Mark H. Weinstein ’65, ’69M (MD)
Dr. Mark H. Weinstein is a reconstructive plastic surgeon and the founder of Changing Children’s Lives, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing medical care in developing countries by serving the needs of children with congenital and traumatic deformities. After nearly 40 years in practice, he remains an active plastic surgeon, performing surgical procedures at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
A dual alumnus of the University of Rochester, Dr. Weinstein earned his bachelor’s degree in biology in 1965, before pursuing his medical degree at the School of Medicine and Dentistry. After graduating with his medical degree in 1969, Dr. Weinstein began a residency at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), training in general surgery for six years. He spent an additional two years at UCLA, undergoing further training, more specifically, in plastic surgery. It was in plastic surgery that Dr. Weinstein found his calling; he went on to become an Instructor in Surgery and Chief Resident in Plastic Surgery, both at UCLA. He later joined a group called Interplast, traveling abroad to perform life-changing medical missions.
Dr. Weinstein returned to the East Coast in 1977 to assume the role of Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at Yale University School of Medicine, and in 1980 founded his own plastic surgery practice, where he still operates today. In 2007, after nearly four decades in medicine, Dr. Weinstein founded Changing Children’s Lives, Inc., an organization devoted to performing pro bono operations, including surgeries for cleft lip and palates, burns, and congenital and traumatic facial deformities for children and adults in developing countries. Through his non-profit, Dr. Weinstein serves the needs of those affected by these deformities, while providing the opportunity for local doctors and medical professionals to improve their skills and expertise. Dr. Weinstein and his medical team, which has included more than 60 medical students and 50 residents from the medical schools at Yale University and the University of Rochester, perform operations on week-long missions, averaging 100 surgical procedures per trip. To date, Changing Children’s Lives has operated on more than 1,000 patients in countries like Brazil, Honduras, Colombia, Thailand, China, Vietnam, and Uganda.
A proud graduate of the University of Rochester, Dr. Weinstein has remained active as a member of the Friends of Rochester Athletics Board, the School of Medicine and Dentistry 35th and 40th Reunion Committees, the School of Medicine and Dentistry Alumni Council, and has dedicated time as an admissions and career services volunteer. Dr. Weinstein is a diplomat of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a member of numerous professional organizations including the American Society of Plastic Surgery. He is the former president of the Trustee Alumni Council of the College and the Connecticut Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Dr. Weinstein and his wife, Karen, live in Woodbridge, Connecticut. They are parents to two children, Joshua and Ellyn, and have five grandchildren. Both children are University of Rochester alumni, as well as his son-in-law, who received both his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University.