Collaborators

Collaboration is at the heart of interdisciplinary research and we work with clinical partners, academics and creatives in the UK, the USA and Europe.

Extended Surgical Teams

Face transplants have taken place in many countries around the world including the USA, Spain, Poland and Finland. We work with extended surgical teams (surgeons, nurses, prosthetists, physiotherapists, psychologists) in the UK and overseas, according to ethical approvals granted by the University of York Research Ethics Committee and the NHS Health Research Authority (HRA)

  • Benedetto Longo

    Benedetto Longo is an Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery at Tor Vergata University of Rome. He is the Editor-in Chief of Plastic Recontructive & Regenerative Surgery, official journal of the Italian Society of Microsurgery and Italian Society of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery. He is leading a face transplantation project in Italy and performed his first face transplant in 2018. He was the Winner of the 2014 EURAPS/AAPS Fellowship Award and of the 2015 “Hans Anderl Award” for the Best European Clinical Career and Outstanding (Pioneer) Achievement in the Field of Plastic Surgery. Benedetto Longo’s website.

  • Dan Saleh FRCS Plast

    Consultant Plastic Surgeon Newcastle Hopsitals
    Associate Lecturer Queensland University
    Dan leads the plastic surgery department at Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust. He has an interest in head neck and facial reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Patients and Families

The experiences of potential and actual face transplant patients are central to AboutFace research. We work with people undergoing a wide range of facial surgery, as well as their families.

  • Robert Chelsea

    Robert Chelsea is the first African American recipient of a full face transplant, and acts as a specialist consultant for the AboutFace project. He received his transplant in 2019, after a car accident in 2013 left him with burns covering 60% of his body and face. Robert works to raise awareness and participation of organ and tissue donors. He is a public speaker, sharing his story of hope and survival and overcoming adversities. In 2018, Robert established the Robert Chelsea Foundation.

Institutions, Organisations and Policy Makers

While AboutFace is an independent research project, we work with diverse groups with different roles, priorities and agendas, ranging from advocacy organisations to healthcare institutions and regulatory bodies.

Training and Academic Collaborations

AboutFace connects with other researchers and research projects to share ideas, develop and deliver workshops, training materials, and events.

Creative Collaborators and Partners

Across our public engagement and research activities, AboutFace seeks to engage with creative practitioners to promote dialogue, knowledge exchange, and maximise research impact.

  • Lucy Burscough

    Lucy Burscough is a Royal Society of Public Health award-winning artist. She develops rich ‘arts for health’ public engagement projects exploring bio-medical narratives through portraiture and story-telling. Lucy’s most recent completed project, ‘Facing Out’, worked with subjects who had experienced facial cancers and reconstructive surgery. Some of the subjects spoke of being acutely aware of the gaze of others. In the Facing Out collection, the sitters defiantly return the gaze, welcoming people to look and challenging the viewer to empathise and develop an acceptance of facial diversity. Lucy Burscough's Website

  • Barry Gibb

    Dr Barry J Gibb first trained as a molecular biologist and neuroscientist before embarking on a career in writing and filmmaking, where he focuses on bringing warmth and humanity to science. His award-winning book, The Rough Guide to the Brain, was released in 2007. In 2009, he made a series of short films for Channel 4, 'Life After Coma’. He then went on to direct, film and edit Routes, a multi award-winning fusion of genetics, drama, documentary and gaming, featuring comedian, Katherine Ryan (Oil Productions, Channel 4, Wellcome). You can find out more on his website, barryjamesgibb.com

  • Louisa Young

    Louisa Young is a writer and songwriter. Her eleven novels include the award-winning ‘My Dear I Wanted to Tell You’ trilogy. She’s half of the children’s author Zizou Corder (with her daughter Isabel Adomakoh Young), and half of the band Birds of Britain (with Alex Mackenzie). She’s a Londoner, a former journalist, a singer, a feminist, a reader, and ‘a masterly storyteller’ –  The Washington Post.

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