Dr. Wegerif

Medical Training & Background

Dr. Wegerif was interested in medicine from an early age, but his path to becoming a plastic surgeon had some twists and turns along the way. As a kid, he grew up fishing and boating off the Florida coast and was initially drawn to the maritime industry. Following high school, he applied to the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, but after making it pretty far along in that process, discovered he had a mild form of color blindness that disqualified him from going further. “I found out I was red-green deficient,” he explains, “so I switched it up and started as an engineering major in college.”

It didn’t take long for Dr. Wegerif to realize that engineering wasn’t right for him, either. “Most engineers end up sitting in front of a computer,” he says, “and that’s not what I wanted.” Like many doctors, he enjoys working with his hands, and had done construction as a teenager building docks and seawalls. He is also the type of person who enjoys starting a project and finishing it, so surgery felt like a natural fit. This insight steered him away from engineering and toward biology and medicine as an undergrad. “I had been passionate about medicine earlier on in life and rediscovered it again when I was in college,” he recalls.

As Dr. Wegerif earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida and continued his studies at the Ross University School of Medicine, it was clear that surgery was his true calling. However, it was the artistry and ability to be creative that attracted him to plastic and reconstructive surgery specifically, along with the transformative results he’d be able to provide. “It’s one of the few fields of medicine where we have smiling patients who are coming in for something that they’ve looked forward to for a long time,” he says.

After graduating with honors from medical school, Dr. Wegerif went on to the Cleveland Clinic in Florida to begin his general surgery training, then moved out west to complete a rigorous three-year residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of New Mexico.

Growing up on Florida’s Space Coast in a small town near Cape Canaveral, Dr. Wegerif is someone you would probably expect to have dreamt of becoming an astronaut or an engineer as a child. In fact, most kids who come of age under the shadow of the Kennedy Space Center do just that, pursuing careers at NASA, Boeing or SpaceX as they get older. For many, including Dr. Wegerif, it could be considered the “family business,” after all.

“My dad, grandfathers and brothers all work in the space industry in some capacity,” he says.

But Dr. Wegerif had other ideas about what he wanted his future to look like and forged his own path, which led him to a promising career as a highly dedicated plastic surgeon. Today, Dr. Wegerif is the newest member of the team at Pure Plastic Surgery, one of Miami’s premier plastic surgery practices known for its commitment to patient safety and excellence.

“A big part of being a physician is dedicating your life to being a lifelong learner, and I love working in an environment where I can collaborate with other talented surgeons and learn from their experiences.”

Taming the Wild, Wild West

In the world of plastic surgery, South Florida is a unique market. “It’s kind of the wild, wild west of plastic surgery,” Dr. Wegerif offers. Knowing that, finding a doctor who will not only help you reach your goals but prioritize your safety and well-being in the process is paramount. That’s exactly what Dr. Wegerif aims to do, and what attracted him to Pure Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Wegerif reconnected with Dr. Earle after completing his training in plastic and reconstructive surgery and moving back to Florida with his wife and children. Having worked with him at the Cleveland Clinic, he already knew Dr. Earle’s philosophy on patient care, which got him excited at the prospect of joining his team. “He focuses on boutique style, safety-centered procedures, which is something I really wanted to be a part of,” he says.

Like his colleagues at Pure, patient safety is Dr. Wegerif’s top priority. He knows that there is risk with any surgical procedure, and minimizing those risks helps to improve treatment outcomes. To accomplish that, he emphasizes the importance of patient education, getting the proper preoperative clearance and maintaining good communication. “I don’t like my patients waiting around for answers,” he admits. In addition, he invests a lot of time in getting to know each individual on a more personal level to ensure their expectations are aligned. “I’m always going to strive to understand their goals and where they’re coming from, and really make a tailored plan to help them achieve their goals in the safest way possible,” he says.

His process also involves following up with patients and acknowledging any complications that may arise. Fortunately, most people won’t experience complications, but the ones who do want to make sure their surgeon is prepared to handle them. “The well-trained surgeon is not one who never sees complications, but one who knows how to manage those complications when they do come up,” Dr. Wegerif points out. “I’m well-equipped to do that.”