Austin Hembd, MD

Dr. Hembd is a plastic, hand, and reconstructive microsurgeon. He joined The Buncke Clinic after completion of his hand and upper extremity fellowship training at the Curtis National Hand Center. His clinical interests include upper extremity trauma and fracture care, lower extremity salvage, treating Kienbock's disease and scaphoid non-unions with vascularized bone flaps, oncologic reconstruction, and peripheral nerve surgery including brachial plexus injuries and spasticity.

Dr. Hembd majored in Human Genetics and minored in Physics and Philosophy at the University of Texas. He received his medical degree at the University of Texas Southwestern. He completed his residency surgical training in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern as well, where the high volume of traumatic injuries at Parkland Hospital sparked his interest in extremity reconstruction. He conducted his fellowship training in Hand Surgery at the Curtis National Hand Center in Baltimore, Maryland, and had extensive affiliated experience in nerve surgery and reconstruction at Johns Hopkins.

  • Undergraduate:
    University of Texas, Austin

    Medical School:
    University of Texas, Southwestern

    Residency (Plastic Surgery):
    University of Texas, Southwestern

    Fellowship (Hand & Microsurgery):
    Curtis National Hand Center

  • The Buncke Clinic:
    Attending Plastic, Hand and Microsurgeon

  • Hatlestad GJ, Akhavan NA, Sunnadeniya RM, Elam L, Cargile S, Hembd A, Gonzalez A, McGrath JM, Lloyd AM. The beet Y locus encodes an anthocyanin MYB-like protein that activates the betalain red pigment pathway. Nat Genet. 2015 Jan;47(1):92-6.

    Yi Y, Polosukhina D, Love HD, Hembd A, Pickup M, Moses HL, Lovvorn HN 3rd, Zent R, Clark PE. A Murine Model of K-RAS and β-Catenin Induced Renal Tumors Expresses High Levels of E2F1 and Resembles Human Wilms Tumor. J Urol. 2015 Dec;194(6):1762-70.

    Dauwe PB, Hembd A, De La Concha-Blankenagel E, Saba S, White C, Cardenas-Mejia A, Rozen SM. The Deep Temporal Nerve Transfer: An Anatomical Feasibility Study and Implications for Upper Facial Reanimation. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2016 Sep;138(3):498e-505e.

    Gonzalez A, Brown M, Hatlestad G, Akhavan N, Smith T, Hembd A, Moore J, Montes D, Mosley T, Resendez J, Nguyen H, Wilson L, Campbell A, Sudarshan D, Lloyd A. TTG2 controls the developmental regulation of seed coattannins in Arabidopsis by regulating vacuolar transport steps in the proanthocyanidin pathway. Dev Biol. 2016 Nov 1;419(1):54-63.

    Hembd A, Nagarkar PA, Saba S, Wan D, Kutz JW, Isaacson B, Gupta S, White CL 3rd, Rohrich RJ, Rozen SM. Facial Nerve Axonal Analysis and Anatomical Localization in Donor Nerve: Optimizing Axonal Load for Cross- Facial Nerve Grafting in Facial Reanimation. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2017 Jan;139(1):177-183.

    Hembd A, Nagarkar PA, Perez J, Gassman A, Tolley P, Reisch J, White CL 3rd, Rozen SM. Correlation between Facial Nerve Axonal Load and Age and Its Relevance to Facial Reanimation. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2017 Jun;139(6):1459-1464.

    Hembd A, Harrison B, Rocha CSM, Rocha FS, Chamseddin K, Labbé D, Cárdenas-Mejía A, Rozen SM. Facial Reanimation in the Seventh and Eighth Decades of Life. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2018 May;141(5):1239-1251.

    Hembd A, Teotia SS, Zhu H, Haddock NT. Optimizing Perforator Selection: A Multivariable Analysis of Predictors for Fat Necrosis and Abdominal Morbidity in DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2018 Sep;142(3):583-592.

    Mohanty AJ, Hembd A, Thrikutam N, Rozen SM. Reuse of the masseteric nerve for dynamic reanimation in facial palsy patients with previously failed one-stage dynamic smile reanimation. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2019 Feb;143(2):567-571.

