Varazdat Ghazanchyan was one of the pioneering revolutionaries in the field of plastic surgery. Due to his pioneering and fundamental application of medical technologies in the correction of facial deformities and the rehabilitation of the maxillofacial system after trauma, he received great recognition during his lifetime and is now remembered as one of the pioneering founders of the field.

Fleeing the Hamidian massacres that engulfed Western Armenia, Ghazanchian fled to the United States as a refugee. He managed to enroll at Harvard Dental School and was soon recognized as an accomplished oral and maxillofacial surgeon.

However, it was during his years of service in the Harvard military unit during World War I that his name became widely known. After successfully treating 3,000 facial injuries in a military hospital, he was declared the “Miracle of the Western Front.”

For his efforts and services the King of Great Britain awarded Georgi Kazanchian with the Orders of St. Michael and St. Gevorg.

After the end of World War I, Kazanchian returned to Harvard University to complete his studies and, after receiving his doctorate, established his own practice in the nascent field of plastic surgery. He became the first professor of plastic surgery at Harvard Medical School and published more than 150 scientific articles on the subject. Kazanchian has received numerous awards and honors from peers and professional associations, including the American Society for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.