MUSC Children's Health ENT at Rutledge Tower

Krishna G. Patel, M.D., Ph.D. joined the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery in August 2008. She is a native of Athens, Georgia and attended Columbia University in New York City for her undergraduate education. She then earned M.D. and Ph.D. degrees through the combined program at the Medical College of Georgia, where she was awarded the Excellence in Research Award. Dr. Patel completed a residency in otolaryngology \&- head and neck surgery at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Following residency, she pursued fellowship training in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of California, Davis. During both her residency and fellowship training, Dr. Patel participated in volunteer medical trips to other countries to provide care to the medically underserved. Her recent trips to Ecuador and El Salvador involved surgically repairing children with cleft lips, cleft palates, and ear deformities. She is board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology and by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. As a member of the MUSC faculty, Dr. Patel's focus is in the areas of aesthetic facial plastic surgery, such as rhinoplasties, Botox, and blepharoplasties. Her practice also includes facial reconstructive surgery, facial trauma surgery, and reconstruction of Mohs defects. She is the director of the Craniofacial Anomalies and Cleft Palate Center and participates in the repair of cleft lips and palates. She also serves on the Executive Board of Directors for the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Patel sees patients in Rutledge Tower on the main campus of MUSC, as well as at off-site locations in Mount Pleasant.

Tyler M. Rist, M.D. is a fellowship trained facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon who has a passion for treating patients with facial weakness from Bell's Palsy, Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, head and neck cancer, and a variety of other conditions. He also received specialized training in other areas of facial plastics including facial trauma, nasal breathing/deviated septum surgery, cancer reconstruction, eyelid surgery, and cosmetic surgery of the head and neck including facelifts, revision rhinoplasty, and blepharoplasty. Dr. Rist grew up in Alabama before playing Division 1 soccer and graduating with honors with a Biomedical Engineering degree at the University of Memphis. He then attended medical school at the University of Tennessee and completed his residency training in ENT head and neck surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina. He was then selected to be the only facial plastics fellow at one of the top fellowships in the country at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill where he received additional training in facial paralysis and complex rhinoplasty. During fellowship, he received awards for his excellence in teaching residents. He has published widely in many areas of facial plastics and continues to perform clinical research at MUSC. Dr. Rist has come to love the Lowcountry and is proud to return to South Carolina where he was trained as a resident. He believes that each patient is unique and is excited to partner with you to achieve your goals.

Kimberly McClure, MSPAS, PA-C is a board-certified Physician Assistant in the Department of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery, Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Division at MUSC. Kimberly grew up in Greenville, SC and obtained her Bachelor of Science in Language and International Health (emphases in Spanish and Community Development) at Clemson University. Following her undergraduate graduation in 2020, she worked as a scribe for the MUSC Otolaryngology Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Dvision, before attending MUSC for PA school. She received her Master's Degree in Physician Assistant Studies from MUSC in 2024. Kimberly is passionate about providing a high standard of excellence when it comes to patient-centered care. She is particularly interested in cleft and craniofacial anomalies, nasal surgical procedures, keloid management, scar revision, facial paralysis, and aesthetic facial procedures. Outside of clinical medicine, Kimberly has a passion for international missions, having served in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Spain. She looks forward to accompanying Dr. Krishna Patel on Global Smile trips. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, cooking, going to the beach and playing with her golden retriever, Winnie!

Michelle S. Hwang, M.D. is a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon and assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. She is originally from Chicago, IL and completed her bachelor's degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She earned her medical degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Hwang then completed her residency training at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. She continued into fellowship training in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery and microvascular reconstruction at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. Her clinical interests include facial paralysis, facial reconstruction, cosmetic surgery, facial trauma, functional and cosmetic rhinoplasty, and hair restoration. She believes in patient-centered care and working together with the patient for the best outcome.

Judith M. Skoner, M.D. joined the MUSC Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery as an assistant professor in September 2005. She received her medical degree from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine and completed her residency at the Medical University of South Carolina. Following residency, she completed fellowship training in microvascular reconstruction/facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at Oregon Health \& Science University in Portland. After fellowship, Dr. Skoner traveled through Nepal, providing care to underserved patients at remote locations with various head and neck disorders. Thereafter, she joined the Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery faculty at Temple University School of Medicine, as division head for microvascular/facial plastic \& reconstructive surgery. Now, as part of the MUSC facial plastics faculty, Dr. Skoner continues her focused expertise in microvascular surgery and complex reconstruction of the head and neck-- which is essentially recreating parts of the face/mouth/throat/jaw/neck/scalp using transplanted tissue/bone from the patient's own body, after a large cancer or major trauma has resulted in the destruction of these critical features. She also has particular interest in post-traumatic facial reconstruction and functional/aesthetic reconstructions of other complex defects and deformities. In addition to her MUSC facial plastic surgery practice, she also serves as the division chief of Otolaryngology at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Hospital in Charleston. Dr. Skoner's research interests include clinical post-reconstruction function and quality of life in head and neck cancer patients. Dr. Skoner is double board-certified, having completed all requirements for both the American Board of Otolaryngology, and the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery; she is also an active member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.