The Plastic Surgery Residency Program at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center provides a comprehensive, well-rounded balance of clinical training, structured education and organized research involvement. It is our goal to stimulate and advance the knowledge of the science and art of plastic surgery thereby improving and elevating the standard of practice of our specialty.

As a resident at UT Southwestern, you are an integral part of the Plastic Surgery team and participant in providing excellent patient care combined with innovative research and education. In-depth clinical experience is provided in congenital and craniofacial surgery, traumatic facial fractures, lower extremity, head and neck cancer, hand surgery, microvascular surgery, vascular anomalies, burn reconstruction and aesthetic surgery. Our goal is to produce excellent plastic surgeons capable of managing a wide spectrum of problems, adapting to the ever changing environment of medicine and functioning at a superior level of competence throughout their careers.

Since 1971, more than 140 residents and fellows have completed their training in Plastic Surgery and hundreds of medical students who have rotated on our service have chosen careers in Plastic Surgery. Currently there are more than 90 accredited Plastic Surgery training programs in the United States. In the late 1980’s as a result of governmental pressures, there was a trend to reduce the number of training programs and resident positions which resulted in the withdrawal of accreditation of some Plastic Surgery programs and a reduction of the number of residency positions in others. Due to the increasing plastic surgery volume and overall expanded general educational experience in plastic surgery at UT Southwestern, the Residency Review Committee (RRC) for Plastic Surgery approved an increase in the number of resident positions in our program from eight to ten (5 junior, 5 senior) in 2005. In December 2008, UT Southwestern Medical Center received RRC approval to go from a five to six year integrated residency and from a two to three year independent residency in plastic surgery.

A one-year RRC-approved hand surgery fellowship is available as well as unaccredited ACGME craniofacial/pediatric, cosmetic, and laser fellowship programs. Because of the substantial clinical volume in these areas, these fellows have no adverse impact on the training or operative experience of the plastic surgery residents. We also have a large number of visiting plastic surgeons (domestic and international) who observe and learn from our facility.