Dr. James Green works in the quiet simplicity of his Zen Buddhist-inspired office.
A highly trained, well-accredited and widely respected plastic surgeon, Dr. Green is concerned about the ways in which plastic surgery is being sold to people across America. Through his 20 year practice, Dr. Green has devoted his career to protecting patients from unnecessary and marginally effective procedures. Never trying to sell a product or procedure, he remains ethically committed to educating his patients with unbiased, objective, and expert counsel. Once an informed decision has been reached with a patient, Dr. Green and his staff use their considerable talents and abilities to perform world-class surgeries, on par with the most talented professionals in the nation.

Patients misinformed about plastic surgery – and those who are hurt by less experienced practitioners and brand new procedures – is what most concerns him. According to Dr. Green, these issues are the result of two different issues, including unqualified practitioners and an over–the–top marketing machine that has radically transformed the way plastic surgery is being packaged and sold.

"In our culture, we have extremely strong marketing," he said. "75% of our gross domestic product is consumer driven, and all media trumpets the value of the latest and greatest thing. That's kind of an oxymoron, because in good science and good medicine, the newest thing is usually the least proven."

"Performance over time is what determines good medicine," says Dr. Green. Moreover, it's important for practitioners to really know what they're doing in order to perform good medicine.

"Many practitioners lack knowledge about the field," he said. "They attend a few seminars or clinics, which are oftentimes hosted by people who sell the very products that they want practitioners to use. You don't really want to fully trust a paper that's written by someone who owns the company that makes the product – it's like letting the fox guard the henhouse."

But perhaps the greatest single issue facing plastic surgery has to do with patient expectation and desire, which come from a combination of factors, including marketing, practitioner promises, and the media, which presents a continuous picture of "forever young" on the cover of magazines and on television. This is where the plastic surgeon may often find himself in the role of counselor – and Dr. Green brings his depth of training and compassionate ethics into his personal consultations.

"The fact of the matter is that plastic surgery does not mean we're giving you a new nose or a new face," he said. "We're altering your face to change some of the characteristics of aging. This will make you look more youthful but it's still you. It shouldn't look like it's not you and it shouldn't look weird – because looking weird is far worse than looking old."

Ultimately, Dr. Green is motivated by what is best for his patients, regardless of the outcome for himself. Being a physician is a privilege, he says, which doctors often lose sight of in the pursuit of business.

"When people come to a doctor, they are putting their health and their lives in your hands," he said. "You really have an obligation to give back in some way and not think about it purely with profit in mind. I don't want to do that. I want to tell people, 'Hey – I'm here, I'm well–qualified to deal with these issues, and we can talk about these things and see what's really right for you.'"



Training

Plastic Surgery Fellowship
1989–1990 Craniofacial Surgery
University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida

Plastic Surgery Residency
1988–1989 Chief Plastic Surgery Resident
Chattanooga Unit, University of Tennessee
Department of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery

1987–1988 Plastic Surgery Resident
Chattanooga Unit, University of Tennessee
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

General Surgery Residency
1986–1987 Chief Resident, James H. Quillen College of Medicine
East Tennessee State University Department of Surgery

1982–1986 General Surgery Resident
James H. Quillen College of Medicine
East Tennessee State University Department of Surgery

Education

1982 M.D. Medical College of Georgia
Augusta, Georgia

1978 M.S. University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, Mississippi

1975 B.S. Presbyterian College
Clinton, South Carolina

Certification

1991 Diplomat American Board of Plastic Surgery

1988 Diplomat American Board of Surgery

Professional Appointments

1986–1987 Instructor in Surgery
Quillen-Dishner College of Medicine East Tennessee State University

Honors

1986–1987 Outstanding Surgical Resident
Department of Surgery, Quillen-Dishner College of Medicine
East Tennessee State University

1985–1986 Outstanding Surgical Resident
Department of Surgery, Quillen-Dishner College of Medicine
East Tennessee State University

Publications

Some Effects of Portuguese Man of War (Physalia Physalis)
Toxin on Isolated Muscle Preparations
Green, J.F., Master Thesis 1978
University of Southern Mississippi Press, Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Cutaneous Mucormycosis
Green, J.F. , Dhaliwal, A.S.
Infect in Surg. 6:8, pp. 453-455, 1987

Cutaneous Mucormycosis
Green, J.F. , Dhaliwal, A.S.
Infect in Med. 4:9, pp. 423-426, 1987

Presentations

Mississippi Academy of Sciences
Green, J.F., Larson, J.B.
Effects of Some Effects of Portuguese Man of War
Toxin on Isolated Muscle Preparations, Biloxi, Mississippi, 1977

Mississippi Academy of Sciences
Green, J.F., Larson, J.B.
Effects of Some Effects of Portuguese Man of War
Toxin on Isolated Muscle Preparations, Biloxi, Mississippi, 1978

Southeastern Society for Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons
Green, J.F., Dhaliwal, A.S.
Cutaneous Mucormycosis.
Tampa, Florida, 1985

Southeastern Surgical Congress
Green, J.F., Thur de Koos, P.
Adjuvant 5-Fu Chemotherapy for Colon Carcinoma
New Orleans, Louisiana, 1986

Federation of Latin American Surgeons
Green, J.F., Thur de Koos, P.
Tracheal Reconstruction Using Sternomastoid
Periosteal Pedicle Flap: Growth Characteristics
Quito, Ecuador, 1987

Plastic Surgery Senior Residents Conference
Green, J.F., Rolston, B.K. Franklin, J.D.
Closure of Ischia Pressure Ulcers with Distally-Based Gluteus Maximus Flap
Indianapolis, Indiana, 1989

American Association of Plastic Surgeons Annual Meeting
Sargent, L.A., Green, J.F.
Rigid Fixation of Condylar Fractures
Phoenix, Arizona, 1989

Professional Activities

2006 The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

1997–1999 President Medical Staff
St. Vincent Hospital, Santa Fe, NM

1997–1999 Board of Trustees Member
St. Vincent Hospital, Santa Fe, NM

1996–1997 Chairman Department of Surgery
St. Vincent Hospital, Santa Fe, NM

1992 Fellow American College of Surgeons

1991 American Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery

1990–Present Private Practice Plastic Surgery, Santa Fe, NM

1987–1988 Ambulatory Medicine Committee of Medical Staff
Erlanger Hospital, Chattanooga Unit, Unit of Tennessee College of Medicine

1985–1986 Search Committee for Department of Surgery
Quillen-Dishner College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University

1983–Present Member American Medical Association

1976–1978 Member Mississippi Academy of Sciences