LOS ANGELES – Mark S. Urata, M.D., DDS, head of the Division of Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, and chief of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and assistant professor of surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, was honored by Mending Kids International on Nov. 6, 2009, at their “Rock’n Blues Benefit” at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California.
“I am grateful each day for the opportunity given to me to help improve the lives of children,” said Dr. Urata, who also is a research assistant professor in the Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology at the School of Dentistry at USC. “Clearly, this honor is as much a recognition of the quality of the multidisciplinary team we have assembled at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.”
Dr. Urata is certified by both the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He specializes in the most complex and difficult craniofacial anomalies, including craniosynostosis, syndromic (Apert, Crouzon, Treacher-Collins, etc.) reconstruction and jaw deformities.
Dr. Urata had been associated with Childrens Hospital Los Angeles as director of Craniofacial Surgery and medical director in the Division of Plastic Surgery.
Dr. Urata is the principal investigator of the International Craniofacial Children’s Fund (ICCF), a $5 million independently funded project at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles to enable children with severe craniofacial abnormalities from medically underserved countries to benefit from care they might otherwise be unable to receive. He is co-principal investigator of both the Teledentistry/Telecraniofacial Program and the Tulare County eHealth Project, designed to use state-of-the-art technology to deliver services to underserved populations.
He is the author of numerous abstracts, articles and book chapters and has presented at professional meetings throughout the United States and around the world.
He is a Fellow of the Southern California Academy of Oral Pathology.
Dr. Urata received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California in 1985. He received a D.D.S. degree from the USC School of Dentistry in 1989 and completed a residency (1989-93) in oral and maxillofacial surgery at Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center.
Dr. Urata received a medical degree from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California in 1996. He completed an internship (1996-97) and a residency (1997-99) in general surgery at LA County + USC Medical Center.
Dr. Urata completed a residency (1999-02) in plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Southern California and a fellowship (2002-03) in craniofacial surgery at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Dr. Urata is a member of the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons, the Plastic Surgery Research Council, the American Cleft Palate/Craniofacial Association, the California Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Los Angeles Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, the Southern California Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Marsh Robinson Academy, the American Dental Association, the California Dental Association, the San Gabriel Valley Dental Association, the Southern California Japanese-American Dental Society, the Southern California Society of Dental Anesthesia and the LAC/USC Medical Center Health Research Association.
Mending Kids International believes that all children have the right to quality medical care. Seeking treatment in many countries can be discouraging. Often it simply isn’t available. MKI offers hope to children around the world by arranging donated medical treatment for those who suffer from serious yet surgically correctable medical conditions.
Founded in 1901, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles has been treating the most seriously ill and injured children in Los Angeles for more than a century, and it is acknowledged throughout the United States and around the world for its leadership in pediatric and adolescent health. Childrens Hospital is one of America’s premier teaching hospitals, affiliated with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California since 1932. The Saban Research Institute of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is among the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States.
Since 1990, U.S. News & World Report and its panel of board-certified pediatricians have named Childrens Hospital Los Angeles one of the top pediatric facilities in the nation. Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is one of only 10 children’s hospitals in the nation – and the only children’s hospital on the West Coast – ranked in all 10 pediatric specialties in the U.S. News & World Report rankings and named to the magazine’s “Honor Roll” of children’s hospitals.