    Zhang S, Hembd A, Ching C, Tolley P, Rozen SM. Early Masseter to Facial Nerve Transfer May Improve Smile Excursion in Facial Paralysis. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2018 Nov 15;6(11):e2023.

    Mohanty A, Perez J, Hembd A, Thrikutam N, Bartley J, Rozen SM. Orbicularis oculi muscle reinnervation confers corneal protective advantages over static interventions alone in the subacute facial palsy patient. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2020 Mar;145(3):791-801.

    Phillip B, Chiodo M, Cho MJ, Hembd A, Hornsy C, Mehta K, Mundy L, Tadisina K, Vizcay M, Gosain A. Spotlight in Plastic Surgery: October 2019. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2019 Oct;144(4):1019-1021.

    Dickey RM, Hembd AS, Fruge S, Haddock NT, Papas KK, Suszynski TM. Composite Tissue Preservation. Ann Plast Surg. 2020 Jun;84(6):711-716.

    Hembd AS, Yan J, Zhu H, Haddock NT, Teotia SS. Intraoperative Assessment of DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction Using ICG Angiography: Reduction of Fat Necrosis, Resection Volumes, and Post-Operative Surveillance. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2020 Jul;146(1):1e-10e.

    Krag A, Dumestre D, Hembd A, Glick S, Mohanty A, Rozen SM. Topographical and Neurovascular Anatomy of the Depressor Anguli Oris Muscle and Implications for Treatment of Synkinetic Facial Paralysis. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2021 Feb 1;147(2):268e-278e.

    Krag A, Glick S, Hembd A, Rozen SM. The Effect of Depressor Anguli Oris Muscle Block on Facial Symmetry in Synkinetic Facial Paralysis Patients and its Role in Preoperative Assessment. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2021 Mar 1;147(3):455-465.

    Suszynski TM, Hembd A, Halani S, Li X, Kirby B, Beard C, Haddock NT. Flap Monitoring using Transcutaneous Oxygen or Carbon Dioxide Measurements. J Hand Microsurg. 2020 Nov Online.

    Meade A, Hembd A, Cho MJ, Zhang AY. Surgical Treatment of Upper Extremity Gunshot Injuries: An Updated Review. Ann Plast Surg. 2021 Mar 1;86(3S Suppl 2):S312-S318.

    Hembd A, Kim H, Lahsaei P, Haddock NT, Teotia SS. Upper Extremity Phlegmasia Cerulea Dolens with Compartment Syndrome in COVID-19 Sepsis. J Hand Surg Am. 2021 May 4;S0363-5023(21)00269-0.

    Halani S, Sanchez C, Hembd AS, Mohanty AJ, Reisch J, Rozen SM. Depressor Anguli Oris Myectomy versus Transfer to Depressor Labii Inferioris for Facial Symmetry in Synkinetic Facial Paralysis. J Reconstr Microsurg. 2021 Aug 17.

    Hembd A, Mohanty AJ, Halani S, Sanchez C, Krag A, Rozen SM. Do Preoperative Blocks Predict Depressor Anguli Oris Myectomy Outcomes? A Single Cohort Comparison in Postparetic Facial Synkinesis. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2022 Jul 1;150(1):163-167.

    Hembd A, Liu Y, Teotia SS, Haddock NT. Abandoning the SIEA flap for the “Dual-Plane” DIEP reduces Fat Necrosis and Flap Failure. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2021 In Acceptance.

    Urquia L, Cinclair T, Hembd A, Lies S. Pedicled Pronator Quadratus Transposition for Functional Opponensplasty: A Cadaveric Anatomical Study for Feasibility. In Submission to Hand (NY). 2021.

    Farewell J, Duque S, Hembd A, Golden A, Koehler D, Sammer D. Distal Radius Fracture Rotational Malalingment with Dorsal Spanning Plating: A Cadaveric Study. In Submission to Hand (NY). 2021.

    Rozen SM, Wolfe G, Raskin P, Vernino S, Sharma S, Pandian G, Reisch J, Hynan L, Fulmer R, Hembd A, Mohanty A, Salvatore T. Prospective Double Blinded Randomized Controlled Study on the Role of Surgical Decompression of Lower Extremity Nerves for the Treatment of Diabetic Neuropathy. In Submission to JAMA. 2022.

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