Thais D. Coutinho, M.D.

Dr. Mardini is a plastic surgeon and global leader in the field of craniofacial surgery and facial paralysis and reanimation surgery in children and adults. Dr. Mardini was a major contributor to forming Mayo Clinic's groundbreaking face transplant program, and he led his team to perform Mayo Clinic's first-ever face transplant successfully. This groundbreaking procedure gave a new life to a patient whose facial disfigurement destroyed his face and his life. As the Chair of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Dr. Mardini tirelessly works to support and lead his team of fourteen plastic surgeons and hundreds of providers and Allied Health staff to exceptionally care for patients, innovate, and educate. He spent years traveling around the world, developing his knowledge, skills, and expertise to help people of all ages regain confidence and improved function after suffering from facial paralysis, disfigurement, or deformities. His practice focuses on the whole person, and he regularly collaborates with physicians across specialties to provide holistic, respectful, and attentive care to their individual health needs and aesthetic preferences.

A. Noelle Larson, M.D., is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon who helps children with spinal conditions such as scoliosis. She and her team use innovative techniques such as low-dose imaging and intraoperative computer-guided navigation to provide better options for pediatric patients. Dr. Larson is a leading expert who is renowned for using new approaches to scoliosis surgery that preserve spinal motion and growth. She has led several research studies evaluating vertebral body tethering and posterior dynamic distraction. Under these protocols, she performed the first surgeries in the United States for three non-fusion scoliosis devices under FDA protocols. She is also leading efforts to develop tools to help families understand the risks and benefits of new surgical techniques, so they can make informed decisions when deciding which approach is best for their child.

Richard C. Daly, M.D., is a cardiovascular surgeon and Surgical Director of the Heart and Lung Transplant Program at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. His primary clinical interests include: adult cardiac surgery, coronary bypass surgery, robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), mitral valve repair, heart transplantation and lung transplantation. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Daly is chair of the Thoracic Surgery Committee, Upper Midwest Organ Procurement Organization and a member of the International Society For Heart and Lung Transplantation.