Do you know what the letters “F.A.C.S.” mean after a surgeon’s name? The letters stand for “Fellow of the American College of Surgeons” and indicate that the surgeon has passed a thorough evaluation of both professional competence and ethical fitness. Fellows commit to placing the welfare of patients above any other consideration, to avoid division of fees with other physicians, to make fees commensurate with the services rendered, and to refrain from performing unjustified operations.
Dr. John Henry Pang of Align Surgical Associates, Inc., not only has this credential, but also is a double board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon. He specializes in complex genital, face, and chest reconstruction, and aesthetic surgery and body contouring. A committed advocate for transgender healthcare rights, he has appeared in many news outlets to speak on the importance of transgender people’s access to gender-confirming treatments and surgeries.
GGBA: Please tell us about your practice, Align Surgical Associates, Inc., including its mission and values.
Dr. John Henry Pang: Align Surgical Associates is a dedicated multidisciplinary team of surgeons and healthcare providers passionate about delivering top-notch, personalized surgical care to our patients. We specialize in all aspects of gender-affirming surgery and plastic surgery.
As the name implies, our mission centers on aligning the mind, identity, and body, with a core practice focus on seamlessly integrating compassion with surgical excellence. We are a minority-owned and led practice that serves a diverse patient population across a spectrum of gender, sexual minority-ship, race, and socio-economic status, continually working to improve access to high-quality surgical care for the trans and queer community. Achieving this requires extensive community engagement and involvement, and we pride ourselves on working collaboratively with patients and healthcare providers to ensure that. For those of us who identify as part of the queer community, it’s a way of actively giving back. We believe that this philosophy lends itself to a warm, empathic touch during an otherwise vulnerable moment in our patients’ lives.
GGBA: What led to the establishment of Align Surgical Associates?
Dr. John Henry Pang: Recent studies in medical literature have identified a strong patient desire for provider congruency. To put that plainly, patients seek out and thrive with healthcare providers who share and can relate to their identities and lived experiences. As a biracial Black-Filipino gay man, Dr. Thomas Satterwhite, who founded Align, has worked to create such a space for our trans community, providing empathy, compassion, and recognition for who they are, coupled with the highest level of excellence in their care. Our practice partner, Dr. Dev Gurjala, shares this vision, and as a Korean-American gay man from a low-income background, I feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of such a practice. I appreciate that our team at Align sits at the intersection of these identities—we’re in a unique position to provide the kind of care patients are seeking, and the kind of care they deserve.
GGBA: Can you share more about your experience having a practice in the community?
Dr. John Henry Pang: San Francisco and the Bay Area hold such a central place in the fight for queer equality and recognition. It is truly special to be a part of that tapestry and to serve in this community. Queer surgeons caring for the queer community—I never would have imagined this in my childhood! Particularly in our field of gender-affirming surgery, so many community healthcare providers—my fellow surgeons, physicians, nurses, mental health providers, social workers, patient navigators, to name just a few—also come from a diverse array of gender, sexual, racial, and socioeconomic minority backgrounds. Our practice takes seriously our role and responsibility as active members of this community. We recently held an open house at our practice to thank and celebrate our collaborators in our efforts to serve the trans community—there was just such a tremendous sense of community and a shared commitment to excellence, and really drove home just how fortunate we are that our patients entrust us with their care.
GGBA: Why did you decide to join the GGBA, and how long have you been a member?
Dr. John Henry Pang: We joined the GGBA this past year, driven by a desire to support and celebrate the community we are a part of and serve. The GGBA is a fantastic organization that connects members and businesses with one another, demonstrating a commitment to the local community. We view these efforts as essential for the success of small businesses like ours, and to the overall well-being and prosperity of the queer community as a whole.
GGBA: What services does your business offer?
Dr. John Henry Pang: Align offers a comprehensive range of plastic surgery and gender-affirming procedures. This includes facial surgery (harmonizing each of your features), chest surgery, breast augmentation, body contouring (liposuction, “Brazilian butt-lift”), and complex genital reconstruction. Additionally, our cosmetic services encompass non-invasive procedures such as injectable neurotoxins (Botox) and facial fillers, which also happen to be a personal passion of mine. We meet you where your embodiment goals are. Come by and say hello!
GGBA: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Dr. John Henry Pang: I’m relatively new to San Francisco, having moved here from New York. My husband Mark and I love the outdoors and the beauty of the Bay Area, and we’re exploring the many hikes and opportunities for fresh California air. Tennessee Valley is so beautiful! We’ve settled into the Castro, where we live with our kitten Mika, whom we adopted from the San Francisco SPCA shortly after our move. We’re considering a dog next! We love good food and are gradually working our way through a seemingly endless list of restaurants—we’re open to recommendations!
For more information about Align Surgical Associates: https://www.alignsurgical.com/
Golden Gate Business Association Member Spotlight
Published on May 18, 2023
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