Dr. Melissa Marie Guanche, MD

Dr. Kaufman has been consecutively named as a Top Plastic Surgeon, in both the Castle Connolly Guide (New York metro area) and Inside New Jersey magazine. He has also been named a Top Plastic Surgeon by New Jersey Monthly magazine. Dr. Kaufman's training was completed at the best surgical programs in both New York City and Los Angeles. He received his undergraduate degree from Binghamton University where he graduated with Honors and was named to the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Society. He attended medical school at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, graduating in the top 5% of his medical school class. While there, he received numerous honors including acceptance into the AOA medical honor society and an endowment scholarship for outstanding academic performance. Dr. Kaufman embarked on his surgical training at one of the nation's top training programs for Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at The Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. While there, he trained with world-famous surgeons dedicated to complex Head and Neck Reconstruction and Facial Plastic Surgery. Upon completion, he continued his training in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the prestigious UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. While in Los Angeles, he learned the most advanced and innovative plastic surgery techniques from leaders and innovators practicing in the epicenter of the cosmetic surgery world. Dr. Kaufman is highly skilled in all cosmetic surgery procedures of the face and body. These procedures include facelift, blepharoplasty (eyelid rejuvenation), brow lift, nose reshaping (rhinoplasty), ear reshaping (otoplasty), chin/lip surgery, skin resurfacing, liposuction, breast augmentation, breast lift/reduction and abdominoplasty. In addition, he has advanced expertise in complex revision rhinoplasty and ethnic rhinoplasty (non-Caucasian rhinoplasty). Dr. Kaufman has the rather rare distinction of achieving board certification in both Plastic Surgery and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. This gives him the added expertise necessary to deal with complex cosmetic and reconstructive problems of the head, face, and neck.

Jason Liounakos, M.D., is a spinal neurosurgeon and the director of outpatient spine surgery at Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute. Dr. Liounakos’ clinical interests include complex and minimally invasive robotic spine surgery, spinal tumors, degenerative spine disease and spinal deformity. He is fluent in English and Spanish. Dr. Liounakos joined Miami Neuroscience Institute from the University of Miami and Jackson Health System where he completed his residency in neurological surgery with fellowship training in complex and minimally invasive spine surgery. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed research publications and book chapters and lectured nationally on minimally invasive techniques and robot-assisted spine surgery. He is the lead author of one of the largest case series evaluating patient outcomes following robot-assisted spine surgery. Dr. Liounakos graduated first in his class from the Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and received the Florida Board of Medicine Chairman’s Recognition Award in 2015. During his residency he obtained the highest neurosurgery primary board examination score in the program’s history and upon graduation received the Sanjiv Bhatia, M.D. Distinction in Leadership and Service Award, and Best Resident Teacher Award. Dr. Liounakos believes the best spine care requires a multidisciplinary approach with tailored treatment plans for each patient. He believes mutual understanding and partnership are critical to the surgeon-patient relationship and the best clinical results. He employs new technologies and the latest minimally invasive techniques to reduce postoperative pain, speed up recovery, and improve patient outcomes and satisfaction.

Robert J. Rothrock, M.D., is a board-certified spinal neurosurgeon at Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute and Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute. Dr. Rothrock is also the director of spinal oncology at Miami Neuroscience Institute and has specialized interest and training in the surgical and radiation-based treatment of spinal tumors. He is fluent in English and Spanish. Dr. Rothrock joined Miami Neuroscience Institute from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where he completed a minimally invasive and reconstructive spine surgery fellowship. Previously, he completed an enfolded fellowship in spinal oncology and radiosurgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. His research has been published in multiple peer-reviewed publications, including Neurosurgery, Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, Operative Neurosurgery and JAMA Neurology. He has also authored chapters in numerous medical and neurosurgical textbooks. In addition, he was the recipient of the Kalmon D. Post Resident Publication Award at Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine and the recipient of the National 2012-2013 Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship. Dr. Rothrock wakes up every day with a sense of responsibility and purpose to give patients hope and a plan of action during what might be the most difficult moment of their lives. He strives to help his patients understand their conditions and treatment plans, advocate for themselves in the healthcare system, and preserve a meaningful quality of life.