About Benjamin W. Cilento, MD

Benjamin W Cilento, MD, is a Fellowship-trained Facial Plastic Surgeon and a member of the elite American Academy Of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He is also Board Certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology, one of the oldest medical specialties in the United States. Otolaryngologists are physicians uniquely trained in the surgical and medical treatment of patients with disorders and diseases of the head and neck. Dr. Cilento’s education began at Trinity College in Hartford Connecticut, where he majored in Biology. Dr. Ben Cilento graduated at the top of his class and was inducted into the prestigious national honor society, Phi Beta Kappa. Unlike his classmates, he delayed attending medical school immediately after college. Instead, he joined the US Marine Corps where he served as a Signals Intelligence and Reconnaissance Officer during the first Gulf War. After five years as a Marine, he decided to go back and finish his medical education and transferred to the US Naval Medical program. He matriculated into the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, where he graduated at the top of his class with distinction in research and was selected for the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. During medical school, he used his abilities as an artist to work on the head and neck section of the internationally recognized anatomy textbook, “Adam Atlas” in collaboration with the author, Dr. Todd Olsen, and Williams and Wilkins publishers. This leads to an affinity for head and neck surgery, especially with regards to facial aesthetics, with its intricate surgery and positive impact on patients. Throughout his medical career, Dr. Ben Cilento has trained and worked with leaders in head and neck and facial plastic surgery. He completed a residency in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Washington in Seattle. It was there that he trained under world-renowned leaders in the field such as Craig Murakami, Neal Futran and Sam Most. While in Seattle, he received many awards for clinical research (see below), and he published numerous articles on facial plastic surgery (see below). Following residency, Dr. Cilento began serving his time with the Navy and was appointed as the Head of the Department of Otolaryngology at a US Naval Hospital in Asia. After two years in this post, he was among an elite group selected for a fellowship in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. At the Tulane University in New Orleans, he again trained with pioneers in rhinoplasty and facial aesthetics. Here he completed a fellowship under Dr. Calvin M Johnson, Jr., a world-famous surgeon who is credited by many as changing the way modern-day surgeons think of rhinoplasty and facial rejuvenation. After completing training, Dr. Cilento then accepted an assistant professorship at the prestigious Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USUHS) and was appointed Chief of the Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Navy’s largest medical facility — Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, VA. In addition, Dr. Cilento was an assistant professor at the Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) in Norfolk, Virginia for the Department of Otolaryngology where he was responsible for the education of residents and medical students. During this time he served as the Director of Research and won multiple awards for research, most notably — American Heart Association Research Grant for Immunologic Research on B-Cell hypermutation, the Potsic Ferguson Award for the best presentation of a resident at the Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings (COSM) and the John Orlando Roe Award from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) for his work on the aging face. His current research and area of expertise centers around the functional and aesthetic aspects of the nose, specifically fixing problems of nasal breathing and congestion. He has lectured in Canada, South America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Spain and is Board Certified in both Otolaryngology (ABOTO) and Facial Plastic Surgery (AAFPRS). The most important aspect of his practice is his dedication to combining state of the art medical and surgical care with a compassionate Holistic approach. Dr. Cilento is also an accomplished artist, working in pen and ink, pastel and watercolor. He emphasizes an artistic and balanced approach to surgery, patient interaction and life in general.