Gillette Children’s announced the addition of pediatric craniofacial and plastic surgeon, Courtney Carpenter, MD. She joined the Gillette craniofacial team in September 2022.
“I just love working with kids and interacting with them,” Carpenter says. “The happiest year I had in my medical training was when I had a fellowship working specifically with kids. I loved it. Now that I’m at Gillette and I can work with children every day, I really feel like I’ve found my ‘happy place.’”
Carpenter was born in Indiana and grew up in Massachusetts. She did her fellowship training at Albany Medical Center and at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
“In my medical training I became interested in plastic surgery and cleft repair,” Carpenter recalls. “I really fell in love after my first cleft case and was drawn to head, face and neck surgery. These areas of the anatomy are complex and elegant. It requires a mind that can visualize things in 3-D, and I find this very challenging and rewarding.”
Carpenter says her advanced medical training has been a long journey, but it’s been worth it. “I really feel honored that I can take something that is anatomically abnormal, and I can correct it. I know this is a relief for parents and the surgery I’m doing will make the future life of the child better. After the surgery children will have improved speech, an easier time of eating, and it changes their appearance, so they have an easier time of interacting socially. It is very satisfying and rewarding,” Carpenter says.
To learn more about Gillette Children’s Craniofacial Team visit here.