Biomedical Graduate Studies

Description of Clinical Expertise

Clinical Expertise: cleft lip and palate surgery, rhinoplasty, pediatric and adolescent breast conditions, complex pediatric reconstruction.

Description of Other Expertise

Background
Dr. Liao is a graduate of Stanford University (B.S., M.S.), Harvard Medical School / M.I.T. (M.D., Ph.D.), and trained in plastic surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is Board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Liao's clinical and academic achievements have earned numerous prestigious awards, including American Surgical Association Research Fellowship, March of Dimes Basil O'Connor Scholar Award, and the Presidential Scholar Endowed Chair at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Description of Research Expertise

Dr. Eric Liao is the founding Director of the Center for Craniofacial Innovation at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Liao is a pediatric plastic surgeon-scientist who leverages convergent advances in fetal care, human genetics and developmental biology to initiate first-in-child trials and treatments. As a surgeon, Dr. Liao cares for patients born with orofacial clefts and complex craniofacial conditions. Dr. Liao also leads the Department of Surgery as the Vice Chair of Academic Affairs, where he is dedicated to nurturing trainees and faculty toward impactful academic careers.
Prior to joining CHOP, Dr. Liao was a Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, lead the Mass General Department of Surgery as Vice Chair of Research, and lead Shriners Children’s Boston as Chief of Staff. Dr. Liao pioneered the zebrafish model to investigate the developmental basis of craniofacial anomalies. Dr. Liao works to address critical knowledge gaps in human genetics to determine pathogenicity of gene variants, by using the zebrafish model as a high throughput functional assay.
“As a pediatric cleft surgeon, it is incredibly humbling and rewarding to restore form and function to patients born with cleft lip and palate anomalies. As surgeon-scientists, we hope our discoveries will lay the foundation for advances that will impact patients everywhere.”

Publications:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/eric.liao.1/bibliography/public/