Dr. Brian Kobienia

Dr. Brian Kobienia has felt drawn to the world of medicine since childhood. His mother was a pediatric nurse with a career that spanned over forty years. She filled their home with stories about the patients she worked with and how their lives were transformed by successful medical interventions and the skill and compassion of their doctors and nurses. These anecdotes and invaluable lessons not only inspired Dr. Kobienia to pursue a career in medicine but also shaped the ideal standard of the kind of physician he wanted to be for his patients in the future.

With a mind that loves the complexity and challenge of fixing things and a father who was a highly skilled mechanic with incredibly dexterous hands, Dr. Kobienia may have been genetically predisposed to pursue a career as a surgeon! Like his father, he has always enjoyed working with his hands in activities requiring heightened attention to detail. This passion for precision and artistry transcends far beyond the surgical field into Dr. Kobienia’s personal life, in which he is an avid fly fisherman, photographer, and painter.

Dr. Kobienia’s educational pathway to becoming a board-certified plastic surgeon began with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from St. John’s University, Minnesota, in 1988. After, he was accepted into the University of Minnesota Medical School, where he earned his Medical Doctorate. Dr. Kobienia then remained at the University of Minnesota for his residency in General Surgery and fellowship in Plastic Surgery. He has been board-certified by the American Board of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery since 2000 and in private practice since 1999.

Education is the keystone of Dr. Kobienia’s professional and personal ethos. He places immense value on educating not only his patients but also the future plastic surgeons of the world! For nearly twenty years, Dr. Kobienia shared his passion, skill, and experience in plastic surgery as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Surgery.

Patients frequently comment on Dr. Kobienia’s exceptional bedside manner that balances kindness and compassion with authenticity and honesty. He is a “straight-shooter” who is adamant about educating his patients on the full scope of their options and paints a realistic picture of what is achievable. Although Dr. Kobienia is laser-focused on delivering visible results that exceed expectations, he is just as concerned with how he makes his patients feel. He wants every person his hands touch to feel heard, understood, educated, and confident about their decision to partner with him as their plastic surgeon.

Dr. Kobienia’s favorite thing about plastic surgery is that it is ever-evolving, just like the patients he works with. But, he also appreciates that a field in which what is achievable is continuously expanding places a great responsibility on the shoulders of those who perform surgery. That’s because safety and respect for the patient as an individual must always be prioritized above any trend or financial motivation. He never downplays what an honor it is for a patient to entrust him with their aesthetic goals. Dr. Kobienia feels strongly that plastic surgery can be a catalyst that propels a patient into a healthier lifestyle and can yield transformations that extend far beyond the visible appearance they convey to the world.

To date, Dr. Kobienia has had the privilege of making nearly twenty medical mission trips to Central and South America, namely Peru. On these trips, he has donated his time and skill to help patients, most frequently children, in need of cleft lip and palate surgeries. He feels fortunate to have been able to have his two adult daughters accompany him on these life-changing trips, as he knows how instrumental these experiences can be in shaping the women they become in the future.

When outside of the operating room, Dr. Kobienia is a nature enthusiast. He enjoys biking, fly fishing, and canoeing in the great outdoors of Minnesota and can often be found setting up his camera or easel to capture a beautiful sunset. Most importantly, Dr. Kobeinia cherishes spending time with his daughters.