Joseph P. Hunstad always knew he’d be a surgeon. After completing his internship and residency in his home state of Michigan, his studies led him to Houston, TX where he attained a highly sought after fellowship in reconstructive microsurgery at the MECOM Microsurgery Institute. Believing he discovered his specialty – burn repair surgery – he developed his gift while enjoying the intricacy and strenuous pace intensive care trauma presented. However, a rare invitation to perform a cleft lip operation and complex hand surgery from the Chief of the Burn Unit, a plastic surgeon, would introduce him to a new career in the innovative field of reconstructive plastic surgery.