About Phileemon E. Payne, MD

Phileemon Eric Payne M.D. is a native Texan and grew up in the southwest. He finished medical school at Loma Linda University School of Medicine in 2004. While a student he gained an appreciation for plastic and reconstructive surgery, specifically in craniofacial surgery. His passion for helping people was instilled by his parents. After completing his medicine degree in California, Dr. Payne returned to Texas to begin training in general surgery at Texas Tech University Health Science Center, El Paso. During Dr. Payne’s time in El Paso, he traveled several times to Juarez Mexico to treat underserved children with cleft lip and palate deformities. This experience further confirmed his passion to pursue craniofacial and plastic surgery. After completing his chief year of surgery training, Dr. Payne was accepted to the University of Texas at Houston to complete plastic surgery training. During his two years in Houston he learned about the need for helping children born with craniofacial deformities in the Houston area. Dr. Payne finished an additional year of training in Dallas at Medical City Hospital in the subspecialty of craniofacial surgery. During this time, he continued participating in humanitarian mission trips to India and Zimbabwe to treat children with cleft and craniofacial deformities. The Craniofacial and Plastic Surgery Center of Houston was established to create a center of excellence in the fourth largest city in the United States. Dr. Payne is proud to contribute significant time, energy, and skill to several charitable organizations and programs, including LEAP Global Missions, Christus Foundation for Healthcare, the Shriners Hospital for Children-Houston, and Operation San Jose. LEAP Global Missions, a Christian medical outreach program, brings together specialists in various medical fields to provide advanced care to underserved populations in Zimbabwe, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Belize, India, and areas where disaster relief is needed. Through the Cronin-Brauer Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic, families in Mexico, Texas, and the surrounding states receive treatment for craniofacial deformities at the Shriners Hospital for Children. Dr. Payne performs life-changing surgeries for children who would otherwise have no access to the necessary care. Returning year-after-year, Dr. Payne and his medical team forge lasting relationships with patients and their families, delivering the compassionate, leading treatment that all people deserve to experience.