Project Description

Biography
John Smetona grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and stayed local at Case Western Reserve University for College. While there, he was a 4-year varsity tennis player while earning degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Music performance, concluding with both Student Athlete of the year and Piano Student of the year in his senior year. He matriculated to Northwestern University for Medical school, and continued to Plastic Surgery Residency at Yale University where he continued his investigations into surgical outcomes in fields ranging from melanoma to cleft and craniofacial care.

Why Pitt?
I was drawn to Pitt for its excellence in clinical care combined with a welcoming atmosphere, friendly personalities, and investment in the training and growth of their fellows. With Dr. Losee, the author of the textbook ‘Cleft Care’, serving as chief of the Pediatric Section and Dr. Goldstein developing the first machine learning model to quantify the morphology of patients with craniosynostosis, Pitt is setting the standard of care and defining the next steps that will guide craniofacial surgery forward.

Awards
Best Presentation at 2020 ASPS Resident Abstracts Session: Aesthetic and Reconstruction for Malignant Melanoma in the Elderly: Different Patient or Different Disease, presented virtually October 17, 2020.

Best Presentation at 2019 ASPS Resident Abstracts Session: Maxillofacial/Pediatric Session 2 for 3D Anthropometric Analysis of the Nasolabial Anatomy in the Unilateral Cleft: Defining the Deformity and Assessing the Outcomes of Repair, presented September 21, 2019 in San Diego, CA.

Yale Plastic Surgery: Best Clinical Research Award
2019 (co-winner)
2020 (winner)
2021 (winner)

Yale Plastic Surgery: Scholastic Award
Academic years 2015-2016; 2016-2017; 2017-2018; 2018-2019; 2019-2020.

