Russell E. Ettinger, MD, is the service chief of Craniofacial Surgery at Harborview Medical Center and the Medical Director of the Burn & Plastic Surgery Clinic. He is also an Assistant Professor of Surgery within the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital and the developer of the adolescent and adult Plastic Surgery Gender Program.

Dr. Ettinger considers himself extremely fortunate to be involved in the care of his pedantic, adolescent, and adult patients. He strives every day to provide individualized and compassionate care to his patients and considers them extensions of his own family. He firmly believes in the charge of surgeons to always be in service to their patients and works to ensure that each of his patients always receive the highest level of care possible.

Dr. Ettinger’s clinical interests include treatment of congenital, traumatic, and secondary craniomaxillofacial deformities in children, adolescent, and adult patients.  His practice encompasses the care of patients with cleft lip and palate, dentofacial discrepancies (jaw surgery), acute facial trauma, complex facial burns, and gender dysphoria through gender affirming surgical care for the face (facial feminization surgery, FFS) and body (chest surgery, top surgery).  His research interests have focused on translational approaches to the pharmacologic augmentation of bone graft healing as well as clinical outcomes research in cleft and craniofacial surgery.  He also maintains a strong interest in medical student and surgical resident education.