Program Peek: University of Texas Southwestern

History

Established in 1969 by Ted Mills, MD, who appointed Kenneth E. Salyer, MD, to the role Division of Plastic Surgery chief. The first resident to graduate the program was Miguel Vargus, MD, in 1973.
1983 – Fritz Barton, Jr., MD, was named division chief. He modeled the construction of the division after his NYU mentor, John Converse, MD, and recruited subspecialized faculty to build the program. He began Selected Readings in Plastic Surgery in 1978.
1992 – Rod J. Rohrich, MD, became chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery, one of the first plastic surgery departments in the United States
2015 – Jeffrey Kenkel, MD, named department chair

Jeffrey Kenkel, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Plastic Surgery
Andrew Zhang, MD, Professor and Vice-Chair of Education, Program Director of Integrated and Independent Plastic Surgery Residencies
Alex Kane, MD, Professor and Vice-Chair of Academic Affairs
Shai Rozen, MD, Professor and Vice-Chair of Clinical Research
Nicholas Haddock, MD, Associate Professor and Vice-Chair of Business Affairs

Kenkel, Editor-in-Chief, Aesthetic Surgery Journal (as of January 2024), past president, American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
William P. Adams Jr., MD, past president, American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
Al Aly, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum (as of January 2024)
Bardia Amirlak, MD, Editorial Board, Aesthetic Surgery Journal
Douglas Sammer, MD, Associate Editor, Journal of Hand Surgery
Nicholas Haddock, MD, Associate Editor, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Shai Rosen, MD, Associate Editor, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Core training sites include William P. Clements Jr., University Hospital; Parkland Memorial Hospital; Children's Medical Center – Dallas; Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Baylor University Medical Center.
Additional rotations at private practices and community hospitals
27 full-time faculty and 30 adjunctive faculty from the Dallas-Fort Worth community
30 integrated residents, three independent residents
Craniofacial fellowship (one Fellow/year); hand surgery fellowship (two Fellows/year), aesthetic surgery fellowship (one Fellow/year), microsurgery fellowship (one Fellow/year)
Two-and-a-half months of plastic surgery rotations during first year; 10 months during second year; all year from third year to chief year
Night float rotation during second and third year
Cosmetic focused rotation during fourth year; up to six weeks of elective time available-fifth year; community rotations during sixth year.
Resident-run, year-round aesthetic clinic during PGY 5-6

Tuesday: Hand Indications Conference
Wednesday: Pediatric indications conference; microsurgery indications (2nd and 4th Wednesdays); 1-2-3 conference (lectures for junior residents, 1st and 3rd Wednesdays)
Thursday: hand conference (morning conference); grand rounds (faculty lectures); photo/teaching conference (afternoon)
Friday: VA and Parkland indications conference
M&M once per month
Journal Club meetings at local restaurants covering major subspecialties of plastic surgery
Formal case-based knowledge assessment exam twice a year
Anatomy labs five to six time per year from head to toe
LASER course twice per year
Injection clinic quarterly
Visiting professors
Professional development lectures series twice per year (focusing on how to build a successful practice, contracts and coding, etc.)
Professional leadership training with multiple helpful assessments and six lecture/small group training sessions (every three years)
Formal mentorship group paring with regularly scheduled meetings and outings

Numerous, highly productive faculty research projects with governmental, societal and industry support
More than 100 departmental publications annually; more than 50 percent with resident co-authors
Department support for access to statistician
Annual research retreat

Department pays to cover resident salary and benefit for off-site rotations.
Built-in time for elective rotations (international possible)
Up to $2,000 annual travel stipend (PGY 4-6) for domestic meetings of their choice
Additional up to $2,000 travel stipend (PGY 1-6) for podium presentations at domestic meetings
Department support of ASPS membership
MedOne access for vast number of eBooks and journals
Mileage reimbursement for off-site rotations
25 days of PTO
Night float service during the week eliminates overnight call and allows residents to rest and prepare for cases
$125 meal money for Parkland Hospital rotations
Prize for best plastic surgery In-Service performance
Bridge Harrison Humanitarian Award to support international missionary trips

Annual pool party at the program director's house celebrating the end of the year and welcome incoming residents to the program
Annual themed holiday party hosted by the department chair
Team-building events throughout the year with residents and faculty; beach volleyball, bowling, cooking just to name a few
Annual Thanksgiving work-out day hosted by a program faculty
Women in Plastic Surgery (WPS) dinners
Annual Alumni Day event featuring early-, mid- and late-career alumni sharing their life and practice experiences; during Alumni Day, graduating residents put their own best case during residency up for the coveted "Mr. Chips" award
Resident-led informal gatherings happen organically on a weekly basis