Deborah L. Brooks, ANP

Krishna G. Patel, M.D., Ph.D. joined the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery in August 2008. She is a native of Athens, Georgia and attended Columbia University in New York City for her undergraduate education. She then earned M.D. and Ph.D. degrees through the combined program at the Medical College of Georgia, where she was awarded the Excellence in Research Award. Dr. Patel completed a residency in otolaryngology &- head and neck surgery at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Following residency, she pursued fellowship training in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of California, Davis. During both her residency and fellowship training, Dr. Patel participated in volunteer medical trips to other countries to provide care to the medically underserved. Her recent trips to Ecuador and El Salvador involved surgically repairing children with cleft lips, cleft palates, and ear deformities. She is board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology and by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. As a member of the MUSC faculty, Dr. Patel's focus is in the areas of aesthetic facial plastic surgery, such as rhinoplasties, Botox, and blepharoplasties. Her practice also includes facial reconstructive surgery, facial trauma surgery, and reconstruction of Mohs defects. She is the director of the Craniofacial Anomalies and Cleft Palate Center and participates in the repair of cleft lips and palates. She also serves on the Executive Board of Directors for the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Patel sees patients in Rutledge Tower on the main campus of MUSC, as well as at off-site locations in Mount Pleasant.

Alexandra E. Kejner, M.D., FACS is an otorhinolaryngologist/head and neck surgeon dedicated to the treatment of head and neck patients, including those with malignant and benign tumors of the head and neck, including skin, sinus, oral cavity, oropharynx, voice box, neck, and salivary glands as well as the reconstruction of those areas after surgery using local tissue, skin grafts, and free tissue transfer. She also is specialty trained in advanced transoral robotic surgery of the upper aerodigestive tract. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biology and Spanish at Wake Forest University, graduating with honors. She enrolled at the University of Michigan Medical School, graduating with honors in service. She then went on to an otorhinolaryngology residency at the University of Alabama – Birmingham before pursuing advanced training in fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. While there, she received further training in head and neck oncology, skull base surgery, transoral robotic surgery, and microvascular free tissue transfer. She is certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology. She has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals and several book chapters. She is active in the American Head and Neck Society. She is on the board of the American Head and Neck Microvascular Section. She has been an invited panelist and organizer for multiple national and international meetings. She has acted as a preceptor at the annual Microvascular Bootcamp. She is a member of the Society of Integrative Oncology. She speaks fluent Spanish. She is interested in medical technology, outcomes research, surgical margins, microvascular reconstruction techniques, head and neck cancer, and improving the quality of life of head and neck cancer survivors.

Dale Sussman Gertz, MD practiced developmental-behavioral pediatrics for over 20 years in North Carolina. In July 2022, she joined the MUSC pediatric team to continue assessing and treating children with behavior challenges, learning problems, attention deficits, social interaction difficulties and other developmental concerns. After graduating from Medical College of Georgia, she completed her pediatric residency and first year of fellowship at University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinics. She finished the last two years of behavioral-developmental pediatric fellowship at UNC Center for Development and Learning. She works closely with parents of children to develop positive parenting skills, improve sleep hygiene and limit exposure to excessive use of screens. Using assessment tools, Dr. Gertz is able to diagnose young children with developmental issues early so that they can benefit from starting important therapies. Managing mental health problems like autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, anxiety and depression disorders with medication and advocating for students with learning disabilities to have IEP services from their county school system helps many children be successful and thrive. Dr. Gertz is passionate about the mind-body connection and its impact on health. She understands the importance of listening to parents and their children and spending as much time as needed with patients and their families to explain the diagnosis and treatment plan.