Kofi Boahene, M.D.

Kofi Derek Owusu Boahene, M.D.

Headshot of Kofi Boahene
  • Professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
Male

Languages: English, Akan, German, Russian

Expertise

Acoustic Neuromas, Bell's Palsy, Blepharoplasty, Botulinum Toxin Injections, Buccal Fat Removal, Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Leaks, Deviated Septum, Ear Pinning, Ear reconstruction, Facelift, Facial Aesthetic Surgery, Facial Cosmetic Surgery, Facial Nerve Disorders, Facial Nerve Schwannoma, Facial Paralysis, Facial Plastic Surgery, Facial Reanimation, Facial Reconstruction, Facial Scar Revision, Fibrous Dysplasia, Free Muscle Transfer, Jaw Tumors, Maxillofacial Surgery, Microtia, Microvascular Surgery, Nasal Obstruction, Orbital Trauma, Orbital Tumors, Otolaryngology, Otolaryngology (ENT), Otoplasty, Rhinoplasty, Scar Revision, Synkinesis ...read more

Research Interests

Outcomes in facial paralysis, facial nerve injury and facial reanimation; surgical innovation in facial reanimation; surgical innovation in minimally invasive skull base surgery; global surgical care and training. ...read more

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Insurance Information

Main Phone

Outside of Maryland & Washington D.C.

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International Patients

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Locations

Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center (now called Levi Watkins, Jr., M.D., Outpatient Center)

Appointment Phone: 410-616-7191
601 N. Caroline St.
Baltimore, MD 21287 map
Phone: 410-583-7185 | Fax: 410-367-2297

Johns Hopkins Medicine - Green Spring Station

Appointment Phone: 410-616-7191
10803 Falls Road
Pavilion III, Suite 2500
Lutherville, MD 21093 map
Phone: 410-583-7185 | Fax: 410-367-2297

Background

Dr. Kofi Derek Owusu Boahene is a professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery and dermatology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.  He is the Director of the Division of Facial Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery and the director for the facial plastics fellowship training program. His practice encompasses the entire spectrum of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery including cosmetic and reconstructive aspects.

Dr. Boahene is a leading expert in facial paralysis surgery and facial nerve injuries and has pioneered innovative treatment protocols and surgical techniques in facial reanimation. He is the director of the Johns Hopkins Facial Nerve center dedicated to restoring facial balance, symmetry and animation to those who have suffered from facial paralysis and facial nerve disorders.

As an expert microsurgeon, Dr. Boahene routinely performs some of the most complex facial reconstruction procedures on the face including rebuilding of an entire nose, lip, jaw and facial defects resulting from cancer treatment, traumatic injuries or as a result of birth defects. He uses cutting edge 3-D technology, image-guided technology and tissue transplanted from other parts of the body to restore or replace missing tissues. He is a key member of the Johns Hopkins facial transplant program.

His cosmetic experience is broad and draws from patients across the globe. He routinely performs rhinoplasties, eyelid surgery, face lifts and other facial enhancing procedures.

As a skull base surgeon, Dr. Boahene has pioneered minimally invasive techniques for removal of skull base and brain tumors, repairing CSF leaks and has authored a major textbook on this subject.

Dr. Boahene received his undergraduate degree from the University of Central Arkansas. He graduated summa cum laude from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, completed a five-year surgical residency training program in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and received fellowship training in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Minnesota. As the recipient of the prestigious Mayo Brothers Distinguished Fellowship Award, Dr. Boahene was awarded additional craniofacial surgery training in Adelaide, Australia. He also received the Jack R. Anderson Prize for Scholastic Excellence for attaining the highest score nationally on the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery certification exam.

Dr. Boahene serves as on the Board of Governors or the American Academy Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. In 1993, Dr. Kofi Boahene received the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honors Award. In 1998 and 1999, the American Academy of Cancer Researchers (AACR) selected him as an ethnic scholar in cancer research. At Mayo, he received a Best Teacher Recognition Award and the Distinguished Mayo Brothers Fellowship Award.

Dr. Boahene is passionate about global surgical care and leads the Foundation for Special Surgery, a non-profit organization, providing highly specialized surgical care in several under-resourced countries. His self-authored autobiography, However Far the Stream Flow: The Making of the Man Who Rebuilds Faces, was published in 2016.

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Titles

  • Professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
  • Professor of Art as Applied to Medicine
  • Professor of Dermatology

Departments / Divisions

Centers & Institutes

Education

Degrees

  • MD; Meharry Medical College School of Medicine (1999)

Residencies

  • Otolaryngology; Mayo Clinic (2004)

Fellowships

  • Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery; University of Minnesota Hospital & Clinics (2005)

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) (2007)
  • American Board of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (Otolaryngology) (2005)

Additional Training

  • American Board of Facial Plastic And Reconstructive Surgery

Research & Publications

Research Summary

Dr. Boahene research areas include facial paralysis and minimally invasive skull base surgery. He studies the outcomes in ethnic facial cosmetic surgery, tissue engineering and wound healing, and outcomes in facial paralysis restoration.

The Multivector Gracilis Free Functional Muscle Flap for Facial Reanimation. Boahene KO, Owusu J, Ishii L, Ishii M, Desai S, Kim I, Kim L, Byrne P.JAMA Facial Plast Surg. 2018 Jul 1;20(4):300-306. doi: 10.1001/jamafacial.2018.0048.PMID: 29566121

Principles and biomechanics of muscle tendon unit transfer: application in temporalis muscle tendon transposition for smile improvement in facial paralysis. Boahene KD.Laryngoscope. 2013 Feb;123(2):350-5. doi: 10.1002/lary.23644. Epub 2012 Dec 3.PMID: 23208742 Review.

