Dr. Tessa Hadlock, M.D.

The visionary founder of the Hadlock Center for Facial Plastic Surgery, Dr. Tessa Hadlock, is an internationally renowned, distinguished clinician-scientist with vital contributions to otolaryngology and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Dr. Hadlock: Facial Nerve Specialist

With nearly three decades of experience, Dr. Hadlock is a facial nerve specialist in Boston and a Professor of Otology and Laryngology at Harvard Medical School. She served for twenty years as the Director of the Facial Nerve Center at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, before creating the Hadlock Center to more comprehensively address the special needs of her patients.

Education

College: Bowdoin College, Brunswick ME (Summa Cum Laude)
Medical School: Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (HST)
Internship: University of Chicago (General Surgery)
Residency: Harvard/Massachusetts Eye and Ear (Otolaryngology)Yes please!!!
Fellowship: Massachusetts Eye and Ear (Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery)

Board Certifications

Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Facial nerve expert

Dr. Hadlock is a facial paralysis expert in Boston and is deeply committed to enhancing the lives of patients with facial paralysis. She is a pioneer in the field, having introduced and popularized innovative surgical, medical, and physical therapy techniques now embraced by her peers worldwide. She restores smiling to people who lost that ability or were born without it. She helps to restore blinking and other facial movements and has performed close to miraculous improvements for patients who suffer from these conditions.

Dr. Hadlock’s groundbreaking research has advanced methods for regenerating facial nerve function, and she stands as one of the few facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons with National Institutes of Health funding. Dr. Hadlock’s extensive body of work includes numerous clinical outcomes studies and the development of influential tools to gauge the effectiveness of reanimation procedures frequently referenced in international literature.

Groundbreaking facial rejuvenation treatments

In the art of aesthetic enhancements, Dr. Hadlock delivers easy-to-undergo, safe, straightforward interventions that provide subtle, natural-looking outcomes – without anesthesia or sedation. As a facial nerve specialist in Boston, her patients have an extra layer of safety regarding preserving facial function.

Awards, accomplishments, and honors

Dr. Hadlock has been the recipient of many honors and awards over her years in professional practice and is often called “The mother of modern facial nerve surgery.” Her accomplishments have led to the following awards and honors:

Full-chaired professor at Harvard Medical School
First female ENT surgeon at Mass Eye and Ear to achieve the rank of Full Professor
First female fellowship director, American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Named Boston “Top Doctor” yearly for the past 15 years
Listed for years as a Castle Connelly Top Doctor since 2009
Castle Connolly Exceptional Women in Medicine recipient 2023
Listed in “Exceptional Women in Medicine”
Exceptional Clinician Award from THANC foundation
Boston University Lecturer of the Year
President Emeritus of the International Facial Nerve Society (Sir Charles Bell Society)
Fazzalari-Grousbeck Chair in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck
Surgery, Endowed Professor Harvard Medical School

Educator, mentor, and researcher

Beyond her clinical and research pursuits, Dr. Hadlock shares her wealth of knowledge through mentorship of hundreds of residents and as a preceptor for the clinical fellowship program in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at Mass. Eye and Ear. For several years before her embarking into private practice, she held the esteemed Fazzalari-Grousbeck Chair in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, reflecting her dedication to advancing the field and transforming lives through her expertise. Former residents and fellows of hers now populate academic centers around the country and continue to consult with her and the most complex cases.

With a passion for managing facial nerve disorders, Dr. Hadlock devotes her career to improving the lives of patients with facial paralysis. She has innovated and popularized surgical, medical, and physical therapy strategies for these patients, now embraced globally by colleagues in the field. Her work has resulted in over 200 original manuscripts and chapters, and she is the Editor of two textbooks.

Linguist

Dr. Hadlock is fluent in English, French, and Spanish and speaks some Italian and Russian, allowing patients from various backgrounds to be cared for in their own language.

Our Job: Ensuring You’re Happy

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