Dr. Mark Chariker
Board-certified in Plastic Surgery by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and in General Surgery by the American Board of Surgery, Dr. Chariker is also a candidate for board certification by the American Society of Plastic Surgery.
Dr. Chariker believes strongly that his extensive experience in both cosmetic and reconstructive surgery enables him to provide better care in both disciplines. His cosmetic patients benefit from his deep understanding of the body’s underlying structures—which helps avoid short-sighted approaches that can lead to incorrect or inadequate solutions—and his extensive experience in cosmetic surgery leads to more aesthetically pleasing results for his reconstructive patients.
He also brings extensive experience in general oncologic and general pediatric surgery to his plastic surgery practice, and his training in microsurgery enhances his expertise in reconstructive surgery for both adult and pediatric patients.
Fellowship trained in hand surgery at the Kleinert Hand Institute, Dr. Chariker received his plastic surgery training at the University of Louisville. He was the director for hand surgery in the Department of Plastic Surgery at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia before moving to Louisville as the Director of Craniofacial Surgery.
For five years he has also been the surgical director for Operation Hope, a project dedicated to performing corrective surgery for pediatric and adult patients with craniofacial anomalies, predominantly in the Philippines.
Doctor Chariker is a graduate of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. After completing his General Surgery training at the University of South Carolina in Spartanburg, He began his active duty military career in the US Navy starting with the Gulf War. While in the Navy he returned to training and was sent to the University of Louisville Plastic Surgery program, known for its rigorous anatomic and microsurgery program. He moved on to complete a fellowship in Hand Surgery at the Kleinert Institute and a pediatric and craniofacial fellowship in Taiwan’s Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. He completed a distinguished 20 year career as a commander and returned to civilian life in Louisville, Kentucky where he joined Drs Gerald Verdi and Gerald O’Daniel. He is now the Director of Pediatric Plastic Surgery where he collaborates with the departments of neurosurgery, orthopedics, spine, pediatric surgery and cardiothoracic surgery to solve and resolve many complicated clinical challenges with children. He and his associate Dr Scott Rapp are co-directors of the Craniofacial surgery team and the Cleft Lip and Palate team sponsored by the State of Kentucky’s Commision for Children with Special Healthcare Needs.
He continues to practice the full spectrum of pediatric and adult plastic surgery. With over 30 years of surgical experience, he utilizes his training in the anatomic sciences and reconstructive surgery to perform restorative and rejuvenation surgery of the face, nose, eyes and ears. He continues to maintain a robust practice in breast surgery from cancer reconstruction, breast reduction, congenital breast reconstruction and augmentation.
With a heavy experience in congenital and adult hand surgery, he continues to manage a broad spectrum of hand anomalies and problems.
Doctor Chariker strives to communicate honesty, pragmatism and compassion to his patients. His main objective in treating patients requiring an operation, is to bring them thru the surgical experience safely, painlessly and with a predictable outcome. He continues his 25 year history of mission work in the Philippines, which he feels keeps him grounded as a physician and as a person.