Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Emory plastic surgeons.

Directed by Grant W. Carlson, MD, the Emory Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is energized by a foundation of advancement and progress, and its clinical referral base expands well beyond Georgia state lines.

Emory plastic and reconstructive surgeons have done much to move their discipline forward, particularly in the area of breast reconstruction. The development of the musculocutaneous flap procedure by Emory plastic surgeons in 1975 became the foundation for techniques that are now the standard for reconstructive breast surgery. The late Dr. John Bostwick continued to pioneer the use of tissue from the patient's own body for breast reconstruction in the late 1980s, followed by Dr. Carlson's refinement of skin sparing mastectomy in the 1990s. In the early to mid 2000s, plastic surgeon Dr. Albert Losken, Emory surgical onologist Dr. Toncred Styblo, and other multidisciplinary teams did much of the pioneering work that established the combination of breast cancer surgery and reconstructive surgery known as oncoplastic breast conserving therapy that has now become commonplace.

The Division's plastic surgery residency offers two ACGME-approved tracks. The long-standing independent track is a three year program. Applicants must have completed five years of ACGME-recognized clinical general surgery residency training and received enough progressive responsibility to qualify for certification by the American Board of Surgery. The second program, the integrated track, is a six year clinical program with combined training in general surgery and plastic surgery. The first three years are a mixture of training in general surgery and plastic surgery, followed by three years of specialty training in plastic surgery.