Meet Dr. Gale

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Derrick Gale MD Facial and Reconstructive Surgery

Riverton & Salt Lake City, Utah

Dr. Derrick Gale is a fellowship-trained, board-certified, multi-disciplinary plastic surgeon specializing in reconstructive, facial, and sleep surgery. With years of rigorous training under his belt, Dr. Gale chooses to use only the best practices in patient care and most advanced surgical techniques. He applies them with experienced aesthetic judgment and surgical expertise to achieve each patient’s individual cosmetic and functional goals. Dr. Gale’s signature procedures include facelift, otoplasty, blepharoplasty, chin augmentation, and rhinoplasty.

Dr. Derrick Gale’s Approach

Dr. Gale takes a vested personal interest in each and every one of his patients. He cares about his patients first as individuals and enjoys the relationships that develop during the consultation, treatment, and monitoring process. 

Each patient he treats is unique and has a different idea of what results they would like to attain. By compassionately listening, Dr. Gale can formulate an optimal treatment plan, tailored to each specific individual. He finds great personal satisfaction in seeing his patients enjoy the transformative results from his work. 

Dr. Gale dedicates his practice to superior results that complement patients’ natural beauty. He continually strives to apply to most current techniques with the highest standards of safety. This drive to constantly be at the top of his field has pushed him to publish his own medical research on rhinoplasty, head, and neck surgery, and to give plastic and reconstructive surgery presentations to national audiences. 

Portrait of Dr. Gale, M.D. in blue suit

Dr. Gale’s Background

From a very young age, medicine and surgery intrigued Dr. Gale. He knew from second grade that his goal was to be a doctor. As he grew older, his early interest and satisfaction gained from repairing damaged bicycles, motorcycles, and automobiles paved the way to his specialization in reconstructive surgery. The complexity of the head, neck, and face presented Dr. Gale with a fantastic challenge, and the lasting impressions that the face leaves on our peers inspired him to want to reconstruct the faces of injured patients. 

Having no desire for complacency, learning to mend the face after facial trauma or cancer resections was not enough for Dr. Gale. The next challenge to overcome was to learn plastic surgery techniques that would enable him to fine-tune the soft tissue and skin of the head, face, and neck. By doing so, he could also create beautiful outcomes for his facial trauma patients. 

Knowing how to enhance both the functionality and aesthetics of his patients gives him great satisfaction and confidence in his ability to serve his patients to the highest possible standard.  

Portrait of Dr. Gale, M.D. in white coat

Dr. Gale’s Training

Dr. Gale is trained as a facial plastic surgeon, reconstructive surgeon, and was fellowship-trained in facial plastics and sleep surgery. He has years of training in jaw surgery under the expert direction of Dr. Alan Sclaroff, DDS, and Dr. Jose Barrera, MD. Furthermore, he has extensive experience in reconstructive surgery, treating facial trauma, and post-cancer ablation. His training and experience treating sleep disorders make his understanding of the face and neck anatomy complete and thorough.

Dr. Gale’s Practice

Dr. Gale knows that facial surgery can be intimidating and maybe even scary for his patients. This is why his practice maintains a down-to-earth and comfortable atmosphere. While delivering the highest level of care and expertise, the practice constantly strives to put patients at ease. 

With an established team of head and neck, microvascular, oculoplastic, and facial plastic surgeons, no case is too complicated or challenging for Dr. Gale and his team. Whether cosmetic, reconstructive, trauma, or sleep surgery, there is no other private practice in the Utah area that boasts the level of expertise found at the Ear Nose and Throat Centre of Utah.

Undergraduate: Biology and Zoology, Dean’s List – Southern Utah University

Medical School: University of Utah School of Medicine

Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Residency: Washington University in St. Louis – Barnes Jewish Hospital; St. Louis Children’s Hospital

Clinical Fellowship in Sleep Surgery – Endormir Sleep and Sinus,  Texas Center for Facial Plastics and Laser Surgery

Clinical Fellowship in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Texas Center for Facial Plastics and Laser Surgery

  • TX State Medical License
  • UT State Medical License
  • Member, American Academy of Otolaryngology 

Honorable Freshman Award, Southern Utah University

Research Scholarship, University of Utah’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program

Medical Alumni Scholarship, University of Utah

Hubbard Foundation Scholarship, University of Utah

  • Quantification of rat supraglottic laryngeal sensation threshold.Gale, D. C.,Bhatt, N. K.,Paniello, R. C.
  • Compound motor action potential duration and latency are markers of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury.Bhatt, N. K.,Park, A. M.,Al-Lozi, M. T.,Gale, D. C.,Paniello, R. C.
  • Surgical Treatment of Vestibular Schwannoma: Does Age Matter?Bowers CA, Gurgel RK, Brimley C, Hawryluk GW, Taggart M, Braden S, Collett T, Gale D, Salzman KL, MacDonald JD
  • Potassium titanyl phosphate laser welding following complete nerve transection.Bhatt NK, Mejias C, Kallogjeri D, Gale DC, Park AM, Paniello RC
  • Quantification of rat supraglottic laryngeal sensation threshold.Gale D, Bhatt N, Paniello R
  • Compound Motor Action Potential Duration And Latency are Markers of Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Injury.Bhatt N, Park A, Al-Lozi M, Gale D, Paniello R
  • Assessment of otolaryngic knowledge in primary care residents.Error ME, Wilson KF, Ward PD, Gale DC, Meier JD
  • Combined endoscopic and open septorhinoplasty approach tp nasal dermoid.Gale D, Crockett D, Meier J
  • Intralesional Bleomycin Sclerotherapy for Lymphatic Malformation of the Head and Neck.Collet T, Gale D, Arnold R, Coburn L, Grimmer JF
  • Ceramide mediates vascular dysfunction in diet-induced obesity by PP2A-mediated dephosphorylation of the eNOS-Akt complex.Zhang QJ, Holland WL, Wilson L, Tanner JM, Kearns D, Cahoon JM, Pettey D, Losee J, Duncan B, Gale D, Kowalski CA, Deeter N, Nichols A, Deesing M, Arrant C, Ruan T, Boehme C, McCamey DR, Rou J, Ambal K, Narra KK, Summers SA, Abel ED, Symons JD
  • Assessment of otolaryngic knowledge in primary care residents.Error ME, Wilson KF, Ward PD, Gale DC, Meier JD
  • Sialolothiasis: An uncommon complication of a common medication.Gale D, Wilson K
  • Carotid Canal injury and HRCT in pediatric temporal bone fractures. Gale D, Meier JD
  • Contribution of insulin and Akt1 signaling to endothelial nitric oxide synthase in the regulation of endothelial function and blood pressure.Symons JD, McMillin SL, Riehle C, Tanner J, Palionyte M, Hillas E, Jones D, Cooksey RC, Birnbaum MJ, McClain DA, Zhang QJ, Gale D, Wilson LJ, Abel ED
  • Acute Querceting Supplementation Does Not Lower Blood Pressure or Ace in Normotensive MalesLarson A, Bruno R, Guo Y, Gale D, Tanner J, Jalili T, Symons JD
  • Endogenous ceramide biosynthesis impairs vascular function in a tissue autonomous manner.Wilson L, Gale D, Petty DH, Cahoon J, Tanner J, Narra K, Wang LP, Abel ED, Symons, JD
  • Endogenous ceramide biosynthesis impairs vascular functionCahoon J, Holland W, Gale D, Boehm K, Petty D, Tanner J, Losee J, Wilson L, Palmer D, Narra K, Wang L, Abel E, Summers S, Symons J