About
Dr Kriya
Craniofacial Plastic Surgeon · Brown University · Miller School of Medicine · Ryder Trauma Center · UCLA
About Dr Kriya
The marriage of art & science
Dr. Kriya is an Ivy League trained Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon who specializes in facial aesthetics, reconstruction and facial feminization. Her formal training in both the biological sciences and the visual arts was completed at Brown University, and her surgical fellowship in Craniofacial reconstruction, facial feminization and facial aesthetics was completed at the University of California Los Angeles, which is one of the oldest and most renowned craniofacial programs in the world and the only program with a facial feminization specific fellowship.
Dr Kriya’s skills embody the synergistic marriage of art and science. Today, she continues her academic pursuits by working as a voluntary faculty member at UCLA, where she works alongside leaders of the craniofacial field to train residents while providing care to pediatric and adult populations. At her private practice, she largely focuses on facial feminization and facial aesthetics; she has a particular passion for rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, and facial rejuvenation. However, with her background as a sculptor she also skillfully performs body contouring and breast procedures.
Dr Gishen has a natural artistic eye for the shapes, proportions, highlights, and shadows that define the basic constructs of a beautiful form. She has the surgical finesse to achieve a perfectly balanced harmony between said form and one’s requisite anatomic function. She believes that as a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, she has the privilege and responsibility to holistically treat her patients, augmenting their mental, emotional, and physical attributes to maximize health and wellness
Philosophy
Aesthetic
Dr Kriya believes a person’s aesthetic is two things at once: the recognition of proportion, and personal preference. We have trained our eyes to read a spectrum of proportions, shapes, sizes, and spatial relationships as the attributes that define a given feature — and we perceive a narrower band within that spectrum as beautiful. Where each of us places that band is shaped by our own perceptions and preferences, and it shifts with time and trend.
Her own aesthetic favors a natural, refreshed result. She appreciates gentle curves and clean lines, and prefers an outcome that leaves the rest of the world guessing.
Philosophy
Mission
Dr Kriya’s mission is to bring out the true beauty in every patient through surgical artistry that reaches beyond physical transformation. It honors individuality and self-expression, giving people the confidence to embrace who they really are, live life fully, and feel at home in their own skin.
Recognition
Awards & Publications
Awards
- Florida scholastic art and writing award: gold and silver medals for sculptural photographic series
- Harvard book award for top academic performance
- Brown University dean's award for top students in graduating class
- Brown University William H. Bennett Scholarship for excellence in biology and medicine
- Brown University Richard J Goss Award for Experimental Biology
- Alan Livingstone research award: propranolol for infantile hemangioma
- Robert Zeppa research award: propranolol for infantile hemangioma
- Miami Society of Plastic Surgery: most outstanding reconstructive surgery presentation
Publications
Presentations/ Academic Development
- Recorded presentation Plastic Surgery Hyperguide: Propranolol as a treatment for infantile Hemangioma 2016
- Southwestern surgical congress: Presenting Initial experience with prepectoral breast reconstruction and aeroform tissue expanders. C Boneti, M Bedrossian, S Ovadia, K Gishen, S Kohanzadeh 2019
- Miami Society of Plastic Surgery: A pedicled rectus femoris flap for protection of aortic graft. 1st place for resident case presentation 2019
- Grand rounds: The history of plastic and craniofacial surgery 2015
- Grand rounds: Thumb reconstruction 2018
- Grand rounds: Soft tissue coverage of the hand 2020
- ASPS panel on non-cleft VPI (22q11.2 del) 2021
- Podium presentation: Early cleft care at Providence/ St.John’s 52nd symposium on cleft palate and craniofacial anomalies
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles/Abstracts
- Arzillo S, Gishen K, Askari M. Brachial plexus injury: treatment options and outcomes. J Craniofac Surg. 2014 Jul;25(4):1200-6.
- Desai U, Gishen KE, Gordon CE, Lewis JL, Thaller SR. Syringoid Eccrine Carcinoma (SEC) of the nose: A rare and unique clinical condition. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2014 Sep;67(9):1298-9.
- Gishen K, Askari M. Congenital hand anomalies: etiology, classification, and treatment. J Craniofac Surg. 2014 Jan;25(1):284-94.
- Gishen K, Ovadia S, Arzillo S, Avashia Y, Thaller SR. The current format and ongoing advances of medical education in the United States. J Craniofac Surg. 2014 Jan;25(1):35-8.
- Ovadia SA, Gishen K, Desai U, Garcia A, Thaller SR. Education on the business of plastic surgery during training: a survey of plastic surgery residents. Aesthetic plastic surgery 42 (3), 886-890.
- Patete, C, Gishen, K, Nugent, A, Rey,J. Primary selection of a pedicled rectus femoris flap for protection of aortic graft. J Vasc Surg Cases Innov Tech 2019 Dec 18;5(4):512-517. Epub 2019 Nov 18.
- Gishen, K, Thaller SR. Surgical Mission Trips as an Educational Opportunity for Medical Students. J Craniofac Surg 2015 Jun;26(4):1095-6
- Gishen, K, Thaller SR. Discussion on: Oral Propranolol for Parotid Infantile Hemangiomas. J Craniofac Surg 2017 Jul 13. Epub 2017 Jul 13.
- Gishen K, Maria DJP, Khanlari M, Cho-Vega HJ, Feun L, Thaller SR, Moller M. Giant Malignant Melanomas and their Clinical Implications: Review of Literature and Case Report. Clinics in Surgery. 2018 Sep 01
- Yoo, J, Gishen, J, Thaller SR. The Oculocardiac Reflex: Evolution and a Review of the Literature. J Craniofac Surg. 2020
- Gishen, K, Yoo, J, Thaller SR. Revisiting the pericranial flap for scalp reconstruction: a literature review and case series. J Craniofac Surg. 2020
- Wolfe EM, Pierrot RG, Slavin BR, Plotsker EL, Samaha GJ, Gishen K, Thaller SR. Rolling With the Punches: A National Electronic Injury Surveillance System Database Study of Craniofacial Injuries in Boxing. J Craniofac Surg. 2021
Book chapters
- Operative Procedures in Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery. Editors: Ari S. Hoschander, Christopher J. Salgado, Wrood Kassira, and Seth R. Thaller, Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group, 2015
- Operative Dictations in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2016 Editors: Tran T.A., Panthaki Z.J., Hoballah J.J., Thaller S.R.
Submitted and Ongoing Research
- Webster, L, Gishen, K, Oeltjen J. VRAM compromise by bladder distention
- Gishen,K, Thaller SR. Development of a staging system and treatment algorithm for macromastia
- Text book – prepublication – The Male Aesthetic, Male facial anatomy and Facial Feminization