This photo obtained March 28, 2012 courtesy of the University of Maryland Medical Center shows a face transplant after surgery of 37 yr. old Richard Lee Norris of Hillsville, Virginia, who was injured in 1997 in a gun accident. Since that time, he has undergone multiple life-saving and reconstructive surgeries. Due to the accident, Mr. Norris lost his lips and nose and had limited movement of his mouth. The 36- hour operation face transplant team was led by Eduardo D. Rodriguez, M.D., D.D.S., associate professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and chief of plastic, reconstructive and maxillofacial surgery at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland on March 19-20, 2012. This marks the first time in the world that a full face transplant was performed by a team of plastic and reconstructive surgeons with specialized training and expertise in craniofacial surgery and reconstructive microsurgery. (Photo credit: HO/AFP/Getty Images)