Dr. Deborah Watson earned her medical degree from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She completed her general and otolaryngology head and neck surgery residencies at the UCLA Medical Center. She did a fellowship in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Illinois in Chicago. She is a double board-certified surgeon focusing on rhinoplasty (plastic surgery of the nose), nasal reconstruction, external ear reconstruction, and cosmetic facial plastic surgery. She is a Professor for the Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery at the University of California, San Diego,  Director of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the UC San Diego Medical Center, and Residency Director for their postgraduate surgical training program. She has an extensive research background and is pursuing research in tissue-engineered cartilage for its use in craniofacial reconstruction. The future application of this tissue technology will benefit individuals who have birth defects involving the cartilage framework of their nose or ears or have acquired deformities of these facial areas from trauma, cancer resection, or aggressive alterations from previous surgery.