Michael J. Miller vs. transgender people

Michael J. Miller is an American plastic surgeon and anti-transgender activist. In 2019, Miller left an academic leadership role at The Ohio State University primarily “over pressure to perform transgender surgery,” according to anti-trans group Arizona Women of Action.

Miller attended at least one pivotal 2017 strategy meeting with anti-trans hate group Alliance Defending Freedom, as part of their efforts to recruit anti-trans expert witnesses to participate in legal cases and legislation.

Background

Michael John “Mike” Miller was likely born between 1954 and 1955. According to a 2019 CV, Miller attended the United States Air Force Academy from 1973 to 1975, then earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1978. Miller earned a certificate in Bible Studies at The International Christian Graduate University in Fontana, California in 1981.

Miller earned a medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester in 1982. Miller trained in general surgery at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, from 1982 to 1987, then completed a plastic and reconstructive surgery residency at Ohio State in 1989 and a reconstructive microsurgery fellowship at Tulane University in 1990. Miller was certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery in 1993 and has been a member of the American Medical Association and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Miller joined the Department of Plastic Surgery at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas as an assistant professor in 1990, becoming an associate professor in 1995 and full professor in 2002. Miller also held concurrent clinical and adjunct appointments at Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University’s bioengineering department, and the University of Texas at Austin. At MD Anderson, Miller was medical director of the microvascular surgery unit from 1994 to 2007 and deputy chair of the department from 1997 to 2007. Miller is known for cancer-related reconstructive surgery.

Starting in 2003, Miller served on FDA’s General and Plastic Surgery Devices Panel, which reviews silicone gel breast implants, dermal fillers, and other devices. FDA gave Miller a Distinguished Service Award for this work. Miller was also a director of the American Board of Plastic Surgery and an associate editor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery from 2005 to 2010. Miller was section editor for reconstructive oncology at Annals of Surgical Oncology from 2008 to 2010. Miller also consulted for the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons on surgical training.

In February 2007, Miller was appointed chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery at Ohio State University Medical Center. On July 1, 2017 Miller was reappointed to a term ending June 31, 2021. Miller left that role in 2019.

Starting in 2019, Miller’s primary practice was Park Meadows Cosmetic Surgery in Lone Tree, Colorado.

Miller became a member of Christian Medical and Dental Associations in 1989. Miller has served on boards of several faith-based groups, including Britain Christian Foundation, evangelical media company Mars Hill Productions, Christian healthcare nonprofit Kardia Foundation, and Christian humanitarian nonprofit World Vision. Miller was a leader at Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas.

Anti-trans activism

In 2017, the Alliance Defending Freedom held at least two strategy meetings in Arizona. In a 2021 deposition, Patrick Lappert recalled meeting Miller at a second ADF meeting:

“Oh, also at that second meeting, there was a plastic surgeon. I can’t remember his last name. I was — I remember being very encouraged to meet another plastic surgeon who saw this as an issue. And I do remember that he had been the chairman — this speaks to the issue of fear about testifying. He had been the chairman of a major plastic surgery department in a large Midwest university, had built that program for many years, had run one of the most successful residency training programs. And he had been fired because he had objections to the transgender services that the hospital administration — or the university administration wanted to introduce. And I thought it was a very heartbreaking story to see that a man had lost his entire career over his professional opinion. I don’t remember his last name, but I do know that I met him at that second meeting.

[…] I believe he was from the Ohio State University. But I haven’t seen or heard from him since. He has just disappeared. I tried to reach out to him, I recall, because, again, there’s not a lot of plastic surgeons who are willing to speak on this matter. And — but I haven’t heard from him since.”

2024 Arizona event

In 2024, Miller was an announced speaker at the “Back to Reality Summit” held by Arizona Women of Action. It was sponsored by Women for Families & Freedom, Summit Ministries, and the Hatten Family Foundation.

• “Chloe Cole”
• Jason Evert
• Trent Langhofer
• Michael J. Miller

Miller’s speaker bio notes the role at Ohio State “before stepping down in 2019 primarily because of pressure to perform transgender surgery, which he refused to do.” 

References

Jones, Zinnia (September 1, 2022). CMA against Florida: Catholic Medical Association members Hruz, Van Meter, and Lappert have worked with Alliance Defending Freedom since 2017 to develop a group of anti-trans expert witnesses. Gender Analysis https://genderanalysis.net/2022/09/cma-against-florida-catholic-medical-association-members-hruz-van-meter-and-lappert-have-worked-with-alliance-defending-freedom-since-2017-to-develop-a-group-of-anti-trans-expert-witnesses/

Bonn, Anne (April 16, 2019). Press release: Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. Michael Miller Joins Park Meadows Cosmetic Surgery. https://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/462095/board-certified-plastic-surgeon-dr-michael-miller-joins-park-meadows-cosmetic-surgery

Gao, L. (2019). Interview with Prof. Michael John Miller: breast reconstruction reshapes beauty for patients. Annals of Breast Surgery, 3, 12–12. https://doi.org/10.21037/abs.2019.05.03

US Food and Drug Administration (January 24, 2019). Curriculum vitae: Michael J. Miller, M.D., F.A.C.S. https://www.fda.gov/media/126065/download

Staff report (May 2007). Miller is named division chief. Surgery Today: Quarterly Newsletter of The Ohio State University Department of Surgery, Volume 16, Number 2. https://kb.osu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/fbf5e856-378b-5975-93d4-d865c7db6856/content

Anti-trans coverage

Arizona Women of Action (2024). Back to Reality Summit. https://www.azwomenofaction.com/summits

Media

All Sides with Amy Juravich, Josef Woodman, David Sarwer, and Michael J. Miller (July 2, 2015). Nip. Tuck. Cosmetic Procedures on the Rise. WOSU https://www.wosu.org/show/all-sides-with-ann-fisher/2015-07-02/nip-tuck-cosmetic-procedures-on-the-rise

Resources

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

• michael-miller-4120a037

Park Meadows Cosmetic Surgery (parkmeadowscosmeticsurgery.com)

Ohio State University College of Medicine (medicine.osu.edu)

• Executive Leadership: Department Chair Michael Miller, MD, Plastic Surgery
• medicine.osu.edu/about/pages/executiveleadership.aspx [archive]

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (mdanderson.org)

• Plastic Surgeons: Michael J. Miller, M.D.
• mdanderson.org/departments/plasticsurg/dIndex.cfm?pn=47DBE6AC-9321-11D4-80FA00508B603A14 [archive]
• Michael J. MIller, M.D., Associate Professor & Deputy Chairman
• www3.mdanderson.org/DEPARTMENTS/plastic/miller.htm [archive]

NPIDB (npidb.org)

• Michael J Miller, MD – NPI #1588762710
• npidb.org/doctors/allopathic_osteopathic_physicians/plastic-surgery_208200000x/1588762710.aspx