Plastic Surgery – Integrated Residency
Mission & Vision
Our mission is to enable residents to acquire satisfactory clinical skills and a sound, basic fund of didactic knowledge in preparation for the independent practice of their chosen plastic surgery specialty. This is primarily achieved through the progressive process of increasing resident responsibilities and continued self-evaluation based on faculty assessment of residents’ educational progress and clinical experience, as well as their overall ability and judgment. Every individual within our division is tasked with creating a collegial working environment, while treating every patient with dignity and respect.
Mission & Vision
Our mission is to enable residents to acquire satisfactory clinical skills and a sound, basic fund of didactic knowledge in preparation for the independent practice of their chosen plastic surgery specialty. This is primarily achieved through the progressive process of increasing resident responsibilities and continued self-evaluation based on faculty assessment of residents’ educational progress and clinical experience, as well as their overall ability and judgment. Every individual within our division is tasked with creating a collegial working environment, while treating every patient with dignity and respect.
Program Director’s Welcome
The goal of our resident training program is to guarantee the thorough training of each plastic surgery resident, ensuring each trainee has developed an ethically, professionally and educationally sound foundation for their future practice.
Program Director’s Welcome
The goal of our resident training program is to guarantee the thorough training of each plastic surgery resident, ensuring each trainee has developed an ethically, professionally and educationally sound foundation for their future practice.
We have developed a superb, full-time faculty with expertise in abdominal and chest wall reconstruction, cleft/lip palate, craniofacial, hand surgery, pediatric plastic surgery, reconstructive breast surgery, reconstructive microvascular surgery, transgender surgery, vascular anomalies, in addition to general plastic and reconstructive surgery, as well as all aspects of cosmetic surgery. An added plus is the excellent working relationships we have with our colleagues in dermatology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthopedics, otolaryngology and surgical oncology. These associates provide excellent clinical expertise and serve as excellent educational resources. This enables us to share in an additional pool of patients and provides our division with a truly unique clinical perspective. We are also fortunate to have an outstanding voluntary faculty, many of whom are well-known contributors to the field of plastic surgery.
Our entire faculty remains committed to providing an optimal educational environment to our residents and providing continued excellence in patient-centric care. It is all of these factors, and then some, that have allowed us to develop an excellent, well-rounded teaching program utilizing all of the resources available both within our institution and our surrounding community.
-Kashyap Tadisina, MD
Description
Our entire faculty remains committed to providing an optimal educational environment to our residents and providing continued excellence in patient-centric care. It is all of these factors, and then some, that have allowed us to develop an excellent, well-rounded teaching program utilizing all of the resources available both within our institution and our surrounding community.
-Kashyap Tadisina, MD
Program Directors & Associate Directors
Devinder Singh, MD
Director
Wrood Kassira, MD
Associate Program Director
Sara Danker, MD
Assistant Program Director
Devinder Singh, MD
Director
Wrood Kassira, MD
Associate Program Director
Sara Danker, MD
Assistant Program Director
Fast Facts
Accreditation
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
Number of Residents per Year?
2
Duration of Residency?
6 years
Program Curriculum
Year 1 (Internship)
Year one, or PGY-1, has typically been formatted as an internship year with rotations in burns, general, oncology and plastic surgery; surgical intensive care unit; surgical skills lab and trauma. The year is meant to emphasize general surgical core specialties and management of the surgical patient. Interns carry a heavy clinical burden and basic surgical skills are expected to be acquired during the year.
Year 2
Year two, or PGY-2, builds on the experiences of the internship year, increasing exposure to general and vascular surgery and additional ICU rotations. There is also a month of pediatric surgery with emphasis on pediatric plastic surgery. During the year, the resident is expected to have graduated responsibility and increasing autonomy in managing the sick surgical patient.
Year 3
Year three, or PGY-3, is the transitional year with greater emphasis in plastic surgery. The resident is expected to take on a more senior role with administrative responsibilities at the Jackson South Medical Center for six months out of the year. At Jackson South, the resident will spend time in general and vascular surgery, as well as oral and maxillofacial surgery. Significant surgical skills will be acquired in vascular surgery and microsurgical techniques. The final three months of the year are spent on plastic surgery rotations at the Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The resident is expected to start excelling at the plastic surgery in-service exam in the third year.
Year 4
Year four, or PGY-4, has a heavy emphasis on plastic surgery both at Jackson Memorial Hospital, our Level I trauma center for Miami-Dade County and at UHealth Tower, which is the private hospital of the University of Miami. Trainees are exposed to a wide variety of plastic surgical experiences in both traumatic and elective settings. The vast majority of the year is spent in reconstruction rather than cosmetic surgery. There is also a one-to-two month block dedicated to hand surgery on the orthopaedic hand service, and a one month block at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital for exposure to pediatric plastic surgery.
Year 5
Year five, or PGY-5, is divided into equal amounts of rotations at each of our three main hospital sites: Jackson Memorial Hospital, UHealth Tower and the Miami VA Medical Center. The resident is provided graduated responsibility compared to the previous year and is also exposed to more complex reconstructive surgery including dozens of microsurgical three flaps as the primary surgeon. A two-month rotation on hand surgery, both on the orthopaedic and the plastic services further strengthens the hand surgical experience. One month is also provided at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital for pediatric plastic surgery.
Year 6
Year six, or PGY-6, is the final year of the plastic surgery residency and when residents will serve as administrative chiefs for equal periods. Under faculty guidance, they supervise the clinic at Jackson Memorial Hospital where they evaluate candidates for surgical procedures and schedule them for surgery, including cosmetic surgery. This serves as an invaluable bridge to eventual independent practice upon graduation. The year also provides experiences in anesthesia; dermatology; ear, nose and throat; oculoplastics and cosmetic, oral maxillofacial and pediatric surgery.
Your Faculty
Natalia Fullerton, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical
Helen G. Hui-Chou, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical
John C. Oeltjen, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Zubin J. Panthaki, MD
Director, Hand Surgery Fellowship Professor
Kashyap Tadisina, MD
Assistant Professor
Seth R. Thaller, MD, DMD
Professor
Wrood Kassira, MD
Associate Professor
Associate Program Director
Devinder Singh, MD
Chief & Program Director, Division of Plastic Surgery
Professor of Surgery
Sara J. Danker, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical
Assistant Program Director
Juan R. Mella-Catinchi, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Clinical
Kyle Y. Xu, MD
Associate Professor
Lauren M. Yarholar, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical