Tyler Mark Rist, MD

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.

Gabriel Klein, M.D. is a Plastic Surgeon with extensive training in Microvascular Reconstruction. Dr. Klein’s practice is focused on restoring form and function to patients who have been affected by cancer, trauma, and chronic wounds. His interests include general reconstructive and cosmetic plastic surgery, free tissue transfer, limb salvage, lymphedema, and breast reconstruction- including DIEP flap and implant-based reconstructions. Dr. Klein has a strong dedication toward medical education and research. He won multiple teaching awards during his residency, including honorary membership Alpha Omega Alpha. His research interests include clinical outcomes in breast and abdominal wall reconstruction, for which he has written several peer reviewed publications. In addition he has presented on these topics at medical meetings and conferences. Born and raised in New Rochelle, New York, Dr. Klein completed his undergraduate studies in biology at Cornell University and attended medical school at the State University of New York-Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. After graduating in 2012 he completed a Plastic Surgery Residency at the Nassau University Medical Center- Stony Brook Medicine program. During this time, he also completed a two-year research fellowship and received a Master’s Degree in Clinical Research. Upon conclusion of his residency, Dr. Klein completed a Reconstructive Microsurgery Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. He joined MUSC as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery in 2022.

Dr. Kirsten Meenan is a fellowship-trained laryngologist who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of voice, swallowing, and airway disorders. Her expertise lies in the management of airway and breathing disorders, such as tracheal, subglottic, and posterior glottic scarring or narrowing. Dr. Meenan is also highly trained in the management of voice conditions, such as vocal fold paralysis, vocal fold polyps and cysts, early voice box cancers, recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, and spasmodic dysphonia. She performs laryngeal reinnervation surgery when indicated for vocal fold paralysis and selective laryngeal adductor denervation-reinnervation (SLED-R) surgery for spasmodic dysphonia, the latter pioneered by her mentor at UCLA. Dr. Meenan also treats swallowing disorders such as Zenker’s diverticulum and is trained in transnasal esophagoscopy. Dr. Meenan received her medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine and completed her residency at the University of Maryland. Her laryngology fellowship was completed at University of California, Los Angeles. She is a board-certified otolaryngologist and member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.