Maheen Akhter is a predoctoral clinical research fellow at Stanford’s Division of Plastic Surgery and concurrently serves as the 2023-2024 Director of Operations for CARE PRS. She attends medical school at Central Michigan University and hopes to match to a plastic surgery residency program in 2025. Originally a south Bay Area native (plus a few years in LA – go Trojans!), Maheen is thrilled to be back in Palo Alto this year to publish impactful research in the field of plastic surgery. 

Maheen is deeply inspired by the artful nature and never-ending possibilities in repurposing tissue to restore form and function. Breast reconstruction, lymphedema, microsurgery, and medical education are just a few of her clinical and research interests. She is also passionate about mentoring students from disadvantaged backgrounds and paving the way for medical students who do not have a home plastic surgery program. In her free time, Maheen runs a small business as a professional henna artist (@maheenshennaart) and loves to experiment with new recipes in the kitchen – especially Asian cuisine and farm-to-table foods.