Massachusetts General Hospital

The Harvard Combined Plastic Surgery Residency Training Program is a result of a merger of three pre-existing Harvard affiliated plastic surgery residency training programs in 1999. Those three programs, based at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Children’s Hospital (BWH/CH) and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), were fully accredited and independent training programs prior to the merger.

The result is a combined training program that benefits from the tremendous and complimentary resources of each of these historically strong teaching institutions. Current residents in the combined program rotate among five of Boston’s finest teaching hospitals:

• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
• Brigham and Women’s Hospital
• Children’s Hospital Boston
• Massachusetts General Hospital
• Shriners Burns Hospital, Boston

The mission of the Harvard Combined Plastic Surgery Training Program is to provide the highest quality plastic surgical care to patients in need, to provide the most comprehensive level of education and best training program for residents, students, and fellows in plastic surgery, and to further the science of plastic surgery through research.

The aim of our residency program is to train residents in the art and science of plastic surgery through a comprehensive and well-rounded balance of structured education, research, and clinical experience. The ultimate goal is to produce excellent, ethical plastic surgeons capable of managing a wide spectrum of problems that can function at a superior level of competence throughout their careers, become leaders in our field, and further the course of our specialty.

Current Residents (PDF)

Learn more about our history.

Learn more about our affiliates.

This Month's Curriculum

Plastic Surgery Academic Schedule (PDF)

Core Curriculum

The Harvard Plastic Surgery Training Program uses the CoreQuest curriculum model. Our core curriculum consists of essential topics in Plastic Surgery with a monthly journal club and frequent faculty lead slide reviews.

The following schedule is an example of the topics that are covered within our program over a three-year period of training:

Typical Harvard Plastic Surgery Core Curriculum/Journal Club Schedule

Wound Healing
Flaps I – Principles, Physiology, Angiosomes
Flaps II – Muscle and Musculocutaneous
Microsurgery I – Principles and Replantation
Grafts - Skin and Other Tissue
Microsurgery II – Tissue Transfer
Tissue Expansion
Alloplastic Implants
Anesthesia and Critical Care
Transplantation/Immunology
Pharmacology/Therapeutics
Burns I – Thermal, Electrical, Chemical, Irradiation, Frostbite
Burns II - Late Reconstruction and Rehabilitation
Malignant Tumors of the Skin - BCC and SCC
Vascular Anomalies - Pathology, Classification, and Treatment
Malignant Tumors of the Skin II - Melanoma
Head and Neck – Anatomy and Embryology and Facial Growth
Cleft Lip 1 - Primary Deformities
Laser Treatment, Biophysics, Applications and Complications
Cleft Lip II - Secondary Deformities
Craniofacial Anomalies I
Craniofacial Anomalies II
Slide Review
Facial Injuries - Soft Tissues (Slides)
Facial Fractures I – Upper 2/3rds of Face
Facial Fractures II – Midface
Facial Fractures III - Lower Face
Deformities of the Forehead, Scalp, Cranial Vault, Orbit and Zygoma
Tumors of the Salivary Gland, Oropharynx, Jaw and Facial Skeleton
Eyelid Reconstruction
Reconstruction of Lip and Cheek
Nasal Reconstruction
Intraoral, Pharyngeal, and Esophageal Reconstruction
Auricular Anomalies and Reconstruction
Mandible and TM Joint, Osseointegration
Aesthetic Surgery of the Face
Blepharoplasty
Rhinoplasty
Facial Implants/Hair Transplantation
Hand Anatomy and Examination
Hand Embryology and Congenital Anomalies
Hand Trauma I – Soft Tissues/Compartment Syndrome/Injection Injury
Hand Trauma II – Fractures and Joint Injury
Hand – Tendons
Hand – Nerves – Repair and Reconstruction, Tendon Transfer
Hand Vascular Abnormalities and Tumors
Hand Infections and Burns
The Arthritic hand/Hand Contractures
Hand Pain Syndromes/Prosthetics/Rehabilitation
Breast – Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology
Aesthetic Breast Surgery
Breast Reconstruction
Chest Wall Reconstruction
Abdominoplasty
Abdominal Wall Reconstruction
Body Contouring
Pressure Sores
Lymphedema – Upper and Lower Limbs
Lower Extremity Anatomy, Embryology, and Pathology
Lower Extremity Reconstruction - Local, Regional and Free Flaps
Reconstruction of Male and Female Genital Defects/Transexualism
Medico-Legal Aspects of Plastic Surgery - The Dissatisfied Patient
Hand Embryology and Congenital Anomalies

