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William Y. Hoffman, M.D.

William Y. Hoffman, M.D.

  • Professor of Surgery
  • Chief, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
  • Stephen J. Mathes, MD, Endowed Chair in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Contact Information

Academic Office
505 Parnassus Avenue, Suite M-593
San Francisco, CA 94143-0932
(415) 353-4285 Telephone
(415) 353-4320 Fax
[email protected]
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Education

  • 1969-73 Yale University, B.A. Biology
  • 1973-77 University of Rochester School of Medicine, M.D.

Residencies

  • 1977-80 UCSF Resident General Surgery
  • 1980-81 UCSF Resident Plastic Surgery
  • 1981-83 UCSF Senior Resident General Surgery
  • 1984-85 UCSF Chief Resident Plastic Surgery
  • 1985-86 New York University Medical Institute

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Surgery, 1985
  • American Board of Plastic Surgery, 1987

Program Affiliations

  • UCSF Center for Craniofacial Anomalies

Clinical Expertise

  • Aesthetic Surgery
  • Cleft Lip & Palate Surgery
  • Craniofacial Surgery
  • Facial Rejuvenation
  • Pediatric Plastic Surgery
  • Rhinoplasty Arteriovenous Malformations

Research Interests

  • Biology of hemangiomas
  • Clinical outcomes of cleft surgery
  • Fetal surgery for congenital facial deformities

Website Links

Biography

Dr. William Hoffman is the Chief of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at UCSF. He graduated cum laude from Yale University and obtained his MD from the University of Rochester School of Medicine. He completed training in General Surgery at UCSF in 1983 and in Plastic Surgery at UCSF in 1985.

An additional year of training was spent at the Institute for Reconstructive plastic Surgery at NYU with Dr. Joseph McCarthy studying craniofacial and cleft lip surgery. Subsequently Dr. Hoffman returned to UCSF to join the faculty, serving as the chief of plastic surgery at San Francisco General Hospital from 1988 to 1996, and Director of Education for the division from 1996 to 2005. He became the head of the division in 2005.

Recently, Dr. Hoffman led a successful effort to pass legislation in California greatly expanding insurance coverage for children with disfiguring cleft palate and other craniofacial anomalies. Hoffman, a pioneer of cranial re-animation surgery and acknowledged innovator in the field, performs complex and intricate surgeries at the UCSF Center for Craniofacial Anomalies. Working in tandem with orthodontists and other specialists, he and colleagues work to restore children's faces to a normal appearance as well as improving their breathing and ability to chew.

Dr. Hoffman is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.He is the primary craniofacial and pediatric plastic surgeon at UCSF, performing 300-400 pediatric operations a year on children with a wide range of deformities, including cleft lip and palate, craniosynostosis, facial palsy, hemangiomas, birthmarks, and vascular anomalies. His adult practice deals with complex facial reconstruction as well as facial aesthetic surgery, including facelifts, rhinoplasty, and blepharoplasty. He has published over 35 peer-reviewed articles as well as numerous invited chapters. Highly respected by his peers, Dr. Hoffman was named to the list of U.S. News "America's Top Doctors," a distinction reserved for the top 1% of physicians in the nation for a given specialty.

He is on the Board of the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgery, the Executive Council of the California Society of Plastic Surgeons, is the current President of the American Society of Pediatric Plastic Surgery, and is a senior examiner for the American Board of Plastic Surgery. 

Publications

MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS FROM A TOTAL OF 68
Data provided by UCSF Profiles, powered by CTSI
  1. Do A, Rorison E, Borucki A, Shibata GS, Pomerantz JH, Hoffman WY. Opioid-free Pain Management after Cleft Lip Repair. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2023 Sep; 11(9):e5259. View in PubMed
  2. Parmeshwar N, Hoffman WY. Cultured epidermal autografts as a bridge to definitive reconstruction of the neonatal scalp after infected cephalohematoma. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2023 Jun 12. View in PubMed
  3. Stallworth JY, Hoffman WY, Vagefi MR, Indaram M. Superior oblique palsy after facial feminization surgery. J AAPOS. 2023 Jun; 27(3):165-166. View in PubMed
  4. Braun M, Pomerantz JH, Hoffman WY, Mathes EF. Long-pulsed neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet for hair reduction in pediatric microtia repair. Pediatr Dermatol. 2023 Jul-Aug; 40(4):755-758. View in PubMed
  5. Zebolsky AL, Gulati A, Badiee RK, Pardo ST, Deutsch MB, Knott PD, Park AM, Pomerantz JH, Hoffman WY, Seth R. Patient-Reported Outcomes in Gender-Affirming Facial Surgery: Recommendations from a Multidisciplinary Gender Health Panel. Facial Plast Surg Aesthet Med. 2023 Sep-Oct; 25(5):445-447. View in PubMed
  6. View All Publications

In the News

  • Patient Tells New York Times He's Thrilled with his Sleek Neckline

    UCSF Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery - December 22, 2010
    The New York Times reports on the use of neck-lifts, a plastic surgery procedure to improve sagging necks and double chins. The Times interviewed William Y. Hoffman, M.D. (pictured right), Professor and Chief of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at UCSF for the story.   NECKS don't lie. Sagging there betrays age like the rings on a tree, and now-common Botox and fillers in the face make neck imperfections stand out in stark relief. In her 2006 best-seller, "I Feel Bad About [...]

  • William Hoffman Spearheads Successful Effort to Expand Insurance Coverage for Children with Disfiguring Craniofacial Deformities

    UCSF Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery - October 12, 2009
    William Y. Hoffman, M.D., Chief of the Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, has led a successful effort to pass legislation in California via the Cleft Palate Foundation greatly expanding insurance coverage for children with disfiguring cleft palate and other craniofacial anomalies. Hoffman, a pioneer of cranial re-animation surgery and acknowledged innovator in the field, performs complex and intricate surgeries at the UCSF Craniofacial Center.

  • Cranial Re-animation Surgery Used to Treat Mobius Syndrome

    UCSF Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery - January 22, 2008
    The Wittgenstein Forum blog  reports on a Nevada Appeal article highlighting the benfits of using cranial re-animation surgery to treat Mobius Syndrome, a rare birth defect caused by the absence or underdevelopment of cranial nerves that control eye movement and facial expression. The surgery is performed at UCSF by Dr. William Hoffman. Miracles happen every day. So they say. But what if you're a family in need of multiple miracles? Such is the case with the Harris clan in Carson City. Their [...]

 

 
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