Meet Dr. Bashioum
Ralph W. Bashioum was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Thelma and John Bashioum on December 9, 1951. He grew up in southwestern Pennsylvania and graduated from Peters Township High School in 1969. After completing the Chemistry Honors Program at Arizona State University, he graduated summa cum laude in 1973. He entered the University of Utah as a chemistry graduate student and completed the Surgery Honors Program and received his Medical Doctorate in 1978. His post graduate study continued at Northwestern University as a general surgery resident for three years, with an additional three years training in the specialty of plastic surgery. All types of plastic surgery were studied during his extensive training in cosmetic surgery. He is proud to be a board-certified plastic surgeon (certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, which is recognized by the American Board of Medical Subspecialties). He is also honored to be a board-certified cosmetic surgeon (certified by the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, which is not recognized by the American Board of Medical Subspecialties). He has chosen this course of training and certification because it allows him to focus exclusively on all aspects cosmetic surgery. Exceptional training, experience, and these board certifications distinguish Dr. Bashioum in the field of cosmetic surgery.
Dr. Bashioum co-founded the T.R.Y. Program (Tattoo Removal for Youth) at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. This program provides free laser tattoo removal to area youth. Most of these adolescents are marked with gang-related tattoos. This program gives them a second chance by removing the stigma of gang markings while encouraging education, job placement, and rehabilitation toward healthier social choices. T.R.Y. was featured on the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather.
In 1995, the Board of Governors of the University of Minnesota elected Dr. Bashioum to serve as a Trustee for the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. While on the Board, his innovative thinking produced an award-winning website for the Arboretum. He also conceived and created “Northern Lights Gardening”, a weekly live call-in radio magazine to promote the Arboretum and gardening in northern climes. The radio show can be heard each Saturday morning on a local radio station, KLBB 1400 AM and WLOL 1470 AM. He is an Honorary Board Member of the Arboretum to this date. Dr. Bashioum is himself an avid gardener and he is also a nationally recognized gardening authority as a regular guest expert on HGTV’s “Grow It!”
In addition to his ongoing interest in gardening, Dr. Bashioum maintains a keen interest in many things. He loves to cook with the exotic produce that he grows in his garden. He is also a wine enthusiast and he is a member of the Commanderie de Bordeaux. He has toured extensively with his family all over the world and has enjoyed the wine regions of France the most. Besides hosting weekly radio broadcasts, his interest in broadcasting has left him with the unique honor of being the only cosmetic surgeon to be interviewed on television by Roseanne Barr and Tom Arnold about the topic of liposuction on KSTP’s “Good Company”. He is also an ardent snow skier and has instructed children’s skiing lessons in the past. He also created and hosted the plastic surgery weekly radio magazine, “More Beautiful You”, which aired in the late 80s on KSTP 1500 AM.
Dr. Bashioum maintains a deep interest in computer infrastructure and programming. He is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, having completed and passed nine certification tests in this process. He has also trained himself as a .net programmer and deployed his own software solution in his paperless office.
Most recently, Dr. Bashioum has completed a five course series at the University of California Oenology School receiving a Certificate in Winemaking. He now is involved with a Napa Valley winery, Kitchak Cellars. While Cellar Master, the winery’s 1995 “Adagio” received the coveted Double Gold Award from one of the most prestigious competitions in the world, the San Francisco International Wine Competition.
Despite his varied interests, the top priorities in Dr. Bashioum’s life are his family and his faith in God. He is committed to maintaining his relationship with his wife of 25 years, Lindsay, and their children, Joshua and Ashley. When Dr. Bashioum is not at work or involved with community service, he is invariably with his family.
