In Loving Memory of
Thomas J. Baker, M.D.
Founder of Baker Gordon Symposium
Professor of Surgery (Plastic) – Voluntary
University of Miami Leonard M. Miller
School, of Medicine Miami, FL
The 59th Symposium will be our penultimate meeting, “A Prelude to our Grand Finale in 2026.” Understanding that exceptional experiences cannot last forever we want to remember and honor the history and legacy of our founder, Dr. Thomas J. Baker. Baker Gordon Symposium would not be possible without the contributions made by our founder, Dr. Thomas Baker.
Fifty-nine years later, the contributions of Dr. Baker continues. The Baker Gordon Symposium has become the largest live surgery symposia in the United States, and has trained thousands of national and international plastic surgeons.
MEMORIAL MESSAGE
Dr.Thomas J. Baker passed on December 26, 2020. A compassionate, humble man, Dr. Baker touched the lives of many while leaving behind an inspiring legacy of excellence in aesthetic surgery.
From the start of his career, Dr. Baker was a strong proponent for the importance of aesthetic surgery, emphasizing its value as a sub- specialty of academic plastic surgery. During a time in which resources to educate plastic surgeons were limited, Dr. Baker and his partner, Dr. Howard Gordon, advanced our specialty by founding The Baker Gordon Symposium in 1967. It was the first live surgery symposium focused on educating surgeons on the contemporary techniques applied while performing cosmetic procedures.
Over the ensuing 55 years, Dr. Baker invited the world’s most distinguished aesthetic surgeons to The Baker Gordon Symposium, held in Miami, FL, where he imparted unparalleled surgical techniques to thousands of plastic surgeons. Highly recognized as the father of the modern chemical peel and an innovator in face lifting techniques, Dr. Baker authored over 100 articles and multiple academic textbooks and served as a founding member of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
A life so honorably lived deserves to be commemorated. He will be greatly missed and profoundly venerated as we continue his legacy by celebrating the annual Baker Gordon Symposiums on Aesthetic Surgery.
James M. Stuzin, M.D.
