Canadian of Jamaican heritage is an expert in facial plastic surgery
March 21, 2020
Home to some of the brightest medical minds is Texas Medical Centre which is the world’s largest medical city at the forefront of advancing life sciences.
Practicing within the nearly two square mile medical enclave is eminent facial plastic surgeon Dr. Anthony Brissett who was born and raised in southeastern Ontario.
Recognized as a global expert in the field, the award-winning surgeon has used his extensive training, deft hands and artistry to transform lives and appearances.
Brissett’s patients vary.
“I see children that are born without ears, vehicular and sports-related accident victims and patients that sometimes just want to look more youthful by doing brow or face lifts and things like that,” said the clinician scientist who served for over a decade as an Associate Professor at Baylor College of Medicine and Director of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. “A great deal of my practice is cosmetic and some is reconstruction.”
Finishing high school at Forest Heights Collegiate Institute in Kitchener where his close friends included three-time world heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis who attended nearby Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute, Brissett studied Nursing at George Brown College before leaving Canada in 1992.
Nursing opened the door for him to travel south of the border to attend medical school.
“George Brown provided me with a career and opportunity to travel,” said Brissett who for eight straight years up until 2016 was recognized as one of ‘H Texas’ magazine Top Docs. “Nursing was a highly sought after position at the time and it was easy to get a visa. It created a touchpoint foundation on my journey into medicine. I wouldn’t have done it any other way.”
Brissett was recognized in the Health Sciences category with a 2001 Ontario Premier’s Award that honours college graduates who excel in their careers and make a significant contribution to society.
Recipients designate a $5,000 prize that accompanies the award to the college of their choice for student bursaries.
Brissett used the monetary award to establish a scholarship at George Brown in the name of his mother.
Utilizing an academic scholarship to earn a medical degree at Wayne State University, he completed his residency training in otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at the Mayo Clinic and was a clinical investigator at the world’s top-rated health care system before pursuing his fellowship in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Minnesota.
Facial Plastic Surgery expert Dr. Anthony Brissett
In 2003, Brissett was recruited to develop the facial plastic and reconstructive surgery program within the Department of Head & Neck Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas.
“I was at Mayo at the time and they were looking for someone who was available with a set of skills to develop their division,” he said. “The pioneering spirit was instilled in me by my parents and other ancestors, family and friends who encouraged me to explore opportunities and take chances.”
The entrepreneurial and pioneering spirt of his parents, noted Brissett, established the framework for his success.
Leaving Jamaica in the early 1960s, Edwin and Theresa Brissett spent a few years in England before settling in Canada.
“They made sacrifices and provided support in terms of encouraging me to get a good education and not allowing me to succumb and/or accept anything than the best I have to offer,” he said. “That was something that was instilled in me from the very beginning. It doesn’t necessarily mean I have to be the best, but I have to give my best and, with that, you can expect the best outcomes. But I think even more important than that support is having ethics, morals, honesty and a strong faith which my parents have to offer and is very significant.”
What prompted Brissett to specialize in facial plastic & reconstructive surgery?
“The face is a very unique characteristic,” he said. “You can identify a lot of different people by different characteristics like voice and appearance. The face is undeniably the most unique characteristic of a person’s body. It’s something that has significant complexity in that it carries emotion and experience and conveys so many things, including uniqueness. To understand the complexities of one’s face is a herculean effort. To combine the complexity of one’s face with the psychology of self-image and sense of self allows me to combine both art and science in a way that no other aspect of medicine for me is capable of doing.”
With an office inside Houston Methodist Hospital where he performs consultations and minor procedures, Brissett does more extensive surgeries and procedures at nearby hospitals.
He also co-founded a clinic, Casa El Buen Samaritano, that was developed through a church partnership and provides spiritual enrichment and free health care services to the needy.
“This clinic provides an opportunity to offer care for members of our community,” noted Brissett who is an expert in nasal surgery and rhinoplasty with a specific interest in ethnic sensitive rhinoplasty. “We see about 2,000 to 3,000 patients a year at this facility.”
Dr. Anthony Brissett at work
Combining his profession and love of travelling allow the medical practitioner to engage in health care missions around the world.
Through Face the Future Foundation which is a Canadian medical humanitarian and education organization founded in 1996 by Dr. Peter Adamson to transform the lives of families and communities in Rwanda and Russia, Brissett travels to the Eastern European country yearly to perform surgeries on children suffering with cleft palate and craniofacial abnormalities.
“I was instrumental in getting the Rwanda mission off the ground and now we have a team in place to keep it going,” he said. “I got that mission started over a two or three year period.”
Brissett has lectured in several Caribbean countries over the years.
“If there’s a need for surgical intervention or medical missions, I am always open to provide support in any Caribbean country,” he pointed out.
Married to psychologist Dr. Annette Brissett for 25 years, the couple has two teenage daughters. They met in Kitchener when they were about 12 or 13 years old.
Also of Jamaican heritage, she and her husband co-authored ‘Ethnic Trends in Facial Plastic Surgery’ for the Facial Plastic Surgery Journal.
“The two of us have been able to provide direction and support for each other,” the 2010 Baylor College of Medicine Physician of the Year said.
Away from his busy practice, Brissett enjoys spending quality time with his family and church community, travelling, collecting art and playing ice hockey.
