DICRAN GOULIAN

GOULIAN--Dicran, Jr.

M.D.D.D.S, one of the country's leading plastic surgeons and the inventor of the Goulian Surgical Knife, died in Gilbert, Arizona on Wednesday, August 3rd at the age of 89. Born in 1927 in Weehawken, NJ, Goulian received his undergraduate degree from Columbia College, his DDS from the Columbia School of Dental and Oral Surgery and his MD from the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Goulian was a full professor and Chief of Plastic Surgery at the New York Hospital--Cornell Medical Center (now named The New York-Presbyterian Hospital/ Weill Cornell Medical Center) from 1969-1987. He trained over 80 top residents during the time he headed up the department at Cornell, many of whom went on to achieve great success on their own. Goulian pioneered many innovations in plastic surgery, most notably in the areas of cosmetic, cleft lip and palate, and burns. He invented a surgical knife-- the "Goulian Knife"--manufactured by Weck and still widely used today. In honor of his lifetime of achievement in the field, New York Presbyterian Hospital created the Dicran Goulian MD Award for Academic Excellence for residents in the plastic surgery program, now in its 17th year. In 2012, Goulian was awarded the American Society of Plastic Surgeons President's Award. He is survived by a brother, Dr. Mehran Goulian, of LaJolla, CA. and four children: Linda Goulian DeStefano of Tulsa, OK, Dicran Goulian III of Gilbert, AZ, Beverly Goulian Johnson of Castle Rock, CO, and Elizabeth Goulian Kahle of Rye, NY. He also leaves behind eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife, Jean Marie Aldreany Goulian, and his second wife, Nancy Knauer Goulian. There will be a memorial service October 23, 2016 at 1pm at the Armenian Presbyterian Church in Paramus, NJ.