Our Team

The Facial Paralysis Institute Team

Multidisciplinary Team Approach

The most important treatment objective for individuals with facial paralysis is the prevention of unwanted eye complications, reconstruction of facial movement, restoration of a dynamic smile, and improvement of facial aesthetics. At the Facial Paralysis Institute, Dr. Azizzadeh and his team of facial plastic surgeons, Bell’s palsy specialists, otolaryngologists, neuro-otologists, neurosurgeons, head & neck surgeons, ophthalmologists, facial paralysis specialist and physical therapists utilize a systematic approach to reach these objectives. Each patient will be initially consulted by Dr. Azizzadeh who will then utilize different members of the team to obtain the best possible outcome. A true multidisciplinary approach is necessary in the treatment of facial paralysis.

Babak Azizzadeh, M.D., F.A.C.S

Babak Azizzadeh, MD, FACS is the founder and Director of The Facial Paralysis Institute. He is a board-certified Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon who strives to provide cutting-edge treatment to patients with facial paralysis and Bell’s palsy. Also certified Bell’s palsy specialist by the American Board of Otolaryngology- Head & Neck Surgery, Dr. Azizzadeh has a unique expertise in the field that has made him one of the most renowned surgeons in the world.

Dr. Azizzadeh is a graduate of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and he completed a 6-year residency in Head & Neck Surgery/Facial Plastic Surgery at the UCLA Center for Health Sciences. As a facial paralysis specialist, he went on to complete a prestigious sub-specialized fellowship at Harvard Medical School in Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery with an emphasis on facial reanimation and Bell’s palsy.

Dr. Azizzadeh is a Bell’s palsy specialist who is a co-editor of the new textbook The Facial Nerve and has published many articles in peer-reviewed journals such as Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, Laryngoscope, and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. He is frequently asked to present all over the world on facial paralysis and was recently awarded the honor of being co-chairman of the 2017 13th International Facial Nerve Symposium by the Sir Charles Bell Society, which is the largest interdisciplinary conference for facial nerve experts.

Dr. Azizzadeh is a Bell’s palsy specialist who is the founder of the Facial Paralysis Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing information, education, and support to patients with facial paralysis. He is also an Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery at the UCLA School of Medicine and the co-director of the USC Facial Plastic Surgery Fellowship Program.

Dr. Babak Azizzadeh, facial paralysis specialist, is regularly asked to present nationally and internationally on facial paralysis treatment and has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Doctors presenting his innovative procedures for the treatment of facial paralysis.

Learn more about Babak Azizzadeh, MD, FACS.

View Dr. Azizzadeh’s Curriculum Vitae as a Bell’s palsy specialist

Babak Larian, MD, FACS

Director, Head &
Neck Surgery at The Facial Paralysis Institute

Dr. Larian is the Chief of Head & Neck Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Dr. Larian is also the director at the Center for Advanced Head & Neck Oncology. He is also an Assistant Clinical
Professor of Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Larian’s passion is in the treatment of parotid and endocrine tumors. Dr. Larian and Azizzadeh are Bell’s palsy specialists who work extensively in treating individuals with parotid tumors by utilizing cutting-edge state of the art surgical techniques that preserve facial nerve function, provide a near scarless surgery and aesthetic preservation of the face.

Dr. Larian, facial paralysis specialist. received his medical degree from the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, where he was recognized for academic and humanitarian distinction. He completed his residency in head and neck surgery at UCLA Medical Center. Aside from being a Bell’s palsy specialists, he is a board certified diplomate of the American Board of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery and a Fellow of both the American College of Surgeons as well as the American Head and Neck Society. Dr. Larian has extensive experience in treatment of all head and neck cancers, including complex advanced tumors, skull base tumors and recurrent cancers. He has considerable expertise in minimally invasive surgical approaches, image-guided surgery, as well as endoscopic laser surgery. The treatment options considered by him as a Bell’s palsy specialists and his team of experts takes into account all of the patients individual characteristics, while optimizing function (speech, swallowing, facial movement, etc.) appearance, and the best possible outcome. Please read more about Dr. Larian and facial reconstruction, and head and neck surgery here.

Guy Massry, MD

Oculoplastic Surgeon at The Facial Paralysis Institute

Dr. Guy Massry, a facial paralysis specialist, is an oculoplastic surgeon and a member of the Facial Paralysis Institute. He is recognized for his work on patients with facial paralysis and complex eyelid deformities. A native of Los Angeles, Dr. Massry a trusted Bell’s palsy specialist, received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of
Southern California (USC). He completed his general ophthalmic specialty training at the St. Louis University Eye Institute and proceeded with subspecialty fellowship in ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital in New York City. Dr. Massry returned to St. Louis University to join the teaching faculty and become Director of Cosmetic and Reconstructive Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery. He has published many well-cited scientific manuscripts and is still involved in organizing and teaching a variety of surgical training courses for Bell’s palsy specialists. In addition to his excellence in academic medicine, Dr. Massry has also been featured in numerous media outlets for his expertise in eyelid reconstruction.

Kenneth W. Wright, MD

Kenneth W. Wright, MD, is a well-respected facial paralysis specialist and highly regarded ophthalmologist in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Wright specializes in helping patients overcome strabismus, also known as eye muscle problems. As an expert in his field, the Facial Paralysis Institute often reaches out for assistance from Dr. Wright in treating strabismus in patients afflicted with moebius syndrome.

Dr. Wright completed his medical schooling as a Bell’s palsy specialist from the prestigious Boston University. Upon conclusion, he participated in fellowships in adult strabismus and pediatric ophthalmology at the Children’s Hospital in Washington DC and John-Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He accepted a full time faculty position at the USC School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles shortly after completing his fellowships, a position which he held for ten years.