Research

Each of the participating teaching hospitals in the Harvard Program has ongoing clinical investigations and productive basic science research laboratories.  Residents are required to participate in at least one scholarly activity per year in the form of clinical research, basic science research, or other writings under the supervision of plastic surgery staff. In addition, residents are required to have at least one significant long term project leading to a publication in their final 3 years.  All residents are encouraged to submit their work for presentation at regional and national meetings.  Each resident is given time and financial support to attend one national meeting in plastic surgery each year.  The chief resident class attends the senior resident conference each year.  Additional time and support for travel may be provided for residents that are presenting a paper at a meeting.

While a period of dedicated research time is not designated by the Program, the possibility exists for select integrated residents to take time out between the third and forth PGY years to do research in an area of special interest with prior review and approval.  The majority of our faculty are involved in a variety of clinical and/or basic science research projects, and many play an active role in the organization and leadership of regional, national, and international meetings, as well as professional journals and societies. Residents benefit from the tremendous resources and collaborations with neighboring world-class researchers across the Harvard system.

Executive Committee

Robert Frankenthaler, MD
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Julian J. Pribaz, MD
Program Director
Brigham and Women's Hospital

Dennis P. Orgill, MD
Secretary
Brigham and Women's Hospital

Matthias Donelan, MD
Secretary
Shriners Burn Hospital

Elof Eriksson, MD
Member
Brigham and Women's Hospital

William G. Austen, Jr., MD
Member
Massachusetts General Hospital

Matthias Donelan, MD
Member
Massachusetts General Hospital

John Meara, MD
Executive Chair
Children's Hospital

Branko Bojovic, MD
Resident Representative

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Faculty

Sumner Slavin, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor
Richard Bartlett, MD, Instructor in Surgery
Leonard Miller, MD, Instructor in Surgery
Robert Goldwyn, MD, Clinical Professor of Surgery
Bernard Lee, MD, Instructor of Surgery
Samuel J. Lin, MD, Instructor of Surgery
Donald Morris, MD, Instructor in Surgery
Adam Tobias, MD, Instructor in Surgery
Joseph Upton, MD, Associate Clinical Professor
 
Brigham and Women's Hospital Faculty

Elof Eriksson, MD, PhD, Joseph Murray Professor, Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Stephanie Caterson, MD, Instructor in Surgery
Yoon S. Chun, MD, Instructor in Surgery
Lifei Guo, MD, PhD, Instructor in Surgery
Charles Hergrueter, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery
Dennis Orgill, MD, PhD, Professor of Surgery, Assistant Program Director, Associate Chief of Division of Plastic Surgery
Bohdan Pomahac, MD, Instructor in Surgery
Julian Pribaz, MD, Professor of Surgery and Program Director
Christian Sampson, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery
 
Children's Hospital Boston Faculty

John G. Meara, MD, DMD, Associate Professor of Surgery, Chief, Department of Plastic Surgery
Arin K. Greene, MD, Instructor in Surgery
Brian l. Labow, MD, Instructor in Surgery
John B. Mulliken, MD, Professor of Surgery and Director of the
Craniofacial Center
Bonnie L. Padwa, MD, DMD, Associate Professor of Surgery,
Chief of Oral Surgery
Gary F. Rogers, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery
Amir H. Taghinia, MD, Instructor in Surgery
 
