Dr. Ashley Q. Thorburn

Dr. Ashley Q. Thorburn is a native of the East Coast, and grew up in Maryland. She decided to become a surgeon in the third grade, and though sheer determination and dedication, she never wavered from this path. She completed her medical education in Maryland at the Uniformed Services University after an undergraduate career studying Physiology and Neurobiology at the University of Maryland at College Park. She performed full-time research for one year in Phoenix, Arizona at the Translational Genomics Research Institute, studying genetic variants conferring susceptibility to diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Autism. Her work in Phoenix led her to an international presentation in Antwerp, Belgium.

During her third year of medical school she decided that she could make the biggest impact in the specialized field of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery after working with many wounded warriors at Walter Reed Medical Center. She enjoyed the ability to make patients feel whole again and regain their confidence. She then completed a five-year General Surgery residency at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, where she spent much of her time performing trauma and vascular surgery.

She was then accepted to a three-year Plastic and Reconstructive training program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she spent days and nights performing procedures of the entire body – often assisting in intricate cases with other specialties such as orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, and general surgery. She learned complex cosmetic procedures from some of the most prominent pioneers in the field. During this time, she also completed a humanitarian mission to Coyoles, Honduras to perform complex reconstructive procedures.

Dr. Thorburn then moved to Northern California, where she practiced as an attending plastic & reconstructive surgeon. She specialized in cosmetic and reconstructive procedures of the breast and body, as well as facial rejuvenation, neurotoxins, and facial fillers. She enjoyed performing many variations of breast reconstruction procedures for women with breast cancer. During this time, she also completed two humanitarian missions overseas to provide reconstructive care where otherwise unavailable.

Dr. Thorburn has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals with topics spanning age-related hearing impairment, calvarial malformations corrected using virtual surgical planning, free flap monitoring, and hand amputations. She has presented her work at national and international conferences.

She served as a voice for the underserved community, lobbying before congress in 2019 for increased rights and funding for congenital malformations and reconstruction at the ASPS Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC.

She spent much of her adult life serving on active duty in the United States Air Force and completed her military career as a Lieutenant Colonel. She is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. She is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the prestigious honor medical society.

Dr. Thorburn finds fulfillment in providing exceptional care to her patients. She strives to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for her patients and thrives on building life-long relationships. She now specializes in cosmetic surgery of the breast, body, and face.

Dr. Thorburn loves to be active and has completed three full marathons, six half marathons, and countless triathlons. She recently climbed Mt. Fuji and loves to ski in Lake Tahoe and Colorado. When not performing surgery, she can be found spending time with her husband and two young children, traveling the world, practicing French, picking up new hobbies, and devouring any book she can get her hands on.