Profile: Robin Evans, MD, FACS, FRCSC

Robin Evans, MD, FACS, FRCSC
Co-Director, Le Bonheur Craniofacial and Cleft Program

Le Bonheur Pediatric Plastic Surgeon Robin Evans, MD, FACS, FRCSC, has always been drawn toward service to others. He attributes this heart for helping to his faith, and to the inspiration of many excellent mentors throughout his life — most notably his grandfather, whom Evans considers his earliest role model.

“My grandfather was an engineer by trade and constantly used his skills to help others,” said Evans. “He was very active in our local church, and I spent many summer days as a kid helping him construct a new church building and lend a helping hand to people in the congregation.”

When Evans was young, his grandfather suffered a heart attack and went on to become one of the world’s first recipients of an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD). Witnessing the healing power of modern medicine sparked an epiphany for Evans regarding the career path he would ultimately pursue.

“It was then that I realized my calling,” recounts Evans. “To serve others in Jesus’ name through the practice of medicine. To help others the way my grandfather did.”

A native of Canada, Evans eventually went on to obtain an undergraduate degree in Psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario. From there, he immediately enrolled in medical school at Ontario’s McMaster University — but initially, Evans’ current specialty wasn’t even a blip on his professional radar.

“When I started medical school, I didn’t know anything about reconstructive plastic surgery or what these surgeons do,” said Evans, who was first introduced to the field through an immersive learning opportunity at Boston Children’s Hospital. “At Boston Children’s, I had the chance to work with a team of plastic surgeons and learn about the miracles that take place in an operating room. From that moment, I prayerfully entered residency and followed my calling to become a pediatric plastic surgeon.”

After earning his doctor of medicine degree from McMaster in 2006, Evans completed his residency in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Western Ontario, followed by a fellowship in Pediatric Plastic Surgery at British Columbia Children’s Hospital. Prior to joining the team at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, Evans served as director of Pediatric Plastic Surgery at a University of Southern California-affiliated hospital in Ventura, Calif. In this position, he oversaw program development, family-centered care delivery and the innovation of new treatments for patients with facial clefts and other complex craniofacial conditions.

Ever faithful to the view of healing as ministry, Evans also dedicated his time and talents to the development of new technologies for the treatment of burns in low-income countries.

“I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to partner with a drug-delivery lab to help develop a new class of synthetic skin that can be made very inexpensively,” said Evans. “I love the idea that high technology can be made accessible to everyone and subsequently make a huge difference in anyone’s life.”

Today, Evans is leveraging his expertise in pediatric reconstructive surgery as the new co-director of Le Bonheur’s Craniofacial and Cleft Program, where he serves alongside the program’s director, Pediatric Neurosurgeon Paul Klimo, MD. Le Bonheur’s comprehensive Craniofacial and Cleft Program specializes in advanced treatment options for children with severe congenital facial and skull malformations. Currently, Le Bonheur surgeons have some of the busiest practices in the country. The team performs more than 40 large craniofacial surgeries annually — the majority of which serve patients between the ages of 6 to 12 months.

In his new role, Evans hopes to build upon Le Bonheur’s foundational commitment to clinical excellence and patient and family-centered care, strengthening the hospital’s already robust Craniofacial and Cleft Program.

“Our shared vision for the program is a reimagined, holistic approach to craniofacial care,” said Evans. “People deserve to feel genuinely cared for and to have health care providers who can see things from the perspective of the kids and families we serve. By collaborating with multiple specialties to create a truly multidisciplinary clinic environment, we can offer patients a full range of services in one appointment and bring the very best of each specialty to the forefront.”

People deserve to feel genuinely cared for and to have health care providers who can see things from the perspective of the kids and families we serve. By collaborating with multiple specialties to create a truly multidisciplinary clinic environment, we can offer patients a full range of services in one appointment and bring the very best of each specialty to the forefront.

Emphasizing his enthusiasm about the newly-minted partnership with Klimo, who is widely regarded as a boundary-breaking pediatric neurosurgeon, Evans said the two are eager to innovate new treatments and improve outcomes for kids and families, ultimately aiming to become a national leader in the care of children with craniofacial differences.

While his professional pursuits occupy a significant portion of his time and energy, Evans spends the lion’s share of his free time enjoying various adventures with his wife and children.

“I was fortunate to marry the love of my life, my high school sweetheart, and we have five kids together who keep us crazy busy,” said Evans. “For instance, we now have a horse and are involved in barrel racing at rodeos, riding multiple times a week and typically competing at events once a month.”

While Evans admits that barrel racing was a foreign concept in his and his wife’s Canadian upbringing, his family has fast grown to appreciate the sense of camaraderie and good cheer the rodeo community brings — and Evans adds that there are many great life lessons one can learn on the back of a horse.

Bolstered by his faith and buoyed by his family, Evans feels honored by the opportunity to “create something meaningful” through his work at Le Bonheur and across the field of Pediatric Plastic Surgery.

“I consider it an honor and a true privilege to serve kids and their families,” said Evans. “Being a Christian, medicine has always been a sacred calling to me — and following that calling remains one of the great blessings of my life.”