About
For more than 15 years, increasing access to gender affirmation surgery has been a driving force of Dr. Sven Gunther’s education and training. For Dr. Gunther, it is more than a profession but a calling: to provide compassionate and comprehensive care throughout patients’ journeys to find themselves. Dr. Gunther understands that this journey touches nearly every aspect of a person’s life including self-identity, social and romantic interactions. Dr. Gunther brings his unique training and artistic eye to the operating room with a focus not only on function but also aesthetics.
Dr. Gunther graduated valedictorian, with an associate degree in chemistry from San Diego Mesa College. He graduated summa cum laude from University of California San Diego with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and cell biology. Dr. Gunther attended medical school at the University California Davis School of Medicine as a Regents’ Scholar, one of a select group of students with demonstrated academic excellence, leadership and exceptional promise. He also received a master’s degree in clinical research during which he obtained a research training grant for his research on wound healing.
He went on to graduate at the top of his medical school class and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha national medical society, a reflection of the principles of lasting commitment to professionalism, leadership, scholarship, research, and community service. One of Dr Gunther’s greatest personal achievements during medical school was founding and co-directing a free hormone clinic for transgender and gender non-conforming patients.
Dr Gunther attended Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center for his plastic surgery residency, Here, he trained with multiple world-renowned surgeons in the study of gender affirming top surgery, facial aesthetics, rhinoplasty and facial feminization. Dr. Gunther was fortunate to spend his last year of training at Oregon Health & Science University, focusing on all aspects for gender affirming surgery including phalloplasty, vaginoplasty, chest masculinizing surgery, breast augmentation and facial feminization. Dr Gunther has been an active member in WPATH since 2018.
When not in the operating room, Dr. Gunther enjoys tending to his orchid and plant collection and trying to get various birds to eat from his hand. He is an avid runner, hiker, and a culinary experimenter best known for his pasta making skills.
Our Team
Monica
Monica is the surgery scheduler for our patients. She will happily prepare you for surgery, guiding you through the requirements and what to expect before and after your procedure. After completing her undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley she worked as a Medical Assistant at an Ob/Gyn clinic in San Francisco and continued volunteering as a community healthcare worker at the Berkeley Free Clinic. She is passionate about making healthcare accessible and client centered. She looks forward to meeting you and making the surgery scheduling process as smooth as possible.
Kaitie
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Samantha is our Patient Care Coordinator who diligently processes paperwork, answers phone calls, and emails while providing a warm, welcoming atmosphere to our office. She completed her degree in Public Health at San Francisco State University, and is now a certified EMT. She is incredibly passionate about providing excellent care and is looking forward to working with you! When she is not at work she enjoys crocheting and baking.
Samantha
Testimonials
This is based off my experience with seeing Dr. Gunther for follow up appointments during the three months post my vaginoplasty with Dr. Bowers. Dr. Gunther is a delight to work with. He brings positive energy and strong support in every appointment. I am someone with high levels of anxiety and a major surgery like this made it easy to scrutinize and fixate on minor things and worry about so many possible complications or issues occurring. Dr. Gunther was an amazing help with all of those anxieties. He is someone I can feel safe to address the more difficult concerns and he shows genuine care when he does. I have never felt embarrassed or ashamed when asking questions, even for things I felt I should already know the answer to. Truly knowledgeable and skilled, a doctor that makes his patients feel comfortable and in good hands. I wish more doctors had his level of understanding and empathy.
This is based off my experience with seeing Dr. Gunther for follow up appointments during the three months post my vaginoplasty with Dr. Bowers. Dr. Gunther is a delight to work with. He brings positive energy and strong support in every appointment. I am someone with high levels of anxiety and a major surgery like this made it easy to scrutinize and fixate on minor things and worry about so many possible complications or issues occurring. Dr. Gunther was an amazing help with all of those anxieties. He is someone I can feel safe to address the more difficult concerns and he shows genuine care when he does. I have never felt embarrassed or ashamed when asking questions, even for things I felt I should already know the answer to. Truly knowledgeable and skilled, a doctor that makes his patients feel comfortable and in good hands. I wish more doctors had his level of understanding and empathy.
This is based off my experience with seeing Dr. Gunther for follow up appointments during the three months post my vaginoplasty with Dr. Bowers. Dr. Gunther is a delight to work with. He brings positive energy and strong support in every appointment. I am someone with high levels of anxiety and a major surgery like this made it easy to scrutinize and fixate on minor things and worry about so many possible complications or issues occurring. Dr. Gunther was an amazing help with all of those anxieties. He is someone I can feel safe to address the more difficult concerns and he shows genuine care when he does. I have never felt embarrassed or ashamed when asking questions, even for things I felt I should already know the answer to. Truly knowledgeable and skilled, a doctor that makes his patients feel comfortable and in good hands. I wish more doctors had his level of understanding and empathy.
Review Text"I had gender affirming vaginoplasty with Dr. Bowers and Dr. Gunther this year. I’m the kind of person who hopes for the best but prepares for the worst, and though I expected everything to go well because I was being cared for by the best of the best, the results have been even better than I could’ve hoped for. It is my third gender affirming surgery, and everything about the process has amazed me, from being less painful with only two days of prescribed pain medication, to more natural and smooth and seamless a process than I expected. Dr. Gunther has handled all of my post-op care, discharging me from the hospital, handling my post op visit before we left the state to go home, and always being super available and helpful through text and call when I’ve had questions and concerns. In the past I’ve had difficult complications that took a very long time to be resolved from previous surgeries (not with Dr. Bowers’ practice) and I have carried with me from that some anxiety around my successful healing. I’ve been so impressed and so grateful for Dr. Gunther’s prompt and thorough responses, always reaching back to me same day and usually within hours. He’s really taken my aftercare seriously and made me feel like my concerns and feelings were valid and has really helped me to feel confident in my healing process. Dr. Gunther is very approachable and personable, very kind and empathetic. He takes the time to explain the context of different aspects of healing and is very knowledgeable, articulate and reassuring. Everything has gone really successfully and is operating just the way it should, though I’ve had some minor setbacks I’ve felt very confident in how to respond to them and all the advice and instruction Dr. Gunther has given has proven to be very helpful and exactly right. When I was studying up on surgeons over the years before I decided on Dr. Bowers’ practice, I had an expectation that it would take months and months before my results would resemble a natural vulva, and with Bowers and Gunther’s expertise I’ve been shocked by how natural and beautiful everything looks and feels within a matter of weeks. I also previously had an expectation that it could take months, even up to 18 months (or maybe never) before I could be orgasmic again. Without much effort, I again was amazed that it only took 18 days post-op to be orgasmic again. My first gender affirming surgery was with a co-surgeon who was training, and the results weren’t totally optimal. Because of that experience I was a little nervous when I realized there would be a co-surgeon with Dr. Bowers, but I trusted her expertise and trusted that whoever would be working with her would also be a highly skilled surgeon. As a patient of theirs I can say with confidence Dr. Gunther is exactly that, a highly skilled surgeon and an exceptional individual to help carry on the incredible legacy that Dr. Bowers has established in the trans community. Thank you so much."
Contact us
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Address
345 Lorton Ave Suite 101 Burlingame, CA 94010
Phone No
(650) 570-2270
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