Dr. Jeffrey Marcus: The honesty of children
By Lauren Shaftel
DURHAM, NC -- For Dr. Jeffrey Marcus, chief of pediatric plastic surgery and craniofacial surgery, working with children wasn't a lifelong dream. But once he started, he was hooked.
"They're funny, they're honest and they'll always give you their opinion, even if you don't want it," he said.
Marcus came to Duke Medical Center 10 months ago, after nine years of training that included general surgery and plastic surgery residencies at Northwestern University in Chicago and two fellowships at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, one in pediatric plastic surgery, the other in craniofacial surgery. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Michigan.
Duke appealed to Marcus because of its strong commitment to pediatrics, particularly in pediatric plastic surgery.
"Duke has a cleft palate team that was one of the first and best of its kind," he said. "The addition of members to the cleft and craniofacial team takes us to an even higher level by providing comprehensive care for even the most challenging craniofacial conditions."
Marcus works mostly with congenital problems like developmental conditions of the face and skull, and failure of formation or malformation of the ears, nose and jaw. In addition to his pediatric work, Marcus does cosmetic surgery on adults and teens.
Plastic surgery was an easy career choice.
"It's one of those things that is personality-driven," he said. "Surgeons in general are people who enjoy seeing the results of their work. And creativity plays a major role as well. Plastic surgery work is visible, it's high-impact and every single case is different, even if it's the same condition."
But there are challenges as well. One, he explains, is that the procedures he does are elective, and even though they can dramatically improve lives, there are risks.
"There are no guarantees," he said. "And this is a child. That's a lot of pressure."
Still, the rewards can be inspiring.
"I can be having the worst day and everything can be going wrong," said Marcus, "but if one little kid comes in and things have gone really well and they give you a big hug, that can change it all around."
A native of Michigan, Marcus, who is single, is enjoying life in North Carolina, particularly the temperate climate. When he is not working, he likes exercising outdoors.
He has also found a home at Duke Medical Center.
"I think Duke has one of most impressive collections of individuals in all disciplines," he said. "There is such a resource of leaders in academics and research; you can find anything you need to know right in your own institution."
