Meet Dr Jun Kwon

MB ChB (Otago), PGDipSurgAnat (Dist), FRACS (Plast), PFET (Craniomaxillofacial)

"I’ll take time to understand your wishes, explain your options, and answer questions so you feel well informed and supported throughout your surgical journey."

Proudly New Zealand trained

Dr Hyok Jun Kwon graduated from the University of Otago, Dunedin School of Medicine in 2011. He was inspired to pursue a career in Plastic Surgery due to its artistic, creative nature and the high level of technical skill it demands. After training in centres throughout New Zealand, he was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons in 2023. He was awarded the Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons essay prize for the highest mark amongst senior trainees in Australia and New Zealand.

Extensive international expertise

He then completed a two year PFET program (Post Surgical Education and Training) under the supervision of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Craniomaxillofacial Surgeons and the American Society of Craniofacial Surgeons. He received fellowships from two internationally renowned centres of excellence, Cleft and Craniofacial South Australia, Adelaide, Australia and the Craniofacial Center, University of Washington, Seattle, United States. His training included treatment of both acquired and congenital facial differences. He is one of few surgeons in Australasia with formal fellowship training in facial feminisation surgery.

Additionally he also learnt from leading cosmetic surgeons in Australia, South Korea and the United States, with a special focus on facial aesthetic surgery, including rhinoplasty, facelift, blepharoplasty and Korean plastic surgery.

Dedicated to excellence

In addition to his private practice, Dr Kwon works as a consultant plastic surgeon at Waikato Hospital, where he provides cleft and craniofacial services for children with facial differences and trains the next generation of Kiwi plastic surgeons.

Dr Kwon is passionate about academia and keeping up with the latest techniques in plastic surgery. He has been awarded research prizes by the New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons, Australia and New Zealand Head and Neck Cancer Society and New Zealand Otolaryngolgy Head and Neck Society. A selection of Dr Kwon's scientific publications are listed below.

Research

Publications

• The muscularis uvulae muscle and the effect of Furlow’s palatoplasty on it. Dounas GD, Farmer LDM, Kwon HJ, Moore MH. J Craniofac Surg (Online ahead of print)
• Mandibular Lengthening by Distraction for Airway Obstruction in Treacher-Collins Syndrome: The 30-Year Results. Dounas GD, Farmer LDM, Kwon HJ, Moore MH. J Craniofac Surg 2025 April 1. DOI: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000011255 (Online ahead of print) 
• Exploring Ethnic and Geographic Disparities in Polydactyly Incidence in New Zealand 2010 - 2022. Wen D, Rahman J, Kwon HJ. ANZ J Surg. 2025 Mar 27.  doi: 10.1111/ans.70110.  Online ahead of print.
• Abstracts to articles: Examining the publication of presentations at the New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons Annual Scientific Meetings. Wen D, Kwon HJ. ANZ J Surg. 2025 Mar 10.  doi: 10.1111/ans.70026.  Online ahead of print.
• A survey of the management of submucous cleft palate amongst surgeons and speech pathologists in Australia and New Zealand. Kwon HJ, Farmer LDM, Richards C, Moore MH. Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal (In Press)
• The Incidence and Morphology of Deformational Plagiocephaly in Unicoronal Synostosis. Kwon HJ, Deek R, Farmer LDM, Moore MH. J Craniofac Surg. 2024 Sep 17
• Heterozygous FGFR3 c.138G>A Mutation Presenting With Achondroplasia and Hemifacial Microsomia. Kwon HJ, Farmer LDM, Moore MH. J Craniofac Surg 2024 Feb 16.
• Validation of a simple, patient directed, symptom based index for intestinal inflammation. HJ Kwon, S Dudley-Brown, M Williams, M Sullivan, M Schultz. J Clin Gastroenterol Treat 2016, 2:020 Volume 2 | Issue 2
• Changing Prevalence and Treatment Outcomes of Patients with p16 Human Papillomavirus Related Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in New Zealand. HJ Kwon, HD Brasch, S Benison, RW Marsh, T Itinteang, GW Titchener, J Evans, ST Tan.  Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2016 Oct;54(8):898-903.
• Ethnic disparities in thyroid surgery outcomes in New Zealand. HJ Kwon, RP Morton. ANZ J Surg. 2015 May 1

Presentations

• The Incidence and Morphology of Deformational Plagiocephaly in Unicoronal Synostosis. European Society for Craniofacial Surgery. Helsinki, Finland 2024
• Management of submucous cleft palate patients in Australasia: a survey. The 13th Biennial Congress of Asian Pacific Craniofacial Association (APCA) / The 10th Asian Pacific Cleft Lip-Palate & Craniofacial Congress (APCLPC) Taipei, Taiwan 2023
• Does a same day consultation and treatment model improve excision outcomes for skin cancer? New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons ASM Queenstown, NZ 2021
• Do RAS inhibitors affect outcomes in metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck? Plastic Surgery Congress, Melbourne, Australia 2019
• Do Renin-Angiotensin System Inhibitors Improve Outcomes of Oral Cavity Cancer? New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons ASM. Queenstown, NZ 2018
• Value added by nerve conduction studies in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. New Zealand Society for Surgery of the Hand. Queenstown, NZ 2016
• Variability in the assessment of carpal tunnel syndrome. Queenstown, NZ 2016
• Reducing rupture following flexor tendon repair distal to the A1 pulley: a two centre, two country study. New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons ASM. Queenstown, NZ 2016
• Outcomes of skin cancer excisions in the greater Wellington region and creation of a new prospective skin excision database. New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons ASM Queenstown, NZ. 2015
• Saline Versus Antibiotic Ear Drops For Prevention Of Early Complications Of Ventilation Tube Insertion. NZ Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Annual Meeting Nelson, NZ 2015
• HPV Related Oropharyngeal Cancer Has Different Outcomes And Characteristics. Greater Wellington Study, 1994-2014 NZ Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Annual Meeting Nelson, NZ 2015
• Why are Polynesians more likely to undergo thyroid surgery. NZ Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Annual Meeting Rotorua, NZ 2014
• Ethnic disparities in myringoplasty outcomes in Hawkes Bay Hospital. NZ Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Annual Meeting Rotorua, NZ 2014
• Validation of a short quality of life questionnaire in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. NZ Society of Gastroenterology Conference. Auckland, NZ 2010