History

The Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery program at Stanford University was founded in 1965 by Dr. Robert A. Chase, MD. Nearly half a century later the division continues to thrive due to the work of our dedicated team of faculty, residents, fellows, and staff. 

Patients who come to Stanford for plastic and reconstructive surgery have had their lives constrained or disrupted by everything from congenital conditions to trauma to severe illness or cancer. To their great relief, they find surgeons here who can perform the full range of procedures. Because we bring a skill set to the operating room that is as broad and deep as anywhere in the world, surgeons in the Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery consistently restore and enrich our patients' lives. 

Milestones

  • Research Funding: 48 million dollars in current active research funding, including funding from the National Institutes of Health, VA Merit Review, VA Career Development, Department of Defense, Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine, and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
  • Past Clinical Innovations: Laser treatment of vascular malformations, gold eyelid weights for facial paralysis, mandibular distractors, collagenase treatment for Dupuytren’s contracture, collagen implants, 3D imaging of craniofacial abnormalities
  • Textbooks Co-edited: Converse’s Plastic Surgery, Grabb & Smith’s Plastic Surgery, Yearbook of Hand and Upper Limb Surgery, Handbook of Plastic Surgery, Atlas of Hand Surgery, Tissue Engineering for the Hand
  • Community Service Missions: Interplast, Hospital de la Familia, Zedplast Overseas Missions
  • Patents and Companies: 48 issued and pending patents; several venture backed start up companies
  • Journal Editorial Boards: Journal of Hand Surgery, Microsurgery, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Annals of Plastic Surgery, Hand
  • Leadership Positions in National Organizations: American Board of Plastic Surgery, American Association of Plasic Surgeons, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Residency Review Committee, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Plastic Surgery Research Council, American Society for Surgery of the Hand, American Association for Hand Surgery, American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery, Society of University Surgeons