Early Nerve Grafting for Facial Paralysis After Cerebellopontine Angle Tumor Resection With Preserved Facial Nerve Continuity. Albathi M, Oyer S, Ishii LE, Byrne P, Ishii M, Boahene KO.JAMA Facial Plast Surg. 2016 Jan-Feb;18(1):54-60. doi: 10.1001/jamafacial.2015.1558

The transconjunctival transorbital approach: a keyhole approach to the midline anterior skull base. Raza SM, Quinones-Hinojosa A, Lim M, Boahene KD.World Neurosurg. 2013 Dec;80(6):864-71. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2012.06.027. Epub 2012 Jun 19.

Selected Publications

View all on PubMed

Anthony E Brissett, Lisa E Ishii, Kofi DO Boahene, Ethnically Sensitive Rhinoplasty, (April 2020)

1. Dey JK, Ishii LE, Byrne PJ, Boahene KD, Ishii M. “Seeing is Believing: Objectively Evaluating the Impact of Facial Reanimation Surgery on Social Perception.” Laryngoscope. 2014 Jun 26. doi: 10.1002/lary.24801

2. Lee LN, Smith DF, Boahene KD, Byrne PJ. “Intraoperative Laser-assisted Indocyanine Green Imaging for Objective Measurement of the Vascular Delay Technique in Locoregional Head and Neck Flaps.” JAMA Facial Plast Surg. 2014 Sep 1;16(5):343-7. doi: 10.1001/jamafacial.2014.106.

5. Boahene K. “Reanimating the Paralyzed Face.” F1000Prime Rep. 2013 Nov 1;5:49. doi: 10.12703/P5-49. eCollection 2013. Review.

3. Gooi Z, Gourin CG, Boahene KD, Byrne PJ, Richmon JD. “Temporal Trends in Head and Neck Cancer Surgery Reconstruction.” Head Neck. 2014 May 31. doi: 10.1002/hed.23786.

4. Dey JK, Ishii M, Boahene KD, Byrne PJ, Ishii LE. “Facial reanimation surgery restores affect display.” Otol Neurotol. 2014 Jan;35(1):182-7. doi: 10.1097/MAO.0b013e3182a1ea8a.

Contact for Research Inquiries

Phone: 410-502-2145

Activities & Honors

Honors

  • America's Best Plastic Surgeons 2021: Rhinoplasty, Facelift, Newsweek, 2021 - 2021
  • Baltimore Magazine Top Doctor 2015 (Facial Plastic Surgery)
  • Medical Honors Award, Alpha Omega Alpha, 2002
  • Selected as an ethnic scholar in cancer research, American Academy of Cancer Researchers (AACR), 2002
  • Jack R. Anderson Prize for Scholastic Excellence in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2005
  • The George Nager Best Teacher Award, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins, 2013
  • The Distinguished Mayo Brother's Fellowship Award, 2011

Memberships

  • Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honors Society
  • American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
  • American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
  • American College of Surgeons

Professional Activities

  • Board Examiner, American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Videos & Media

  • Play Video:

    Saving Face: Expert Advice to Help Freshen an Aging Face

  • Play Video:

    Facial Paralysis: Anthony's Story

  • Play Video:

    Q&A: Ethnic Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

  • Play Video:

    Q&A: Facial Injections and Fillers

  • Play Video:

    Q&A: Face and Neck Scar Revision

  • Play Video:

    The Long Way Here: Dr. Boahene's Journey from Ghana to Hopkins

  • Play Video:

    Kofi Boahene, M.D. | 2016 A Woman's Journey Faculty Keynote”

  • Play Video:

    Gracilis Free Flap Surgery for Facial Reanimation | Kathy’s Story

  • Play Video:

    #Tomorrow'sDiscoveries: Restoring Facial Expressions - Dr. Kofi Boahene

  • Play Video:

    Achieving a Natural Looking Facelift

  • Play Video:

    Advances in Facial Paralysis Surgery

  • Play Video:

    Facial Paralysis | Q&A

  • Play Video:

    Rhinoplasty: What Patients Should Know

Lectures and Presentations

  • Facial Reanimation
    http://webcast.jhu.edu/Mediasite/Play/5c8511f11d884e5b9ca4d0aefe5846431d
  • Ethnic Sensitive Facial Rejuvenation & Rhinoplasty
    http://webcast.jhu.edu/Mediasite/Play/cc4b65bd6cfe4fd1a77966b3218a1ed31d

Recent News Articles and Media Coverage

Nose jobs can lead to ‘cultural destruction.’ Ethnic rhinoplasties help to preserve identities.  The Houston Chronicle (7/12/2022)

Lip Injections May Ease Challenges of Facial Paralysis, U.S. News & World Report (06/19/2015)

How African Doctors Can Cure Medical 'Brain Drain' CNN African Voices (04/16/2013)

An Unorthodox Approach To Tricky Surgery, NPR (11/10/2011)

Recorded Online Seminar on: Facial Reanimation

Minimally Invasive Technique Appears Helpful to Reanimate Facial Paralysis, Science Daily (01/18/2011)

Patient Ratings & Comments

The Patient Rating score is an average of all responses to physician related questions on the national CG-CAHPS Medical Practice patient experience survey through Press Ganey. Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best score. Comments are also gathered from our CG-CAHPS Medical Practice Survey through Press Ganey and displayed in their entirety. Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.

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