Michael S. Golinko, M.D., FAAP, FACS

Assistant Professor, Plastic Surgery
Medical Director, Cleft and Craniofacial Program
Chief, Pediatric Plastic Surgery
Director, Craniofacial Surgery Fellowship

Team Role: Program director. Performs craniosynostosis surgery, cleft lip/palate repair, nose repair, bone grafting, jaw lengthening surgery, facial fracture repair and other pediatric plastic surgeries.

Michael Golinko, M.D., received his undergraduate degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his medical degree at the University of South Florida. He completed his internship in general surgery at the State University of New York. Golinko then spent two years during his general surgery residency in a clinical outcomes program for wound healing funded by the National Institutes of Health at Columbia University, and he completed his residency in general surgery at New York University. He also completed a three-year residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery at Emory University. Golinko completed a one-year craniofacial surgery fellowship at New York University Langone Medical Center. 

Golinko is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Southeastern
Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Association and the American Society of
Craniofacial Surgeons.

Golinko joined the plastic surgery faculty at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in 2018 after having directed the craniofacial program at Arkansas Children’s for nearly four years. During his tenure at Vanderbilt, he has led efforts to create a multidisciplinary cleft and craniofacial team that provides comprehensive child- and family-centered care. His clinical focus is craniosynostosis, which encompasses the entire spectrum of cleft surgery, from primary repair and jaw reconstruction to nose surgery and facial fractures. 

His research interests include neuroimaging and developmental outcomes in babies with craniosynostosis, complex facial clefts and injury prevention in children. With a full-time research coordinator and a dedicated surgical outcomes group, Golinko conducts studies to improve patient outcomes and add to our knowledge in both cleft and craniofacial care. 

Due to the high volume and complexity of cleft and craniofacial cases seen at Vanderbilt, Golinko started and directs the Adult and Pediatric Craniofacial Surgery Fellowship to train the next generation of surgeons who specialize in this work. He also has taken his skillset and passion abroad in Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Nepal and India on various volunteer surgical trips. 

Though a native New Yorker, Golinko loves living in Nashville with his wife, daughter and golden retriever.