Massachusetts General Hospital Faculty

William G. Austen, Jr., MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Chief, Division of Plastic Surgery
Amy S. Colwell, MD, Instructor in Surgery
Gregory G. Gallico, III, MD, Associate Clinical Professor
Daniel Delvecchio, MD
(Chienwei) Eric Liao, M.D., Ph.D., Instructor in Surgery
James W. May, Jr., MD, Professor of Plastic Surgery
Jonathan Winograd, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery
Michael Yaremchuk, MD, Clinical Professor, Director Craniofacial Surgery
Residency Education:  Associate Attending Surgeons
Thomas Cochran, MD
Richard Ehrlichman, MD
Robert Gilman, MD

Shriners Hospital for Children, Boston Faculty

Matthias Donelan, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor; Chief of Plastic Surgery
Daniel Driscoll, MD, Instructor in Surgery
Michael Lewis, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery

Staff

Michele Barnes - Program Administrator
Geoffrey Brahmer - BIDMC Residency Coordinator
Robin King - MGH Residency Coordinator
Meghan Conway - CHB Residency Coordinator
Mary Ellen Oftring - Shriners Residency Coordinator

General Plastic Surgery Education

• American College of Surgeons
• ACGME
• Annals of Plastic Surgery
• Buncke Clinic
• Burn Surgery
• Eaton Hand
• eCommons
• eMedicine
• Journal of Hand Surgery
• Partners Handbook
• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• Plastic Surgery Essentials for Students
• Essentials of Plastic Surgery
• Pubmed
• Resource Book for Plastic Surgery Residents
• Up to Date
• Wheeless Online

Around Boston

A city of nearly 560,000 residents, Boston is a vibrant and exciting place to call home. With over 50 colleges and universities, thousands of restaurants, countless museums and theaters and several championship athletic teams, it truly offers something to everyone. Its close proximity to the mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as to the pristine beaches of the Cape and Islands, provides ample opportunity for weekend getaways. Potential applicants are encouraged to explore the links below in order to discover the city's unique offerings.

General
Boston Globe
Boston Online
Boston Citysearch
City of Boston

Transportation
MBTA
Logan Airport

Periodicals
Boston Globe
Boston Herald
Boston Phoenix
Boston Magazine

Sports/Entertainment
Boston Red Six
Boston Celtics
Boston Bruins
New England Patriots
Boston Breakers
Boston Marathon
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Museum of Science

