School of Medicine Class of 1989
Dr. Staffenberg spends most days in the operating room almost non-stop; 85 percent are craniofacial cases, his specialty. The rest are a variety of birth defects and injury-related events suffered by children and adults.
A: What do you do?
A: I’m Chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery at Montefiore Medical Center and surgical director of the Center for Craniofacial Disorders at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore. I’m also program director of the plastic surgery residency program at Einstein/Montefiore, one of the largest in the country.
Q: What are you best known for?
A: Successfully separating Carl and Clarence Aguirre, a set of craniopagus twins. That means they were joined at the head, sharing skin, skull, dura, blood vessels and brain. Together with the rest of a very talented craniofacial team and wonderful staff at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, we designed and performed a series of operations in order to minimize the great risks of morbidity and mortality that had previously been the experience with such surgeries. I have consulted on other craniopagus patients, including another successful separation in Europe.
Q: What are you proudest of?
A: I have a lot to be proud of, but I am most proud of my family.
Q: Name one thing that struck you as you were making your decision to work or study at New York Medical College.
A: I was struck by how peaceful the campus was. And of course, I enjoyed the proximity to my childhood home. (He grew up in Larchmont, N.Y.)
Q: What is your next goal?
A: Building a world-class department of plastic surgery at Montefiore Medical Center.
Q: What would you tell someone who was considering coming to New York Medical College?
A: Hard work and enjoying your friends and family can go hand-in-hand.
Q: Did you plan to go into your current field, or did you change your mind along the way?
A: I was initially focused on a career in cardiothoracic surgery when, as an intern, I found a textbook on plastic surgery in the medical college library that completely astounded me. My direction was changed in that instant.
Q: What wisdom did you take with you when you left New York Medical College?
A: That my patients deserved the best that I could give them.