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PHILANTHROPY
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Our Specialty

ABOUT PLASTIC SURGERY

Plastic Surgery is a surgical specialty concerned with the restoration of form and function.

 

It is a very diverse field and includes the following:

  • hand surgery

  • burn care

  • craniofacial surgery

  • post-cancer and post-trauma reconstruction

  • breast surgery

  • genitourinary reconstruction

  • microsurgery, including nerve and blood vessel repair and reconstruction

  • major congenital anomalies including cleft lip and palate and craniofacial malformations

  • gender reassignment surgery

  • complex wound care

  • cosmetic surgery of the face and body

The UBC Division of Plastic Surgery is based on the practices of plastic surgeons at Vancouver General Hospital, St. Paul's Hospital, British Columbia's Children's Hospital, Victoria General Hospital, Royal Jubilee Hospital, Kelowna General Hospital, and numerous private facilities.

 

The Division is responsible for the training of medical students, plastic surgical residents, and fellows. One or two plastic surgery residency positions are available in BC each year. 

The program is five years in duration with graduation from a Canadian or American medical school as the academic pre-requisite. There is one core surgical year and four years of dedicated plastic surgery. It is a predominantly clinical program. During each of the plastics years, residents are expected to carry out a research project in either clinical or basic science.

 

ABOUT PLASTIC SURGERY

Plastic Surgery is a surgical specialty concerned with the restoration of form and function.

 

It is a very diverse field and includes the following:

  • hand surgery

  • burn care

  • craniofacial surgery

  • post-cancer and post-trauma reconstruction

  • breast surgery

  • genitourinary reconstruction

  • microsurgery, including nerve and blood vessel repair and reconstruction

  • major congenital anomalies including cleft lip and palate and craniofacial malformations

  • gender reassignment surgery

  • complex wound care

  • cosmetic surgery of the face and body

The term 'plastic' is derived from the Greek word 'plastikos', meaning 'to mold and reshape'.

 

Plastic surgeons use a series of principles and a fundamental understanding of hard and soft tissues to restore form and function. They work with blood vessels, nerves, fat, fascia, muscle, tendon, skin, bone, and cartilage in all areas of the human body. Pediatric, adult, and geriatric patients alike benefit from plastic surgery procedures. As a result, the specialty is responsible for more procedures than any other discipline in medicine.

Because plastic surgeons are often called upon by their peers to solve difficult and refractory problems, they are often known as 'the surgeon's surgeon'. 

The world of plastic surgery is ever evolving with new research in all of its major domains. 

RESEARCH
Clinical and Basic Science
EDUCATION
Medical Students, Residents, & Fellows
PHILANTHROPY
At Home and Abroad
Our Program

ABOUT UBC PLASTICS

The University of British Columbia is located in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Canada's West Coast.

 

Independently founded in 1915, the University has over 60,000 enrolled learners today. The UBC Faculty of Medicine, established in 1949, educates health professional and life sciences students at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels, and pursues research – in the laboratory, in clinical settings and at the population and public policy level – to improve the health of people worldwide. 

The UBC Division of Plastic Surgery was founded in 1951 by Dr. Robert Langston. Plastic surgery was initially taught to residents who rotated through from other disciplines. The residency program was established in 1968 with Dr. AD Courtemanche as the first program director, and the first two residents graduated in 1971. 

The UBC Division of Plastic Surgery is based on the practices of plastic surgeons at Vancouver General Hospital, St. Paul's Hospital, British Columbia's Children's Hospital, Victoria General Hospital, Royal Jubilee Hospital, Kelowna General Hospital, and numerous private facilities.

The Division is responsible for the training of medical students, plastic surgical residents, and fellows. One or two plastic surgery residency positions are available in BC each year. 

The program is five years in duration with graduation from a Canadian or American medical school as the academic pre-requisite. There is one core surgical year and four years of dedicated plastic surgery. It is a predominantly clinical program. During each of the plastics years, residents are expected to carry out a research project in either clinical or basic science.

Our Strengths

PROGRAM STRENGTHS

A Comprehensive Experience

Comprehensive training is delivered in hand, peripheral nerve, breast reconstruction, burns, complex wounds, craniofacial, head and neck, pediatric and congenital, gender reassignment, and cosmetic surgery.

Complete Burn Care

Residents train on the Burns, Trauma, and High Acuity unit and in the ICU at Vancouver General Hospital, operate on and manage in-patient and out-patient burns, and are involved in burn research.

Diverse Out-patient Clinics

Specialized out-patient care is provided through clinics dedicated to brachial plexus, hand, craniofacial, cleft lip and palate, facial palsy, vascular malformations, complex wound care, and spinal cord injury.

Resident Cosmetic Clinic

Residents in their final year work with expert cosmetic surgeons to deliver a resident cosmetic clinic; the longest running and most successful of its kind to-date in Canada.

Microsurgical Lab

A WorkSafe-funded microsurgical skills training lab is available year-round for residents to practice, and residents have formal one-on-one instruction in microsurgery during their third year of residency. 

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A Structured Curriculum

Formal academic instruction includes academic half-day lectures; staff case-based teaching; hand, breast, and paediatric rounds; walk-around-rounds; professor rounds; Grand rounds; and jounal clubs.

Extensive Research

The Division conducts clinical and basic science research, and yearly hosts a Resident Research Day. One residency position every second year includes a a 2-year salaried research sabbatical to pursue a masters degree.

Burn and Wound Healing Laboratory

The BC Professional FireFighter's Burn and Wound Healing Lab, a branch of the Division lead by Dr. Aziz Ghahary, is a world leader in wound healing research and anti-scarring technology.

International Mission Work

Residents in their 4th or 5th year pariticpate in an international mission of their choosing, and the Division has a strong committment to the development of a plastic surgery training program in Uganda.

Visiting Profs, Workshops, and Labs

The UBC Division of Plastic Surgery hosts world renowned plastic surgeon, regular anatomy workshops, industry-sponsored labs, and cosmetic injectables sessions.

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Contact Us

CONTACT US

Our Address

Vancouver General Hospital
2nd. Floor, Jim Pattison Pavilion North
855 W. 12th. Avenue, Vancouver, BC

V5Z 1M9

Contact Information

Administrative Coordinator: Parm Sidhu

Phone: 604.875.4084
Fax: 604.875.5614

Email: paramjit.sidhu6@vch.ca

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