s right to self-determination, helping them align their external appearance with their true identity for a more authentic life.
Dr. Satterwhite provides a comprehensive range of reconstructive and cosmetic surgeries, including facial feminization, body feminization, breast augmentation, vaginoplasty, mastectomy, phalloplasty, urethroplasty, scrotoplasty, and labiaplasty. Additionally, he offers surgical and non-surgical procedures such as facelifts, liposuction, abdominoplasty, and rhinoplasty to further enhance gender-affirmation results.
He earned his medical degree from the Stanford University School of Medicine, followed by a residency in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Stanford University Medical Center. Dr. Satterwhite then completed a fellowship in Craniofacial Surgery at Miami Children’s Hospital and is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Satterwhite is actively involved in research and frequently lectures at national and international conferences. His expertise has been featured in the media, including appearances on ABC News and Marin News. For his dedication to plastic surgery, he has received numerous accolades, including the prestigious Plastic Surgery Foundation Award.
Dr. Satterwhite has lived in San Francisco for over 23 years with his husband Harald and their son Alexander. He currently practices at Post Street Surgery Center in San Francisco.
Jens Berli, MD, MBA (he/him)
Dr. Jens Berli is Associate Professor of Surgery and Head of the Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Following this, he undertook a part of residency in general surgery and ortho-trauma at Triemli City Hospital, Zurich. In 2010, before moving to the United States, he worked at Uummannaq Regional Hospital in rural Greenland.
Subsequently, Dr. Berli completed his Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery residency at the renowned Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. During this period, he gained experience in gender-affirming surgery and phalloplasty for congenital malformations. Between 2014 and 2016, he further enriched his expertise as a traveling fellow at leading centers for transgender health across Europe and Asia.
Since 2016, Dr. Berli has been a faculty member at Oregon Health & Science University. He predominantly focuses on phalloplasty and facial gender confirmation surgeries. Presently, he holds the position of Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery. Additionally, since 2019, he has been entrusted with the responsibility of Residency Program Director. In the same year he started one of the first fellowships with focus on Gender Surgery. Beyond gender surgery he has a keen interest in neuroplastics and cranio-facial trauma.
In terms of professional affiliations, Dr. Berli is a member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. He has notably contributed to the surgical committee of the Standards of Care Version 8. He serves as an Associate Editor for "Transgender Health" and is a Contributing Editor for "Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery." Central to his research endeavors is the enhancement of the safety protocols for phalloplasty procedures, objective aesthetic outcomes, and patient-reported outcomes.
Marleen Vallinga MD, PhD-candidate (she/her)
Marleen Vallinga graduated as an MD in the Netherlands in 2014. After a couple years of residency in urology she decided to change her career path. In 2021 she started her PhD project in Amsterdam together with Pip Roijer. Together they are the daily coordinators of this project, where Marleen focusses on the feminizing genital gender COS. The second part of her PhD concerns the pedicled peritoneum vaginoplasty, hoping to improve quality of care for individuals who are not eligible for standard vaginoplasty or in need of revision. Next to research, she is passionate about sexology and is in training to be a sexologist at Rino-groep in Utrecht.
Pip Roijer MD., PhD-candidate (she/her)
Pip Roijer (she/her) developed a special interest in gender surgery during medical school. After completing part of her master's at the gender surgery department of the Amsterdam UMC in 2021, she continued as a PhD researcher in the same department immediately after graduating. She now shares the responsibility for the day-to-day coordination of The GenderCOS Project with Marleen Vallinga, managing the masculinizing genital gender COS. Additionally, she is involved in a quality of care project, developing a framework for standardizing gender surgical care in The Netherlands. She aspires to one day combine her ambition for surgery with her passion for gender care.
Prof. Dr Margriet Mullender (she/her)
Dr. Margriet Mullender (she/her) is a professor at the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery at the Amsterdam UMC. She received her PhD in 1997, and since 2010 she works in the field of plastic surgery. She heads a group of dedicated researchers who focus on various aspects of transgender care. The development, implementation, and evaluation of "patient centered" care strategies is a central theme. In all studies, the experiences of transgender and gender diverse individuals as well as experiences of care providers play an important and central role. They strive to optimize patient care using modern tools and applications. The practical implementation and evaluation of these innovations, involving all stakeholders is explicitly a part of their research strategies. These new developments are assessed based on their value for the target population, and their usefulness for healthcare providers. Within the GenderCOS Project she supervises the day-to-day coordination.