Tiwana first holder of Sinn Chair in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

By Remekca Owens

Dr. Douglas Sinn built a 30-year career at UT Southwestern Medical Center, becoming an internationally recognized leader in the advancement of pediatric craniofacial health. To honor his esteemed service, the Dr. Douglas and Diane Sinn Chair in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery has been established using generous gifts from his colleagues, former students, family, and friends.

Dr. Paul Tiwana
Dr. Paul Tiwana

In recognition of his outstanding expertise in pediatric and craniofacial oral and maxillofacial surgery, Dr. Paul Tiwana, Associate Professor of Surgery and Neurological Surgery, has been named the inaugural holder of the Dr. Douglas and Diane Sinn Chair. Dr. Tiwana leads the division’s graduate program, and is Chief of Pediatric Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Children’s Medical Center and Medical Director of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Parkland Memorial Hospital.

“I am truly honored to be the inaugural holder of the Douglas and Diane Sinn Chair in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery,” said Dr. Tiwana. “Dr. Sinn’s legacy in creating this chair is to continue to maintain and develop the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery service that he started many decades ago at Children’s as a UT Southwestern faculty member.

“Our current efforts in this regard are to develop an ambulatory outpatient facility within Children’s to enhance Pediatric Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery care for our many young patients from across Texas and the nation. Our division is extremely grateful for the support of this vision from the Sinn family, the program’s alumni, and friends of our specialty who also donated funds to make this chair a reality." 

Dr. Tiwana’s clinical practice focuses particularly on corrective jaw surgery, facial fractures, and the surgical management of various craniofacial syndromes. He is called upon to lecture on those subjects frequently, and he has contributed numerous scientific articles to professional journals and other publications in the oral and maxillofacial surgery field.

He completed Fellowship training in pediatric craniofacial surgery at Georgetown University Hospital and the Posnick Center for Facial Plastic Surgery in Washington, D.C.

“Dr. Tiwana came to UT Southwestern in 2010 from the University of Louisville where he was a full-time faculty member in their Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and is well trained to lead the activities espoused by this Chair,” said Dr. John Zuniga, Chief of the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Professor of Surgery, Neurology and Neurotherapeutics. “I am also proud to note that I served as his Graduate Program Director during his residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As such, I can attest to the professionalism and academic fortitude that he will bring to this Chair, and in continuing Dr. Sinn’s legacy and leadership.”

Dr. Sinn, now a Clinical Professor, served as Chair of the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from 1984 to 2004. He has trained more than 200 UT Southwestern alumni who are now in academic positions in top programs or in successful private practices across the country. He received international accolades for his advancement of pediatric craniofacial health, dentofacial deformities and abnormalities, and temporomandibular disorders and reconstruction, which includes conditions affecting the jaw and its muscles.

The Sinn Chair will support UT Southwestern research and educational activities and enhance oral and maxillofacial and craniofacial surgery care for pediatric patients at Children’s Medical Center and at Parkland Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Zuniga holds the Robert V. Walker D.D.S Chair in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.