Patrick Byrne, MD, MBA

Dr. Patrick Byrne is the Chairman of Cleveland Clinic’s Head & Neck Institute, which comprises the specialties of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry, Audiology, and Speech and Language Sciences.

Dr. Byrne practiced at The Johns Hopkins Hospital from 2001-2020. There, he served as Director of the Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery. He also was Professor of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Dermatology and Biomedical Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Director of the Johns Hopkins Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship program, Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Face Transplant Team, and Co-Director of the Greater Baltimore Cleft Lip and Palate Team. Dr. Byrne was recruited via an extensive search to serve as Medical Director of one of the nation's largest and most complex ambulatory surgery center (ASC) initiatives while at Johns Hopkins. In this role, he led the planning, recruitment and subsequent operations of a 35,000-square-foot, newly constructed 9-room ASC to serve more than 100 different surgeons in 15 different specialties, both adult and pediatric.

A renowned facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Byrne specializes in complex reconstructive surgery of the face, head and neck, including microsurgical reconstruction. He has vast experience in facial aesthetic surgery, including rhinoplasty, revision rhinoplasty and facelift surgery. Rhinoplasty has been a passion for Dr. Byrne throughout his career and he had one of the highest volume practices on the East Coast prior to joining Cleveland Clinic.

He is internationally renowned for his groundbreaking work treating patients with facial paralysis. Dr. Byrne is viewed worldwide as one of the most respected surgeons for his experience performing complex facial reanimation surgery in both adults and children. Dr. Byrne believes that his two-decade focus on facial aesthetic surgery and cosmetic treatments is exceedingly beneficial for his facial paralysis patients of all ages. 

His clinical and research interests focus on facial reanimation, facial deformities, skin cancer surgery and reconstruction, as well as facial aesthetic surgery. His focus in facial aesthetic surgery is a key adjunct to his reanimation work, and includes a vast clinical experience in rhinoplasty, revision rhinoplasty, and facelifts. An active researcher, his innovative investigational work on facial paralysis treatment, skin cancer reconstruction, facial reconstruction, and related topics has been published in more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles.

Dr. Byrne is very involved in international and humanitarian work. He served as a Johns Hopkins International Medical Director for over 10 years, assisting with the achievement of Joint Commission International accreditation for medical centers in Central America and Asia. Dr. Byrne has traveled overseas his entire career, teaching, and leading teams performing volunteer surgery and providing medical relief to those in need in developing countries around the world. He led a sustained multiyear effort with nonprofit organizations to develop a comprehensive multidisciplinary free program dedicated to the treatment of cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities for children in Nicaragua and other developing countries.

A holder of U.S. patents, Dr. Byrne has worked in conjunction with basic science researchers to develop a novel regenerative biomaterial, funded by the Department of Defense, which recently completed a Phase II FDA trial. Dr. Byrne also developed a surgical device that assists surgeons working with cartilage, shortening operating room (OR) time and safeguarding this tissue by preventing its entry into the cutting apparatus. He also invented an FDA Class 1 medical device to aid in nasal breathing that recently completed a first-of-its-kind human clinical trial followed by a successful Series A round of funding.

Dr. Byrne earned his M.D. from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. He completed a surgical internship at the University of California in San Francisco and a residency in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at the University of California San Diego. He was a research fellow at the San Diego Cancer Center at the University of California followed by a fellowship in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Minnesota. Additionally, Dr. Byrne completed a fellowship in Health Care Management at the Advisory Board Company. In 2015, he earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania.

Listen to Dr. Byrne on our Head and Neck Innovations podcast: Novel Free Tissue Transfer Brings a Smile to Facial Paralysis Patients