In this episode of Girls with Grafts, Rachel and Amber sit down with Dr. Shaun Mendenhall, a board-certified hand and plastic surgeon specializing in pediatric burn care and reconstructive surgery. 🩺 Dr. Mendenhall shares his journey in burn care, balancing patient treatment, teaching, and research while advancing surgical techniques that transform lives.

Together, we explore the challenges of hand mobility and functionality, innovations in reconstructive surgery, and the critical role of caregivers and parents in a child's recovery. 💛 Rachel also opens up about her own experience as a pediatric burn survivor, leading to an important discussion on caring for amputations and the long-term impact of these life-changing procedures.

Whether you're a survivor, caregiver, or medical professional, this episode offers valuable insights into the impact of reconstructive surgery to regain function, confidence, and improved appearance! ✨

⭐️ Enjoyed the show? Tell us by leaving a 5-star review and sharing on social media using hashtag #GirlswithGrafts and tagging Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors!

Dr. Shaun D. Mendenhall, MD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah's Department of Plastic Surgery. He specializes in pediatric hand and upper-extremity surgery, addressing conditions such as congenital differences, injuries, trauma, tumors, spasticity, limb loss, and paralysis. His expertise extends to microvascular reconstruction and the treatment of peripheral nerve conditions in both children and adults.

Dr. Mendenhall earned his medical degree with honors in surgery from the University of Utah School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Integrated Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, where he received multiple teaching awards and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society. Pursuing his passion for hand surgery, he completed an Orthopaedic Hand and Microvascular Surgery fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine.

Throughout his career, Dr. Mendenhall has been recognized for his contributions to hand surgery. In 2018, he received the F. William Bora Jr., MD, Excellence in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery Award. The following year, he was selected for the American Society for Surgery of the Hand's Young Leaders program. His research earned the Joseph H. Boyes Award in 2021 and the Outstanding Paper Award at the American Association for Surgery of the Hand annual meeting in 2023. Recently, he received the Service Excellence Award from the Healthnetwork Foundation for exemplary care of severely injured children.

Dr. Mendenhall's research interests include improving hand surgery techniques and outcomes, developing innovative solutions for common hand surgery problems, utilizing synthetic skin substitutes for soft tissue reconstruction, exploring hand transplantation, and studying the outcomes of partial hand prostheses. He is also dedicated to student and resident surgical education.

• Follow Dr. Shaun Mendenhall on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pedshanddoc
• Find Dr. Shaun Mendenhall at the University of Utah Health: https://healthcare.utah.edu/find-a-doctor/shaun-d-mendenhall
• Visit AlloSource’s Resource Marketplace Listing: https://resources.phoenix-society.org/resource-marketplace/allosource
• Explore the American Burn Association's verified burn centers: https://members.ameriburn.org/find-a-burn-center-org

Today’s podcast is powered by the Bert Martin Foundation! The Bert Martin Foundation was established to assist those who help others and provide financial support for nonprofit organizations. We’re honored to have the Bert Martin Foundation as a long-standing Phoenix Society Partner.

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the show? Email us at info@phoenix-society.org.