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John E. Gross

John E. Gross

•Vice Dean, Faculty and Clinical Affairs - School of Medicine
•Professor of Surgery - Department of Plastic Surgery

Biography

John E. Gross, M.D., FACS, is Vice Dean for Faculty and Clinical Affairs and Professor of Surgery in the Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, where he also serves as Senior Vice President of UCI Health. He received his M.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia and completed residencies in general surgery and plastic and reconstructive surgery, followed by a fellowship in craniofacial surgery at the University of Miami School of Medicine.

Before joining UC Irvine in 2018, Gross spent over 15 years on the faculty at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, where he served as Chief of Plastic Surgery at Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center and directed the USC Plastic Surgery Aesthetic Surgery Education program. He has also held executive positions in the biotechnology and medical device industries, including serving as Chief Scientific Officer at Evolus, Inc., and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Tissue Regeneration Inc. and Serica. His work in product development includes a patent for an implantable silk prosthetic device.

Gross has been active in professional organizations, serving on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and as Chairman of the Physicians Coalition for Injectable Safety. He has been principal investigator on multiple Phase III clinical trials evaluating prabotulinumtoxinA for the treatment of glabellar lines. His research has been published in journals including Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and Aesthetic Surgery Journal, with particular focus on craniofacial surgery, breast reconstruction using silk-derived scaffolds, and aesthetic surgery techniques.

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Education

  • B.S. in Chemical Engineering, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1980
  • M.D., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1984
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Distinctions

  • America's Top Doctors - Plastic Surgery, Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., 2000-2015, 2019
  • Fellow, American College of Surgeons, 1992
  • Circle of Care Award, Children's Circle of Care North American Leadership Conference, 2005
  • Teacher of the Year, Guiding Hand Award, Plastic Surgery, USC Keck School of Medicine, 1996, 2003, 2006
  • Best Doctors in America, Plastic Surgery, 2001-2017
  • Southern California Super Doctors, Key Professional Media, Inc, 2008-2019
  • Guest Lecturer, Distinguished Guest Professor, Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2014
  • Engineering Scholarship, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1976-1980
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Areas of Expertise

  • Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
  • Craniofacial Trauma Management
  • Cleft Palate Repair Techniques
  • Aesthetic Breast Augmentation
  • Botulinum Toxin Clinical Trials
  • Silk-Derived Bioresorbable Scaffolds
  • Post-Bariatric Body Contouring

