Who Is Dr. Christopher Salgado? Details About Jazz Jenning's Disgraced Sex Surgeon
A University of Miami surgeon was fired after sharing images of transgender patients on Instagram.
Instagram A University of Miami surgeon has been fired after sharing graphic images of his transgender patients in surgery without their permission. Dr. Christopher Salgado, a genital reconstruction surgeon, was discovered posting graphic images on his Instagram account, which has since been deleted.
Salgado was discovered to be mocking his patients on the account using inappropriate images, captions, and hashtags. The account was taken down after the first complaints and deleted shortly thereafter, but he may have started posting the inappropriate content as early as October 2018. Most recently, Salgado posted a photo on Valentine's Day of a recently removed penis from his own patient, placed into the shape of a heart with a caption, "There are many ways to show your LOVE." He also posted the CT scan of a person who had to have a large dildo surgically removed with the caption "mishap... could have been avoided."
In another post, he wrote about his use of a specific surgical technique for phalloplasty implants, calling the patient an “implant cripple.” Many of his posts, images, captions and hashtags filled the Instagram account. Salgado has worked with transgender people for many years and given talks and presentations to other medical professionals on transgender healthcare and gender confirmation surgery.
But in an exclusive interview with RadarOnline, one of Dr. Salgado’s former patients called him “Dr. Frankenstein.”
“Dr. Salgado destroyed a safe place for trans people to get the surgical support they need,” the patient told Radar. “We trust those doctors to improve our lives and this is what we get. He’s sick and twisted, he’s a disgrace.”
So who is Dr. Christopher Salgado? Here's what we know.
1. How it went down.
On Feb. 17, Salgado’s Instagram was shared in a Facebook group for people who have had or are seeking phalloplasty. It was quickly posted in another phalloplasty support group, and from there to the Transgender Professional Association for Transgender Health group, according to The TransAdvocate.
The groups quickly organized emails being sent to Dr. Salgado, his employer, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), the bodies governing his license as a doctor and surgeon. Also, a petition was created and signed by more than 500 people.
Before the Instagram was made private and then deleted, others took screenshots of his posts and posted onto Imgur.
The Dean of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine replied immediately saying Salgado’s actions were “disgusting” and would be dealt with “swiftly and decisively.” By Tuesday he was no longer employed by the University.
2. His employer’s response.
Dr. Salgado was reportedly presented by his employer with the option of resigning or facing termination. The TransAdvocate reached out to the University of Miami Health System, which offered the following statement:
"The University of Miami does not comment on the detailed status of employees. However, we can confirm that Dr. Christopher Salgado is no longer employed by the University of Miami. We continue to have a team of experts providing the full continuum of care for gender reassignment patients."
3. He appeared in "I Am Jazz."
Salgado appeared on an episode of TLC’s "I Am Jazz." a reality television series on TLC about a transgender girl named Jazz Jennings. The series features Jazz and her family "dealing with typical teen drama through the lens of a transgender youth.”
On the "I Am Jazz" episode, Jennings had a consultation with Dr. Salgado, who boasted about his 16 years in the field.
“Typically we use the penile skin inversion technique,” he explained during the consultation. “But I think it is going to be quite challenging with anyone who does your surgery to try to create a vaginal canal with what you have using your penile skin. I would recommend in your situation a colon vaginoplasty, which uses your intestine.”
Dr. Jess Ting ended up performing the operation.
4. He worked in Miami.
Dr. Christopher Salgado is a plastic surgeon in Miami, Florida and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Coral Gables Hospital and Jackson Health System-Miami. He received his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years. He is one of 21 doctors at Coral Gables Hospital and one of 14 at Jackson Health System-Miami who specialize in plastic surgery.
5. Other accusations
In the weeks following his resignation, other accusations about his behavior and practice have come to light. For instance, there are allegations that he has an unusually high rate of complications and failed to respond appropriately when they occurred. Another disturbing report alleges an incident of sexual harassment at a WPATH conference.
A person on Reddit name @u/Botched wrote:
“If you had a surgery with him at university of miami, and he botched you and you had complications please get in touch. he botched my a year ago and i have one more year to sue him, it would be easier if it is more than one person building a case against him. just like kathy rumer , some surgeons are just not up to par and they should stop botching so many patients.”
Maria Lianos-Carbone is author of "Oh Baby! A Mom's Self-Care Survival Guide for the First Year" and publisher of amotherworld.com.
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