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PSEF President's Message

William M. Kuzon, MDPSEF logo

William Kuzon, MDSince 1948 the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation (PSEF) has supported the ASPS mission to advance the quality of care and safety for plastic surgery patients.

Funding research, supporting members' volunteer surgical activities and international outreach are at the core of the PSEF.

Over the past three decades, ASPS Member Surgeons have cared for more than 150,000 children and adults through the Volunteers in Plastic Surgery (VIPS) program and its partner organizations.

Plastic surgery has a rich history of innovation, and the horizon is endless for the development of new and innovative treatments and devices. Today, PSEF has a heightened focus on supporting clinically relevant research since the research of today will change the lives of patients tomorrow.

Consider this...

  • In 1950, there was no such thing as a successful organ transplant.
  • In 1975, there was no such procedure as the TRAM flap.
  • In the year 2000, face transplantation was still largely in the arena of science fiction.

Plastic surgery research and plastic surgeons played key roles in all of these advances. But what will be the breakthrough discoveries of the next 5, 10, 25 years?

As you read this, plastic surgeons across the country are involved in some of the most cutting edge research imaginable, working with stem cells, tissue engineering and wound healing to name a few.

Over the past couple of years ASPS Member Surgeons have worked very hard to re-organize the PSEF to allow better fulfillment of our mission. Through this re-organization, we have been able to allocate significant funding directly to relevant research that will impact our members' day-to-day practices. We have built a clinical network that allows us to answer pressing clinical questions relevant to what we do as plastic surgeons.

Furthermore, funding from the PSEF allows researchers to connect with world experts to build solid research projects, which then launch into broader funding opportunities, and are successfully seen to completion. The PSEF relies on annual voluntary contributions, mostly from members, to fulfill its mission.

The new PSEF has become an amazing source of support for funding and development within the plastic surgery arena and my hope as PSEF President is to further establish it as the main research engine in the field of plastic surgery.

However this can only happen with your support. We need you to support PSEF, please give online or read more at Support Plastic Surgery.