Alan D. Widgerow

Biography

Alan D. Widgerow, MBBCh, MMed, FCS, FACS, is Chief Scientific Officer at Galderma and Head of the Skin Science Center for Innovation, positions he has held since July 2022 following Galderma's acquisition of Alastin Skincare. He joined Alastin Skincare as Chief Medical/Scientific Officer in November 2015, shortly after the company's inception, where he developed the scientific foundation for a professional skincare range and led the creation of multiple product lines incorporating patented peptide technologies. Widgerow also serves as Division Chief of Research at the Center for Tissue Engineering and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of California, Irvine, where he has been a faculty member since July 2012.

Widgerow received his MBBCh from the University of the Witwatersrand in 1980, completed his Master of Medicine in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 1991, and earned Fellowship in the South African College of Medicine (FCS) in 1989, receiving the Michael and Janie Miller Award as the top Witwatersrand University surgical graduate. He was elected Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) in 1998 and has served as Honorary Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand since 1999. Widgerow served as President of the Association of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons of Southern Africa from 1996 to 1998 and was Editor-in-Chief of Wound Healing Southern Africa from 2008 to 2015. He received the Distinguished Faculty Mentor Award from the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science at UCI in 2018.

Widgerow has published over 230 peer-reviewed articles and two books on topics including wound healing, tissue engineering, adipose-derived stem cells, and scar management. His research focuses on anti-fibrosis strategies, on adipose tissue applications, burn wound inflammatory mediators, and cosmeceutical development. He has been awarded multiple patents for topical compositions, medical devices, and tissue processing methods. Widgerow has received grant funding from organizations including the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation, the American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand, and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. He founded ADAR Science Inc. in 2009 and previously established Advanced Wound Care Services, operating 13 wound clinics in South Africa.

Education

• MBBCh, University of the Witwatersrand, 1980
• MMed in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, University of the Witwatersrand, 1991
• F.C.S. (SA) in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, South African College of Medicine, 1989
• FACS, American College of Surgery, 1998

Distinctions

• Outstanding Volunteer Faculty of the Year 2024-2025, 2025
• Distinguished Faculty Mentor Award, Institute for Clinical and Translational Science, UCI, 2018
• Mentor for Design Team winner, annual biomedical engineering device design UCI Innovations competition, Bubtech, micronanobubble project, 2018
• Honorary Professor, Plastic Surgery, University of the Witwatersrand, 1999
• Fellow, American College of Surgery (FACS), 1998
• U.S. Green Card Status in the Category of Exceptional Academic Merit, 1995
• Michael and Janie Miller Award - top Witwatersrand University surgical graduate, 1989
• Publication of the year, Association of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons of Southern Africa, 1997, 2000-2001, 2003-2004
• President, Association of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons of Southern Africa, 1996-1998