Dallas Wiens, the first full face transplant recipient in the U.S., will address his life and humanitarian work at Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s press conference on April 2. His face, including nose, lips, skin, muscles, and nerves, was reconstructed over 15 hours by over 30 specialists. This was made possible by the New England Organ Bank after obtaining specific consent from the donor’s family, as a driver’s license indication is insufficient for face donation.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital leads in face transplant surgery, seeking candidates and funded by a U.S. Department of Defense grant. The hospital, a transplant pioneer, performed the first human organ transplant in 1954, the first New England heart transplant in 1984, and has reached milestones in lung and kidney transplants. Dr. Joseph Murray’s Nobel Prize-winning work and the hospital’s record of transplant firsts underscore its status as a premier transplant center.