Recent Publications

  • Rzany BJ, Ascher B, Avelar RL, Bergdahl J, Bertucci V, Bodokh I, Carruthers JA, Cartier H, Delmar H, Denfeld R, Gross JE, Heckmann M, Hedén P, Hilton S, Inglefield C, Ogilvie P, Sattler G, Sebastian M, Solish N, Swift A, et al., “A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Single-Dose, Phase III, Non-Inferiority Study Comparing PrabotulinumtoxinA and OnabotulinumtoxinA for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Glabellar Lines in Adult Patients” (opens in new tab), Aesthetic Surgery Journal, vol. 40, no. 4, pp. 413-429, 2020.
  • Beer KR, Shamban AT, Avelar RL, Gross JE, Jonker A, “Efficacy and Safety of PrabotulinumtoxinA for the Treatment of Glabellar Lines in Adult Subjects: Results from 2 Identical Phase III Studies” (opens in new tab), Dermatologic Surgery, vol. 45, no. 11, pp. 1381-1393, 2019.
  • Fine, Neil A., Lehfeldt, Max, Gross JE, Downey, Susan, Kind, Gabriel M., Duda, Gloria, Kulber, David, Horan, Rebecca, Ippolito, Jeff, Jewell, Mark, “SERI Surgical Scaffold, Prospective Clinical Trial of a Silk-Derived Biological Scaffold in Two-Stage Breast Reconstruction: 1-Year Data”, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, vol. 135, no. 2, pp. 339-351, 2015.
  • Mortarino, Altman, Gross, “Implantable Silk Prosthetic Device and Uses Thereof”, 2014. Patent No. 14/290,435.
  • Gross, JE., Horan, Rebecca L., Gaylord, Matthew, Olsen, Raymond E., McGill, L. D., García-López, José M., Biber, Kristen, Barnico, Kristen, Toponarski, Ivan, Altman, Gregory Less, “An Evaluation of SERI Surgical Scaffold for Soft-Tissue Support and Repair in an Ovine Model of Two-Stage Breast Reconstruction”, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, vol. 134, no. 5, pp. 700e-704e, 2014.
  • Borzabadi-Farahani A., Gross JE, Yen, S., “An Unusual Accessory Mandible and a Submucosal Cleft Palate – A Case Report and Review of the Literature”, The Cleft Palate – Craniofacial Journal, vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 369-75, 2013.
  • Gross, JE, “Use of SERI Surgical Scaffold for Soft-tissue Support in a Massive Weight Loss Patient”, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open, vol. 1, no. 9, pp. e86, 2013.
  • Gross JE, Horan R, Gaylord M, Olsen R, McGill L, Garcia-Lopez J, Biber K, Barnico K, Toponarski I, Altman G, “An Evaluation of SERI Tissue Support and Repair in an Ovine Model of Two-Stage Breast Reconstruction” (opens in new tab), Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2012.
  • Gross JE, Horan, Rebecca L., García-López, José M., Gaylord, Matthew, Olsen, Raymond E., Altman, Gregory H., “Development of a Novel Sheep Model of Human Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction: 12 Month Experience with SeriScaffold®, a Silk-Derived Bioresorbable Scaffold (SBS), for the...”, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, vol. 130, no. 5S-1, pp. 100, 2012.
  • Rahban S, Gross JE, “A New Approach to Correction of Truncal Redundancy After Massive Weight Loss-The Lateral Thoracoabdominoplasty”, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, vol. 27, pp. 518-523, 2007.
  • Yen S, Yamashita D, Gross JE, Meara J, Yamazaki K, Kim TH, Reinisch J, “Combining orthodontic tooth movement with distraction osteogenesis to close cleft spaces and improve maxillary arch form in cleft lip and palate patients”, American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, vol. 127, pp. 224-32, 2005.
  • Yen SLK, Yamashita DD, Kim TH, Baek HS, Gross JE, “Closure of an unusually large palatal fistula in a cleft patient by bony transport and corticotomy-assisted expansion”, Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, vol. 61, pp. 1346-1350, 2003.
  • Yen S, Gross JE, Yamashita D, Kim TH, McAndrews J, Shuler C, Reinisch J, “Correcting an anterior open-bite side effect during distraction with spring forces”, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, vol. 110, no. 6, pp. 1476-1484, 2002.
  • Yen SLK, Gross JE, Wang P, Yamashita DD, “Closure of a large alveolar cleft by bony transport of a posterior segment using orthodontic archwires attached to bone: report of a case”, Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, vol. 59, pp. 688-691, 2001.
  • McPherson EJ, Patzakis MJ, Gross JE, Holtom PD, Song M, Dorr LD, “Infected total knee arthroplasty: two-stage reimplantation with a gastrocnemius rotational flap”, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, vol. 341, pp. 73-81, 1997.
  • Gross JE, “Facial Fractures”, Western Journal of Medicine, vol. 162, no. 6, pp. 537, 1995.
  • Rivera ML, Gross JE, “Scalp Replantation after Traumatic Injury”, AORN Journal, vol. 62, pp. 175-184, 1995.
  • Gross JE, Friedman JD, “Monitoring”, Orthopedic Clinics of North America - Soft Tissue Reconstruction, WB Saunders, 1993.
  • Wellisz T, Dougherty W, Gross JE, “Craniofacial Applications for the Medpor Porous Polyetheylene Flexblock Implant”, Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, vol. 3, no. 2, 1992.
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Contact Information

Email: john.gross@uci.edu

Address: 101 S. City Dr. Bldg 54, Irvine, CA 92697-3950

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Last updated on 3/12/2026.