Joani Christensen, MD

Dr. Joani Christensen is a board-certified Plastic Surgeon in the Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center. She specializes in microvascular reconstruction from head to toe and has a particular interest in breast reconstruction and the surgical treatment of lymphedema. She has authored over 39 papers and book chapters on various topics in reconstructive surgery, and her work has been presented in the United States and abroad. She is actively performing research to improve treatments and patient outcomes in breast reconstruction, lymphedema, and limb reconstruction. She has served on several panels and committees for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Dr. Christensen graduated from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with Alpha Omega Alpha honors prior to completing Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery training in the Harvard Combined Plastic Surgery Residency, with clinical work at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, and Boston Children’s Hospital. This was followed by one year of advanced training in microvascular reconstruction at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Christensen was then recruited to join the faculty at Washington University in St. Louis, where she worked to develop a comprehensive lymphedema surgery treatment program. Dr. Christensen returned to the MD Anderson Plastic Surgery Department in 2023.