New Plastic Surgeons of Chinese Descent SIG to hold first meeting in Austin

The Plastic Surgeons of Chinese Descent (PSCD), the latest addition to the ASPS network of special interest groups (SIGs), will hold its first formal meeting in Austin during Plastic Surgery The Meeting 2023.

The PSCD assembly supports a community of plastic surgeons who are of Chinese ethnic background or have an interest in learning about the culture. The goal of this group is to create a platform within ASPS to promote current ideas, scientific exchange and friendship, and to develop future leaders in this specialty while sharing their unique culture and heritage.

Although the group's addition to the ASPS SIG roster is new, ASPS member Lee L.Q. Pu, MD, PhD, notes that the concept has existed on the world stage for 15 years. The World Association for Plastic Surgeons of Chinese Descent (WAPSCD) actually took root in 2008. It has taken part in World Congress meetings every two years in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong – although the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily curbed those opportunities. Still, Dr. Pu notes that several PSCD within the ASPS ranks have risen to leadership positions within the Society and The Foundation – and have met informally every year during Plastic Surgery The Meeting.

"Last year in Boston, Bernard T. Lee, MD, MBA, MPH, who then was The PSF president, and ASPS past President Lynn Jeffers, MD, MBA, approached us about the SIG concept," Dr. Pu says. "There was a lot of excitement and buy-in to the idea – not only to formalize the group within ASPS functions, but also just as a great opportunity for us to meet and share ideas."

Ernest S. Chiu, MD, the SIG's official delegate to the ASPS Sub-Council of Member Sections, says the SIG provides a unique networking opportunity.

"We are leaders – not only in academics and private practice, but also inside and outside of the plastic surgery arena," he says. "For Plastic Surgery The Meeting 2023 in Austin, we've invited a professor from the University of Texas Department of Asian Studies to provide a discussion on the history of writing Chinese characters. Yes, we will promote greater awareness of PSCD, but I'm most excited about the cultural exchange and camaraderie to advancing the purpose of the group."

Expounding on that idea of history and culture, the SIG's logo was the result of months of teamwork, beginning in 2022. ASPS member and ASMS past President Jack C. Yu, MD, DMD, notes that the four words – written in the traditional "Large Seal" style, Da Zhuan (which was developed in the spring and autumn period after the Western Zhou Dynasty from 1045-771 B.C.) – are: "Respect" (upper left); "Profession" (lower left); "Skills" (upper right); and "Perfection" (lower right).

"Using the classic style of reading – vertical and from right – it translates into 'Perfect the skills and respect the profession,'" Dr. Yu notes. "Reading horizontally from the upper-left, it reads: 'Respect the skills and perfect the profession.' "

ASPS members interested in joining the new PSCD SIG can apply by visiting plasticsurgery.org/ChineseDescent. Any Society members interested in the SIG are encouraged – and welcome – to attend the group's first official gathering Oct. 26 in Austin.

"We truly appreciate ASPS for providing this opportunity and allowing us to expand upon this vision," Dr. Pu says. "Beyond just our American membership, I think there's a very strong incentive to grow this group on an international level and open it to international members who attend Plastic Surgery The Meeting. Bringing more international perspective will help provide a stronger educational component to the work we do."