His smile is infectious. His delivery is staccato fast. His compassion for people torn by war, poverty, disease and misfortune is seemingly boundless. As this article is published, South Florida Plastic Surgeon Chance Taylor Kaplan will be deployed somewhere between the Horn of Africa and south of the former Russian states overseeing the medical needs of 210,000 American troops. It would be a daunting task for many but not so for Colonel Kaplan. It is a mission he knows well and handles with ease, backed by a lot of thoughtful and intense preparation.
While serving with the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) area operations, Kaplan leaves behind a busy plastic surgery practice with two locations in Fort Lauderdale and Miami in the capable hands of Board Certified and Georgetown University graduate, Dr. Michael Thomasson, who has worked with him for more than two years. “It’s a win-win situation,” said Kaplan. “Over the years, I have benefited from bringing in young, bright, skilled surgeons into my practice. In this case as in the past, I am assured my patients will receive competent follow-up care and Dr. Thomasson will retain any new business he brings in while I am deployed through the spring of 2012. No matter where I am, I am accessible by phone or e-mail if needed at home.” Kaplan also has maintained relationships with other area practitioners. “We readily cross cover each other when needed.”
Kaplan was sent to Kuwait in December for a leadership overview of the area of operations. Intense training began in January. “We are soldiers first,” said Kaplan, “our secondary role is doctor. That means we are weapons qualified and must be proficient in handling all types of vehicles. We get the same training every soldier gets.”
Kaplan takes with him some 54 medical personnel ranging from surgeons to veterinarians. They have responsibility for the medical care of US troops, military working dogs, and also provide humanitarian aid to the local populations. “To a great extent, CENTCOM relies on local produce and water,” said Kaplan. “We ensure the water is potable and all food brought in for the troops is inspected.”
Kaplan’s special skill sets also are put to use aiding host nation personnel and the local population. At a command center in Kuwait, Kaplan will operate one day a week. During the 1994-95 United Nations military action in Haiti against the junta, Kaplan served as Chief of the General Surgery Service at a hospital set up near the airport to treat US soldiers and injured nationals. Far different from past conflicts that engaged the United States, Kaplan is grateful for the recognition soldiers receive today, not only for liberation efforts but also for their work to improve health care and local living conditions. Even as short a time ago as in the 1990s, “we could not wear our uniforms when we traveled,” said Kaplan. “Now we do. It’s overwhelming to have people come up to us, shake our hands, thank us, even offer to buy us dinner.”
In a very personal tribute to his fellow men and women in uniform, Kaplan has partnered with Capital Grille to create a program that has been providing Thanksgiving dinner to more than 750 veterans at the Miami VA Hospital since 2008. The effort has expanded to other locations and gone beyond providing a hot meal, now ensuring wheel chairs for veterans in need of them.
In civilian life, Kaplan also has served on volunteer missions with Operation Smile to Thailand, Brazil, and Central America to repair cleft lips and palates, and ridding people of parasites that plague these regions. This is a role he finds especially rewarding. “We advertise weeks in advance of arriving so that we can treat as many people as possible,” said Kaplan. “We put everything we need on a plane, take off, set down and are ready to go. In Thailand, we saw 2,000 patients in a two-week period, and operated on up to 700 individuals.” A normal team will include five doctors, four to five nurses, and 45 soldiers. Operation Smile “offers good training, good PR and is especially meaningful to young soldiers,” added Kaplan.
Watching a person smile unabashed following surgery on a cleft palate brings Kaplan great joy. He recalled a 37-year-old Thai woman who came into his clinic with a severe bilateral cleft lip. “We could see to the back of her throat and she did not want to expose herself, facing only to the wall. The day following surgery, we found her standing up and proudly smiling at us all.”
Colonel Kaplan was born in Wurzburg, Germany, the son of a US military father and a nurse. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from The Citadel in 1982. In 1987, he earned a Doctor of Medicine from the Medical University of South Carolina. After completing a five-year general surgery residency at the University of Miami and a two-year plastic surgery fellowship at Ohio State University, Kaplan became a Board Certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon. His military decorations and awards are numerous, including the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal with seven oak leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, National Defense Service Ribbon with one bronze service star, Humanitarian Service Medal, United Nations Medal, among others.
Colonel Kaplan is married to Marnie Sue Kaplan, M.D., herself a successful breast cancer surgeon. Together they have often coordinated care for patients needing reconstructive plastic surgery following treatment for cancer. This cooperative effort will continue with Dr. Thomasson’s help.
The Kaplans are eagerly awaiting their first child, a son due in June of this year, who will be named after his father. When asked what he wishes for his son, Colonel Kaplan said that he wishes for young Chance “a world without conflict” and the hope that he and his wife will “have done something to make the world a better place.” With the enthusiasm and drive that Colonel Kaplan puts behind all of his actions, there is a far greater chance that his hopes for his son will indeed be fulfilled.
