Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital

04/07/2026

We are very blessed to have an incredible cleft and craniofacial AND 22q multidisciplinary team at JHACH! One of our most valuable team members is Dr. Alyssa Fritz, our team psychologist. This video allows for Dr. Fritz to tell you in her words about her role on our cleft and craniofacial and 22q teams and how she is a valuable resource for our patients and their families from infancy to adulthood!

03/16/2026

The Pediatric Plastic Surgery team at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital was recently recognized for new research using artificial intelligence (AI) to help doctors understand certain speech problems.

Some children with Cleft Lip and Palate or 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome can have “hypernasal” speech, which means their voice sounds very nasal. Our team is working on a new tool that uses AI to help identify this speech difference.

We partnered with the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Institute for Clinical and Translational Research to create a small, portable tool that could help speech therapists assess speech more easily. In the future, this tool could help children get the care they need not only at large hospitals but also in places with fewer resources.

Our goal is simple to help more children get the right care and support for their speech :)

Researchers from the Center for Pediatric Data Science and Analytic Methodology at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital earned three prestigious awards at national medical conferences for innovative research advancing pediatric diagnosis, transfusion care and artificial intelligence-driven clinical...

03/06/2026

The Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital and JHACH Cleft Craniofacial colleagues had a great day at the annual Florida Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association meeting in beautiful Jacksonville Florida last weekend!

Our exceptional research assistant Mbinui Ghogomu, BS presented our exciting work of “Development of a clinical workflow and machine learning algorithm for AI based hypernasality detection for VPD”, winning the abstract award for best presentation. She also presented many exceptional poster presentations on cleft palate care to craniosynostosis and much more, winning runner-up for best poster for our 22q research. Congrats Mbinui!

We are so proud of our collaborative team's dedication and continued work for advancement of pediatric cleft/craniofacial care.

Great day of education, advocacy and partnership with our Cleft and Craniofacial colleagues of Florida! Thank you Florida Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association!

02/04/2026

This week, Dr. Halsey delivered an educational presentation to our Speech and Language Pathology department focused on speech and feeding considerations for patients with cleft lip and palate and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

The session highlighted interdisciplinary collaboration and evidence-based strategies to support optimal communication, feeding, and long-term outcomes for this unique patient population. We are grateful for the opportunity to continue strengthening partnerships that enhance comprehensive, patient-centered care!

01/26/2026

We are proud to share that members of our Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital Pediatric Plastic Surgery team recently participated in the 2nd Annual Johns Hopkins Medicine Child Health Research Symposium / Johns Hopkins All Children’s 14th Annual Research Symposium, held last week here in St. Petersburg, FL.

Our research assistant, Mbinui Ghogomu, presented multiple posters highlighting the breadth of our division’s plastic surgery research and also delivered an excellent oral presentation on Wound Healing for Neural Tube Defects.

In addition, our Division Chief Dr. Alex Rottgers gave a compelling presentation on our division’s role in pediatric esophageal reconstruction using supercharged jejunal interposition, showcasing the multidisciplinary innovation happening within our team.

We are grateful for the opportunity to share our work and proud of our team’s continued commitment to advancing pediatric surgical care through research and collaboration.

01/08/2026

We’re excited to share a wonderful update about our incredible patient, Jasmine—she has been discharged home from the hospital and is doing very well. Her journey has been featured by local news outlets, including interviews with members of her care team, such as Dr. Rottgers. We are incredibly proud of Jasmine and look forward to watching her continue to thrive!

A Bradenton teen is finally heading home after a nearly 17-hour surgery to remove a tumor and to amputate her left leg.

12/26/2025

On behalf of our Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital Pediatric Plastic and Craniofacial Team, we sincerely hope you all have had a wonderful holiday and have a great new year!

We’d like to share the story of one of our remarkable patients, Jasmine, who recently underwent an extensive, marathon surgery to treat a rare lymphomatous tumor affecting her left leg. Dr. S. Alex Rottgers, Chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, led a multidisciplinary surgical team—including pediatric and orthopedic surgeons—in this highly complex procedure. The team successfully removed more than 90% of the tumor, which involved her entire leg and extended into her abdomen and pelvis. The surgery was a tremendous success, and Jasmine is now recovering well.

Jasmine’s inspiring story has received coverage from multiple news outlets, including People magazine. To read more about her surgical journey, please refer to the article below.

A Florida teen is currently recovering after having surgery to amputate her 174-lb. leg, caused by a rare lymphomatous tumor

12/01/2025

We are so excited to see Dr. Rottgers' adorable patient Carson featured on the Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital page! Carson was born with - a condition that leads to early fusion of the skull bones. This condition requires early surgery to ensure the brain is able to grow and develop appropriately and to correct the abnormal head shape. Carson underwent surgical correction using a minimally invasive approach and he is now wearing a helmet to continue to mold his head shape as he grows. He is a true and we are so proud to be a part of his journey!

No one has ever worn a craniosynostosis helmet better than 6-month-old Carson Rea. Fashion tips from his dad, a Lifeline helicopter EMT. 🚁♥️♥️

11/17/2025

Watch this amazing video of Dr. Fritz, our Cleft and Craniofacial and 22q Team Psychologist, and her colleague Dr. Butt talking about bullying — how to recognize it, respond to it, and support kids who may be struggling. The Center for Behavioral Health at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital is amazing and we are lucky to have such excellent providers working with our patients!

11/05/2025

We would like to re-introduce our amazing Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital Cleft and Craniofacial and 22q Team coordinators Taryl Crisp, BSN, RN, CCM and Ann Adair, BSN, RN, CPN! They are the first people our patients and families often meet when families are referred to our team and on Multidisciplinary clinic days and are the best of the best!

Watch this introductory video to learn more about their roles and how they keep our team running!

For more information or to set up an appointment for your child in our cleft and craniofacial or 22q clinic, contact us at 727-767-2930!

10/13/2025

10/13/2025

Our Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital Pediatric Plastic and Cleft Team was well-represented at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) meeting in New Orleans! Dr. Halsey served as a moderator on multiple Craniofacial Surgery panels, and our research assistants Molly MacIsaac and Mbinui Ghogomu did an excellent job presenting 4 abstracts discussing our ongoing research on Neural Tube Defects; Using MRI for the detection of Velopharyngeal Dysfunction; AI and Machine Learning; and Imaging for Jejunal Interposition surgery in pediatric patients. We are so proud of our team's work and excellent representation at the national plastic surgery meeting!