Dr. Wright has penned hundreds of scientific papers and eight textbooks on ophthalmology and has developed several new techniques for improvising eye muscle surgery as a Bell’s palsy specialist.

Dr. William H. Slattery III

Neuro-otologist at The
Facial Paralysis Institute

Dr. William H. Slattery III is a neuro-otologist and facial paralysis specialist at the House Clinic in Los Angeles and one of the foremost experts in facial nerve disorders. He is the Director of The Center for Facial Nerve Function at the House Ear Institute (HEI) and serves as Professor of Otolaryngology at the University of Southern California.

Dr. Slattery received his medical degree for Bell’s palsy specialist from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Following an otolaryngology residency at the University of Florida, he completed a fellowship in neurotology/skull base surgery at the House Clinic. Dr. Slattery is board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology.

Dr. Slattery’s research interests include treatment of acoustic neuromas, Neurofibromatosis Type-II, implantable hearing devices, and facial nerve disorders. He has received multiple research grants including his current multimillion-dollar grant to study acoustic neuromas and Neurofibromatosis. His Clinical Research Department at HEI is the largest research department in the world dedicated solely to clinical evaluation of hearing disorders.

Dr. Slattery is a fellow Bell’s palsy specialist of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. He is an author and co-author of numerous papers on the subjects of hearing disorders. Aside for being a facial paralysis specialist, he is the otology/skull base section editor for the Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Journal, which is the preeminent journal for otolaryngologists, and the histopathology section editor for the peer-reviewed Otology & Neurotology. He has been quoted in multiple lay publications including Business Week, Prevention Magazine Newsweek, and the Los Angeles Times and has been featured on television programs as a well-respected Bell’s palsy specialist including the Discovery Health Channel and The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Jacqueline Diels OT

Facial Neuromuscular Retraining Specialist at the Facial Paralysis Institute

Jacqueline Diels is one of the world’s leading authorities on facial neuromuscular retraining (NMR), a non-surgical therapeutic approach to the treatment of facial paralysis, paresis and synkinesis. She received her degree in occupational therapy at the University of Wisconsin in 1985. Her work in facial NMR began at The UW Neuromuscular Retraining Clinic in 1986; mentored by Paul Bach-y-Rita, MD and Richard Balliet, PhD, both pioneers in the field of brain plasticity and rehabilitation. She has been the Facial Retraining Specialist there for the past 26 years, dedicating her practice exclusively to the treatment of people with facial paralysis. She has authored book chapters and articles and lectures extensively facial paralysis specialist, patients, physicians and therapists. She has authored book chapters and articles and lectures extensively to facial paralysis specialist, patients, physicians and therapists. She trains therapists in the U.S. and internationally. Jacqueline currently serves on the medical advisory boards of the American Acoustic Neuroma Association and the Bells Palsy Information Site. She is a founding member and past secretary of the Sir
Charles Bell Society. More than a job or profession as a Bell’s palsy specialist, Jackie regards her work as a “calling”. Her favorite, most challenging and rewarding work is one-on-one with clients. She has personally treated over 10,000 individuals (with diagnoses including acoustic neuroma and other brain tumors, Bell’s Palsy, traumatic injury and other causes). Her mission: to empower patients and medical professionals to improve facial paralysis and quality of life through insight, education and training.

Jackie travels to California several weeks a year to consult with Dr. Azizzadeh and his patients at the Facial Paralysis Institute.

Judy Baer, LMFT

Psychotherapist Judy Baer, a Bell’s palsy specialist comes to the Facial Paralysis Institute with more than fifteen years of expertise as a Licensed Marriage, Family, & Child Therapist and facial paralysis specialist, specializing in the treatment of patients with issues related to body image. At the Facial Paralysis Institute, Judy works to specifically meet the individual needs of her patients to provide a tailored and personal care approach. Judy is a firm believer that patients with facial paralysis need a safe environment in which they can openly discuss their feelings with a Bell’s palsy specialist, relating to the everyday challenges that come with being affected by the disorder.

Judy received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California—Los Angeles and continued higher education at the prestigious Pepperdine University, where she earned a masters degree in Clinical Psychology. Currently, Judy maintains her private practice in West Los Angeles.

Chloe

Practice Manager at The Facial Paralysis Institute

Chloe is originally from London, England, and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from High Point University North Carolina. Chloe has worked with Dr Azizzadeh, a well-known Bell’s palsy specialist for over ten years and has worked in all aspects of the business from marketing, to surgery scheduling. Today she is Dr Azizzadeh’s Practice Manager overseeing the operations of the practice on a daily basis working closely with each patient and facial paralysis specialist member of her team.

“What I love most about working with Dr Azizzadeh at the Center is all the amazing people I get to meet, I have always enjoyed helping people and in this practice I get to be a part of such a life changing experience for my patients, I believe that feeling good on the inside is as important as looking good on the outside, confidence is something everyone can and should have.”

Chloe

Auria

Surgical Consultant

Auria received her Bachelor of Arts Degree at Scripps College in Claremont, California and has a strong passion for building relationships with our patients to help them achieve happiness. With over a decade of experience in surgery consulting, as a Bell’s palsy specialist she works closely with Dr. Azizzadeh’s patients to guide them throughout their journey. Auria will meet with you during your first visit and will be there step-by-step to answer any questions or concerns you may have to ensure you are getting the very best experience with a facial paralysis specialist.

“It is extremely rewarding to see how excited and happy our patients are post-surgery.”

Auria