Plastic Surgery

Introduction: On November 5th, 2021, our first meeting took place to introduce the field of plastic surgery and share the future goals of the interest group. The PS-SIG board introduced ourselves and met other students interested in learning more about plastic and reconstructive surgery. We were also honored to hear from our faculty sponsor and highly esteemed plastic surgeon, Dr. Michael S. Wong, who presented a talk on his journey to plastic surgery. Dr. Wong also introduced the scope of plastic surgery using a variety of his cases and their respective challenges, ranging from total body lifts to reconstructive craniofacial and hand surgery.

BRA Day: We had our first outing as a SIG on October 18th, 2021 at the UC Davis Plastic Surgery Breast Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) Day event held at the SacYard Community Tap House. Understanding breast cancer and reconstruction can be a sensitive and charged topic to discuss. We joined UC Davis Plastic Surgery (UCDPS) to help provide an engaging, interactive, and supportive atmosphere for their guests. Community attendees made their own tie dye T-shirts, carved pumpkins, played cornhole, took pictures in a photo booth, and enjoyed food and drinks. CNUCOM students enjoyed getting to know the UCDPS team, while playing a part in spreading breast cancer reconstruction awareness.

Phase B Q/A Panel: The Plastic Surgery SIG held its first panel to help students learn more about the transition to Phase B of our curriculum, with an emphasis on surgical rotations. Due to the competitiveness of certain specialties, residency programs tend to highly consider the applicant’s performance during their clerkship rotations. In order to help prepare students, we held a panel with 3rd-year medical students who shared their experiences and tips for successfully navigating and preparing for surgical clerkships. Attendees gained valuable advice on the dos and don’ts of 3rd and 4th year rotations.

Plastic Surgery Resident Mixer: Our SIG was proud to host UC Davis Plastic Surgery Chief Resident, Matt Zeiderman, alongside our wonderful faculty sponsor, Dr. Michael S. Wong, for an evening mixer with our members. It was an incredible opportunity to learn residency preparations, applications, and expectations from two valuable points of view. Matt was gracious enough to provide insight from his own journey towards a residency in Plastic Surgery and Dr. Wong offered advice from his perspective as a residency program director. 

Craniopagus Twins Separation Talk: On April 14th, 2022, CNU’s Plastic Surgery SIG had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Granger Wong and Dr. Joseph Firriolo, who gave a talk about the separation of craniopagus twins, Abigail and Micaela Bachinskiy. They discussed the ten months of preparation that was necessary leading up to the procedure, the 24-hour separation surgery itself, and the outcome of the twins. The talk provided a direct view of the challenges that must be overcome in order to accomplish what is arguably one of the most complex surgical procedures.