Meet Our Team: Combining Art and Plastic Surgery

Dr. Grant A. Fairbanks is a board-certified plastic surgeon with extensive training and expertise in both cosmetic and reconstructive procedures. He graduated from Eastern Virginia Medical School and completed his internship at William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas. After serving as a General Medical Officer in the U.S. Military, Dr. Fairbanks pursued specialized training in General Surgery and Plastic Surgery at Lehigh Valley Hospital, affiliated with Penn State University. 

To further enhance his skills, Dr. Fairbanks completed a fellowship in Craniofacial Surgery at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University. His research experience has led to presentations at international conferences in various locations, including Oxford, Sydney, Paris, and Beijing. 

Dr. Fairbanks combines his artistic background with his medical expertise in plastic surgery. His lifelong interest in the arts, including marble carving in Italy with his grandfather, informs his approach to plastic surgery, which he considers the finest of the fine arts.

As a fully-trained craniofacial surgeon, Dr. Fairbanks specializes in:  

· Total ear reconstruction for microtia 

· Otoplasty (ear pinning surgery) 

· Cleft lip and palate surgery 

· Cleft lip nasal deformity correction 

· Cranial deformity treatments 

His broad training allows him to care for patients of all ages, offering a wide range of procedures: 

· Facial rejuvenation 

· Eyelid surgery 

· Nasal surgery 

· Lip enlargement 

· Breast augmentation and reduction 

· Liposuction 

· Abdominoplasty 

· Body contouring for bariatric surgery patients 

· Fat grafting for cosmetic and reconstructive purposes 

Dr. Fairbanks has developed advanced techniques for total ear reconstruction, achieving remarkable results. His practice in Salt Lake City, UT, reflects his commitment to combining artistry with surgical precision to provide comprehensive care in plastic and reconstructive surgery. 

Dr.  Daniel J. Fairbanks is Professor of Biology and University Research Officer at Utah Valley University (UVU). He previously was Dean of the College of Science and Interim Dean of the College of Technology and Computing at UVU. Prior to joining UVU, he was Professor and Head of the Department of Plant Soil and Insect Sciences at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Prior to that time he was Dean of Undergraduate Education, Associate Dean of Biology and Agriculture, Director of the Honors Program, and Professor of Plant and Wildlife Sciences at Brigham Young University (BYU). He is a geneticist specializing in evolutionary genetics, the history of genetics, plant genetics and breeding, and international scientific development. He is author or co-author of six scholarly books and more than sixty scientific journal articles and book chapters on genetics, human evolutionary genetics, the history of genetics, plant genetics and breeding, and science education. He is recognized as one of the foremost scholars on Gregor Mendel, the founder of genetics, and is author of a biographical book on Mendel. Dr. Fairbanks is an accomplished artist, with sculpture, paintings, drawings, and scientific illustrations in museum, public and private collections, and publications in the United States, Latin America, and Europe. He has received numerous awards, among them the Mendel Memorial Medal in recognition of his scholarly and artistic contributions highlighting Gregor Mendel, the Trustees Award of Excellence at UVU, the Karl G. Maeser Professorship of General Education, the Karl G. Maeser Excellence in Teaching Award, and the Alcuin Award for General Education Teaching at BYU.  

PhD, University of Arizona, 1988, Major: Agronomy and Plant Genetics 

MS, University of Minnesota, 1985, Major: Plant Breeding 

BS, Bringham Young University, 1982 Major: Double major_ Portuguese/Agronomy 

Presentations: 

Fairbanks, Daniel , Genetics Symposium Honoring Gregor Mendel, "Gregor Mendel_ His Life and Legacy", Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. (May 4, 2024)  

Fairbanks, Daniel J (Presenter & Author), Thomas, Hannah L (Author Only), Adeline, Tonioli (Author Only), Mendel Day 2023, "How Gärtner’s 1849 book on plant hybrids influenced Mendel throughout his scientific career", Moravian Museum, KeyGene, Wageningen, Netherlands. (March 8, 2023)  

Dr. Fairbanks received his Medical Degree from the University of Utah. He completed training as a General Surgeon at the University of Maryland, and subsequently completed extensive Plastic Surgery specialty training at the University of Michigan. He served a tour of duty as Plastic Surgeon on the U.S. Hospital Ship HOPE in Tunis, Tunisia on the North African coast. He served as Chairman of Plastic Surgery at the University of Cincinnati before returning to Utah to enter private practice. Dr. Fairbanks maintains an Adjunct Professorship in Plastic Surgery at the University of Utah where he participates in the teaching program of surgeons in training. 

Dr. Fairbanks was the founding President of the Utah State Plastic Surgery Society. He is past President of the Reed O. Dingman Society for Plastic Surgery at the University of Michigan. He served as an officer in the Utah Medical Association and as Chairman of the Department of Surgery at St. Mark’s Hospital in Salt Lake City. Dr. Fairbanks served in the U.S. Military as Capt. M.C. in the 144th Evacuation Hospital, Utah National Guard; as Battalion Surgeon in the 110th Artillery, Maryland National Guard; and as Commanding Officer of the 381st General Dispensary, USAR, Ann Arbor, Michigan. 

His father, Avard T. Fairbanks, Ph.D., was an internationally renowned sculptor. Throughout his youth, Dr. Fairbanks worked in his father’s studios, learning the sculpture profession and appreciation of classical sculptural beauty. His own talents were enhanced by studies with many of Utah’s most noted artists. From his own artistic accomplishments, the best known is his sculptural re-creation of the Eagle for Salt Lake City’s famed Eagle Gate. He also created a bronze portrait of Louis P. Gebhardt, M.D., Professor of Microbiology, which is located in the University of Utah Medical Library, and many more.  Dr. Fairbanks is a recipient of the prestigious Jerome Klingbeil Award for excellence in teaching by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.