Plastic and reconstructive surgery

Faculty at the UC Davis School of Medicine established a plastic surgery residency in 1978. Since this time, our goal has been and continues to be to train residents in the safe, efficacious, and ethical delivery of plastic surgical services. We strive to educate residents in the principles of plastic surgery; to teach problem-solving, and to impart the technical skills necessary for the successful completion of a therapeutic plan.

Our faculty includes Thomas R. Stevenson, M.D., Professor and Chief; Granger B. Wong, M.D., D.M.D., Associate Professor; Michael S. Wong, M.D., Professor and Residency Program Director; Lee L.Q. Pu, M.D.; Professor, and David E. Sahar, M.D., Assistant Professor.  All are committed to teaching the art and science of plastic surgery.

The UC Davis Plastic Surgery Program is fully accredited by the ACGME. 

Combined/Coordinated Track - UC Davis Plastic Surgery Combined General Surgery/Plastic Surgery Residency Program is now accepting applications for the 2013 NRMP(ERAS) Match. You will find our program(s) listing:

ACGME  Program Number - 3600521113
ERAS Program Codes:

UC Davis Med Ctr-CA - Plastic Surgery - 1046360A0
UC Davis Med Ctr - CA - Surgery-Plastic Surg - 1046440P2

When submitting your rank list, both programs need to be ranked. To ensure at match your lists will need to be identical for listing.

Our anticipated interview dates will be in December and/or January.  We look forward to this year's interview season.

Independent Track – The independent track matches applicants with a minimum of three years of training in an ACGME-accredited residency program in general surgery, otolaryngology, neurological surgery, urology, orthopedic surgery, or accredited oral and maxillofacial training.  Our Plastic Surgery Program is three years in duration and we have two residents in each year of training, with a total of six plastic surgery residents matriculated at all times. If you are interested in applying to our independent track, all applications must be submitted via the San Francisco Matching Program (Program #61238). All completed applications must be received to the SF Match by December 31st. Interviews are usually conducted in the late winter to early spring.

Residents are taught plastic surgery through broad clinical exposure and formal didactic sessions:

Clinical - Our educational program provides extensive exposure to the entire breadth of clinical plastic surgery.  The Division of Plastic Surgery works with the Trauma Surgery Service, in cooperation with the Departments of Otolaryngology and Orthopedics, to provide coverage for all maxillofacial and hand trauma.  In addition, our Division provides general and microsurgical reconstructive services for Orthopedic Trauma, Neurosurgery, Urology, Vascular Surgery, Cardiac Surgery, GI Surgery and Surgical Oncology.  Plastic surgery faculty members perform pediatric, craniofacial, and complex burn reconstructions.  In addition, we educate residents in a range of aesthetic plastic surgical procedures, including body contouring operations for patients who have lost significant weight following bariatric surgery.

Didactic - Three one-hour conferences are held on a weekly basis.  These include Plastic Surgery Grand Rounds, Case Conferences, and Friday didactic sessions.  Grand round topics are varied, reflecting the scope of plastic surgery, and are given by UCD faculty, plastic surgery residents, guest lecturers, and visiting professors.  Case conferences are presented by faculty and residents, often in a format similar to that of the Oral Boards.  Friday’s didactic conferences are based on CoreQuest, a comprehensive two-year curriculum covering topics in plastic surgery, supplemented by Selected Readings in Plastic Surgery and topical In-Service questions. We have a monthly journal club where several articles from the latest issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery are critically discussed.  Morbidity and mortality conference meets monthly in conjunction with the Department of Surgery.  A yearly Donald P. Hause Memorial Lecture features a prominent visiting professor who augments the education of our residents, faculty, and community plastic surgeons.

Residents rotate through five clinical services during their two or three years of plastic surgery residency.  The majority of time is spent on the University Service where the more complex reconstructions and aesthetic surgery is performed.  The Shriners Hospital Service provides more in-depth experience with burn reconstruction and pediatric plastic surgery.  During the Kaiser rotation, each plastic surgery resident has an opportunity to learn management of benign and malignant skin neoplasms as well as breast reconstruction in a managed care setting.  The Hand Service gives residents concentrated exposure to the principles and practice of hand surgery with an emphasis on complex congential, neurologic and arthritic hand problems.  Additional experience in managing hand problems, skin neoplasms, and patients requiring other oncologic reconstructions is found at the VA Hospital.

The five plastic surgery residents are assigned alternately to the above rotations.  A chief resident, a first year plastic surgery resident, and an intern are on the University Service at all times.  Both categorical and preliminary general surgery interns, as well as ones from Orthopedics and Otolaryngology, rotate on the plastic surgery for one month during their first year of training.  Each resident is given increasing responsibility for preoperative and postoperative management of the service patients as their training progresses.  Interns are required to attend the Cypress Clinic twice a week and are expected to be involved in the operating room upon completion of other service responsibilities.  The plastic surgery residents are required to attend 1 ½ days of clinic, divided between the UC Davis and C Street clinics.  Home call is distributed amongst the plastic surgery residents, with trauma call (hand and maxillofacial call) every third night.  We adhere strictly to the 80-hour work week and other ACGME work hour guidelines.

Medical student teaching receives considerable attention.  Each third year student is assigned a faculty mentor for the rotation.  This mentor reviews patient write-ups and focuses on pertinent plastic surgical issues presented.  All faculty and residents work with every medical student daily during his/her rotation, involving the student in every aspect of patient care on the wards, in the clinic, and operating room.  We hold medical students responsible for selected patients.  Students write daily progress notes, and report on patients’ progress during rounds.  Participation in the operating room is encouraged.  Medical students take call with the service intern according to a schedule established by the Surgery Course Director.  At the end of the plastic surgery rotation, each student is expected to present on a topic of his/her choice.  In addition to third year medical students, we often host visiting fourth year medical students who serve as acting interns over the academic year. The rotation is four weeks in duration; if you are interested is obtaining a fourth year AI rotation please contact Lisa Madden, Plastic Surgery Residency Coordinator at plasticsurg.residency@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu, prior to completing your VSAS application as space is limit to one AI/visiting student per rotation and is reserved on a first come first service basis.

All faculty members are involved in academic projects, with most research being clinical.  There are opportunities for basic science collaboration within the University.  Plastic surgery residents are expected to participate in at least one project per year resulting in a presentation at a local, regional or national plastic surgery meeting and ultimate publication in the literature.  If a resident is interested in dedicated research time, advance notice is necessary.  It may be possible to make time for additional research.

 Please contact Lisa Madden, Plastic Surgery Residency Coordinator at (916) 734-2568 or you can email your inquires to plasticsurg.residency@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.

David J. Boudreault, MD
Medical School - Saint  Louis University School of Medicine
General Surgery - University of California, San Francisco - East Bay

David W. Dorfman, M.D., D.D.S. (Chief)
Dental School – University of California, Los Angeles, School of Dentistry
Medical School – University of California, Davis
General Surgery Residency/Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency – University of California, San Francisco

Nathan Kludt, MD
Medical School – Eastern Virginia Medical School
General Surgery Residency – University of California, Davis

Samuel H. Lance, MD
Medical School - University of Texas Medical School at Houston
General Surgery Residency – University of California, Davis (Combined Program)

Rahim Nazerali, MD
Medical School – Brown Medical School
General Surgery Residency – University of California, Davis (Combined Program)