David Ralph Millard, Jr. (June 4, 1919-June 19, 2011) was a plastic surgeon who developed several techniques used in cleft lip and palate surgeries. He was chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery at University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine for 28 years, and maintained a private practice in Miami.

In 2000, Dr. Millard was nominated as one of 10 "Plastic Surgeons of the Millennium" by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons

American Society of Plastic Surgeons

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is the largest plastic surgery specialty organization in the world. Founded in 1931, the society is composed of surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery or by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada who perform Plastic and...

. In the April 2000 issue of Plastic Surgery News, Dr. Millard was described as "the most brilliant and creative plastic surgeon we have alive. His work and publications speak for themselves." He is considered to be one of the founders of modern reconstructive facial surgery. See also The paramedian forehead flap

Personal life

Millard was born at Barnes Hospital

Barnes-Jewish Hospital

Barnes-Jewish Hospital is the largest hospital in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the adult teaching hospital for Washington University School of Medicine, and is located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is consistently rated one of the top hospitals in the United States by U.S. News & World Report...

, St. Louis

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

, Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

. He played football at Yale, where future president Gerald R. Ford was assistant varsity coach, studied medicine at Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....

 in 1944 and interned in pediatric surgery at Boston Children's Hospital. A U.S. Navy veteran, he served stateside in WWII but in Korea during the Korean War, where he became interested in local children with cleft lips. He had two sons, a daughter, and six grandchildren.

The Millard repair procedure

The rotation-advancement procedure for cleft lip repair, also known as the Millard Repair, is designed to create a softer, more natural-looking lip. Surgery performed prior to the Millard procedure involved pulling both sides of the cleft lip together resulting in a tightly closed upper lip. The Millard Procedure rotates the tissue and creates a "Z" shaped scar instead. The "Z" shape gives the tissue more elasticity, resulting in greater flexibility and restoration of the Cupid's bow

Cupid's bow

Cupid's bow is a facial feature where the double curve of a human upper lip is said to resemble the bow of Cupid, the Roman god of erotic love...

.

External links

• Ralph Millard biography