Publications

  1. Pourtaheri N, Peck C, Maniskas S, Allam O, Kitae E, Chandler L, Smetona J, Yang J, Wilson A, Dinis J, Lopez J, Steinbacher D. A comprehensive single-center analysis of postoperative nausea and vomiting following orthognathic surgery. Accepted to Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, July 2021.
  2. Junn A, Khetpal S, Smetona J, Dinis J, Hirschman A, Mozafarri M, Singh A, Chiing A, Alperovich M, Lu X, Persing J. Hockey stick incision: a modified technique for chest wall masculinization. Ann Transl Med 2021 Apr;9(7):600. doi: 10.21037/atm-20-7678.
  3. Parsaei Y, Chandler L, Smetona J, Lopez J, Steinbacher, D. Aesthetic repair of unilateral cleft lip using the modified inferior triangle and adjunctive techniques. Accepted to Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, April 2021.
  4. Wu R, Walker M, Peck C, Liu YJ, Hetzler, P, Le N, Smetona J, Thomson JG. Differential pulley release in trigger finger: a prospective, randomized clinical trial. Hand, March 2021, epub ahead of print.
  5. Lu X, Forte A, Kitae E, Allam O, Smetona J, Alperovich M, Steinbacher D, Tonello C, Alonso N, Persing J. Airway growth in preoperative Crouzon Syndrome patients. Facial Plast Surg Aesthet Med, doi: 10.1089/fpsam.2020.0441. Online ahead of print.
  6. Smetona J, Junn A, Dinnis J, Lopez J, Lu X, Alperovich M, Persing J. Current Controversies in Craniosynostosis Research: A tribute to Ian Jackson. Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, Dec 2020, epub ahead of print.
  7. Park E, Singh A, BS; Lacadie C, Allam O, Smetona J, Alperovich M, Persing J. Neurological functional connectivity in unilateral coronal synostosis: a side-based comparison. Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, Nov 2020, epub ahead of print.
  8. Chandler L, Park E, Allam O, Mozafarri M, Khetpal S, Smetona J, Pourtaheri N, Lu X, Persing J, Alperovich M. Distinguishing craniomorphometric characteristics and severity in metopic synostosis patients. Accepted to International Journal of Craniomaxillofacial Surgery¬, October 2020.
  9. Crowe C, Lopez J, Morrison S, Drolet B, Janis J. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on resident education – a national survey of plastic surgery residents. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, in press. I was a contributing member of the ASPS Resident Council COVID Study Group.
  10. Crowe C, Lopez J, Morrison S, Drolet B, Janis J. Resident wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic – a national survey of plastic surgery residents. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, in press. I was a contributing member of the ASPS Resident Council COVID Study Group.
  11. Allam O, Park E, Pourtaheri N, Mozafarri M, Smetona J, Lu X, Ahmad M, Persing J, & Alperovich M. Distinguishing craniomorphometric characteristics of unilateral lambdoid synostosis. Accepted to Journal of Craniofacial Surgery in August 2020.
  12. Chandler L, Allam O, Park E, Smetona JT, Gabrick K, Wu R, Morgan C, Park S, Chapman L, Couture D, David L, Runyan C, Persing J, Alperovich M. Spring-assisted strip craniectomy vs cranial vault remodeling: Long-term psychological, behavioral, and executive function outcomes. J Craniofac Surg (in press).
  13. Gabrick K, Smetona JT, Iyengar R, Dinis J, Chouiari, F, Peck CJ, Persing JA, Alperovich M. Radiographic predictors of FACE-Q outcomes following non-operative orbital floor fracture management. J Craniofac Surg 2020 epub ahead of print. doi:10.1097/SCS.0000000000006356
  14. Wu RT, Shultz BN, Peck CJ, Smetona JT, Steinbacher DM. Hospital volume improves primary, revision, and delayed cleft palate repair. J Craniofac Surg. 2019; 30(4):1201-1205. doi:10.1097/SCS.0000000000005270
  15. Shah A, Patel A, Smetona JT, Rohrich, RJ. Reply: Public perception of cosmetic surgeons versus plastic surgeons: Increasing transparency to educate patients. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2018;141(1): 188e-189e. https://doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0000000000003996
  16. Shah A, Patel A, Smetona J, Rohrich RJ. Public perception of cosmetic surgeons versus plastic surgeons: Increasing transparency to educate patients. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2017; 139(2):544e‐557e. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000003020
  17. Nguyen KT, Hanwright PJ, Smetona JT, Hirsch EM, Seth AK, Kim JY. Body mass index as a continuous predictor of outcomes after expander implant breast reconstruction. Ann Plast Surg 2014 Jul;73(1): 19-24. doi:10.1097/SAP.0b013e318276d91d
  18. Gust MJ, Smetona JT, Persing JS, Hanwright PJ, Fine NA, Kim JY. The impact of body mass index on reduction mammaplasty: a multicenter analysis of 2492 patients. Aesthet Surg J. 2013 Nov 1;33(8): 1140-7. doi:10.1177/1090820X13508131
  19. Gart MJ, Smetona JT, Hanwright PJ, Fine NA, Kim JY. Reply: To PMID 23211118 J Am Coll Surg. 2013 Jul;217(1): 174-5. doi:10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2013.04.022
  20. Mioton LM, Smetona JT, Hanwright PJ, Seth AK, Wang E, Bilimoria KY, Gaido J, Fine NA, Kim JY. Comparing thirty-day outcomes in prosthetic and autologous breast reconstruction: a multivariate analysis of 13,082 patients? J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2013 Jul;66(7): 917-25. doi:10.1016/j.bjps.2013.03.009
  21. Hanwright PJ, Hirsh EM, Seth AK, Chow G, Smetona J, McMichols C, Gaido JA, Fine NA, Bilimoria KY, Kim JY. A multi-institutional perspective of complication rates for elective nonreconstructive breast surgery: an analysis of NSQIP data from 2006 to 2010. Aesthetic Surg J 2013 Mar;33(3) 378-86. doi:10.1177/1090820X13478819
  22. Nguyen KT, Mioton LM, Smetona JT, Seth AK, Kim JY. Esthetic outcomes of ADM-assisted expander-implant breast reconstruction. Eplasty. 2012;12:e58. Epub 2012 Dec 19
  23. Nguyen KT, Gart MS, Smetona JT, Aggarwal A, Bilimoria KY, Kim JY. The relationship between relative value units and outcomes: a multivariate analysis of plastic surgery procedures. Eplasty. 2012;12:e60. Epub 2012 Dec 27
  24. Jordan SW, Mioton LM, Smetona J, Aggarwal A, Wang E, Dumanian GA, Kim JY. Resident involvement and plastic surgery outcomes: an analysis of 10,356 patients from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2013 Apr;131(4) 763-7. doi:10.1097/PRS.0b013e3182818bdd
  25. Gart MJ α, Smetona JTα, Hanwright PJ, Fine NA, Kim JY. Autologous options for postmastectomy breast reconstruction: a comparison of outcomes based on the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. J Am Coll Surg. 2013 Feb;216(2): 229-38. Erratum in: J Am Coll Surg. 2013 May;216(5): 1034-5. doi:10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2012.11.003

α = These two authors contributed equally to this work.

Areas of Interest
Cleft and Craniofacial Surgery; Orthognathic Surgery; Melanoma; Facial Trauma; Gender-Affirming Facial Surgery; Complex Reconstructive Surgery