Dr. Kaplan has specialized in reconstructive surgery for children.
- He was the director of the cleft palate/ craniofacial anomaly clinic at Stanford for 13 years.
- He also specialized in the treatment of birthmarks and other pediatric plastic surgery.
- He is a recognized expert in the repair of cleft lip and cleft palate. He has repaired more than a thousand infants and adults with cleft lip and nose deformities.
He has been president of Interplast and a volunteer surgeon who has performed over a thousand cleft and birthmark surgeries in countries around the world