Harvard Plastic Surgery Program Graduates

Class of 2009
Edward J. Caterson, MD	Craniofacial Fellowship	New York, NY
Jon Mathy, MD	Locum Consultant Surgeon (Middlemore Hospital)	South Auckland, NZ
Evan Matros, MD	Breast and Microsurgery Fellowship	New York, NY
Brian M. Parrett, MD	Hand and Microsurgery Fellowship	San Francisco, CA
Emily Ridgway, MD	Craniofacial Fellowship	Boston, MA
Class of 2008
Matthew J. Carty, MD	Hand fellowship, academic practice	Boston, MA
Amy S. Colwell, MD	Academic practice	Boston, MA
(Chienwei) Eric Liao, MD, PhD	Academic practice	Boston, MA
Jerome Sepic, MD	Private practice	Portsmouth, NH
Helena Taylor, MD, PhD	Academic practice	Providence, RI
Class of 2007
Jesus A. Garcia, M.D., PhD	Private group practice	Sacramento, CA
Evan S. Garfein	Reconstructive and microsurgery fellowship, academic practice	New York, NY
Terri J. Halperin	Private practice	Brookline, MA
Stephanie L. Kwei	Private practice	Peabody, MA
James D. Schlenker	Hand fellowship	Seattle, WA
Amir H. Taghinia	Hand fellowship, academic practice	Boston, MA
Class of 2006
Christopher J. Davidson	Private practice	Boston, MA
Arin K. Greene	Craniofacial fellowship, academic practice	Boston, MA
Ziv M. Peled	Peripheral nerve fellowship	Tucson, AZ
Alexandra K. Schmidek	Academic/private practice	Seattle, WA
Sean A. Wright	Private practice	West Chester, PA
Class of 2005
Yoon S. Chun	Academic practice	Boston, MA
John P. Connors	Academic/private practice	Worcester, MA
Lifei Guo	Hand/micro fellowship, academic practice	Boston, MA
Jaromir Slama	Hand/micro fellowship, academic practice	Boston, MA
Steven M. Warren	Craniofacial fellowhip, academic practice	New York, NY
Class of 2004
Ayman Al-Sheikh	Hand/microsurgery fellowship	Boston, MA
Alan A. T. Lim	United States Navy
Bohdan Pomahac	Academic practice	Boston, MA
Class of 2003
Virginia S. Hung	Peripheral nerve fellowship,  private practice	Boston,MA
Brian I. Labow	Hand/micro fellowship, academic practice	Boston, MA
Barry D. Martin	United States Army
Vivian Ting	Academic/private practice	San Francisco, CA
Lance E. Wyatt	Private practice	Los Angeles, CA
Class of 2002
William G. (Jay) Austen	Pediatric fellowship, academic practice	Melbourne, Australia
Parham A. Ganchi	Academic practice	Wayne, NJ
Christopher T. Maloney	Peripheral nerve fellowship, private practice	Tucson, AZ
Kiumars (Kiya) Movassaghi	Private practice	Eugene, OR
J. Peter Rubin	Academic practice	Pittsburgh, PA

Advanced Program

The plastic surgery residency program will not be participating in the match for positions starting July 2011.

Integrated Plastic Surgery/General Surgery Program

The plastic surgery residency program will match with three new residents for the six-year integrated program to begin in June 2010. PGY-1 positions for this program will be matched through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). Information regarding registration for the NRMP is available from the Dean's Office at your medical school or www.nrmp.org.

The residency application process for the integrated plastic surgery program will go through the AAMC ERAS electronic residency application system. The deadline for applications to be complete (except for Deans' letters) is October 12th, 2009. Our faculty will review all completed applications for the integrated program during the month of October. Those who are invited to interview will be notified by early November, and interviews will be held on December 4th and 5th, 2009.

Selection

Each application is reviewed in its entirety with an eye toward a combination of overall academic excellence, leadership ability, career development potential and personal character.

Although we receive applications from many well-qualified candidates, it is not possible to interview all who apply. Every effort is made to notify applicants of their interview status in a timely manner; however, our application review process for the integrated program often continues through late November due to the large number of applications received and the late release date for Dean's letters.

Interviews

Each two-day interview session takes place from early Friday afternoon through late Saturday afternoon. Any applicants who are invited to interview will need to plan to be present for the entire two-day session. We do not schedule any individual interviews outside of these group interview sessions.

Any candidate who is invited to interview must contact the surgery education office to confirm their acceptance of the interview offer. If we do not receive a confirming phone call or e-mail from you by the deadline, which will be stated on the invitation, we will not be able to schedule you for the interview.

Interview Format

On Friday afternoon, the applicants will participate in a general orientation session, during which they will meet the residency program director and the chiefs of plastic surgery from each of the teaching hospitals. Individual interview sessions between applicants and the faculty may begin on Friday afternoon, with additional interviews being scheduled throughout the day on Saturday. On Friday evening the applicants will have dinner with the Harvard plastic surgery faculty and residents.

Tours of the teaching hospitals will take place throughout the day on Friday and Saturday. For purposes of scheduling travel arrangements, any invited applicants should plan to be here by noon on Friday. It is anticipated that all interview activities will be completed by 4:00 pm on Saturday.

Contact

Michele Barnes
Harvard Plastic Surgery Residency Training Program
75 Francis Street
Boston, MA 02115
E-mail