Oculoplastic & Facial Cosmetic Surgery, Tampa
TAMPA – At work, he does it for his patients. At home, he does it
for his children.
But in either environment, William “Bill” Mack is focused on
nurturing the appearance or character of youth.
Mack is one of only about 550 people in the world who are
board-certified and fellowship-trained in oculoplastics, the subspecialty of
plastic surgery that concentrates on the eyes and surrounding facial structures. He also is the father of four children and the coach of three youth sports teams.
Balancing those responsibilities has its rewards and challenges,
and Mack is thankful for both. “Growing a private practice at a fast pace and a
growing family has definitely had its challenges, but in the end I have a
beautiful, healthy family and a growing practice,” Mack said.
Mack’s appreciation of where he is now is grounded in his
childhood back in Fairview, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. “Our family was always
very close when I was growing up and we spent most of our free time with our
extended family,” said Mack, whose mother Marlene was a bookkeeper, and father
William was a retail sales manager. But it was his maternal grandmother, Agnes,
a widow who lived with them, who gave Mack and his younger sister, Renee, now a
registered nurse and mother of five, advice that endures today. “She always
reminded us that the most important thing in life is to spend quality time with
family,” he said.
When he was in college at John Carroll University in 1987, Mack’s
parents moved from Ohio to Coral Springs, Fla. That relocation was convenient
because it established in-state residency for tuition. After graduating with a
bachelor’s degree in biology in Ohio, he enrolled in medical school at the
University of South Florida College of Medicine in Tampa. Mack earned his MD in
1991, then stayed on at USF to complete his internship in internal medicine and
residency in ophthalmology.
While a resident, Mack said he organized other ophthalmologists in
Tampa and St. Petersburg to donate their time and services at the James A. Haley
Veterans Hospital. “I was just pro-active and wanted to get as much training as
I could,” he said, noting that the program is still in place, but now he’s one
of the physicians who comes in to teach the latest techniques. “It helps the
veterans as well as the future surgeons,” he said.
It also was during this time that Mack decided he would hone in on
oculoplastics. He moved to Albany, N.Y., and completed fellowships in both
oculoplastic surgery and facial cosmetic surgery. “I was always drawn to the
field of surgery,” he said, and oculoplastics presented a “vast variety of
conditions, both functional and cosmetic.”
“Ophthalmology itself is limited, but oculoplastic surgeries are
more intricate and meticulous,” he said. “Oculoplastics runs the full gamut,
from cosmetic surgery to facelifts, to restorative procedures, to droopy
eyelids, to reconstruction. Every patient has a unique challenge,” he said.
That variety appeals to Mack. “My day in surgery could start with
a facelift and it may finish with a patient who has lost a large portion of his
eyelid or cheek to skin cancer” and needs reconstruction, he said.
In a typical week, Mack said he performs 20-25 surgeries, most of
them at outpatient surgery centers. But that will change soon. He is renovating
a building in south Tampa that will have a large operating room and upgraded
equipment. He expects he and his eight-member staff to move in by November.
“We’re very excited … we’ll have twice as much space (as he does now) and it
will be more conducive to doing in-office cosmetic surgery,” he said. His goal
is to keep the character of the 88-year-old building, but to update it, which is
not unlike what he does for patients who want to rejuvenate their appearance but
still look natural.
The success of his practice is a “direct reflection of my very
strong staff,” Mack said. “From the first phone call to the last post-op visit,
we are continually trying to improve our interaction with our patients. We just
want them to have a positive experience. That’s why our practice continues to
grow,” he said.
One member of that staff is Mack’s wife, Stephanie, who is his
practice administrator. They met in Tampa in 1996 and were married in 1999.
A self-described “Type A personality” and “an overachiever,” Mack
crams a lot into his non-work schedule. To stay in shape, he’s on the basketball
court and gym by 6 a.m. at least three times a week. He coaches a Little League
baseball team and two YMCA basketball teams. He also manages to squeeze in a
couple of rounds of golf every month with his oldest child, Andrew, 10. Mack’s
daughters include Lauren, 8, Madison, 4, and Morgan, 2.
Mack said he “likes what sports can teach youngsters about the
team concept and about how what they do affects the team. It’s a good basis for
a healthy lifestyle.”
“One of my greatest challenges is trying to be the best father and husband
that I can be. As we all know, the medical profession can be very demanding with
long hours. I’ve been able to adjust my clinic hours to allow for more quality
family time,” he said. “I have an amazing support system with my family and my
wonderful wife.”
No doubt, Grandmother Agnes, who passed away in 2006, would be pleased her
advice lives on in the next generation of Macks.