UW Medical Center is now one of a very few hospitals in the world approved to do face transplants. And sometime this year will perform the first of these amazing operations in the Northwest.

It’s a delicate, complex and long operation that requires a combination of strong patients, brave and willing donor families, and talented surgical teams.

In this episode Dr. Peter Neligan, director of Reconstructive Surgery at UW Medical Center, discusses the many facets of these surgeries – physical and psychological - that he says are not so much “life saving” as they are “life giving."

Ethics of Face Transplant - Dr. Neligan discusses the ethical questions surrounding face transplant.

Face Transplant Planning - Preparing a patient for face transplant takes a large team of experts.

Life Giving Surgery - Face transplantation offers new beginnings for those suffering from facial deformities.