Research
Innovation
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HumanitarianFoundation - Fall 2011
Drive for 75 Campaign Fuels the Future
PSF Post Bariatric Clinical Fellowship
Meet Maliniac Fellow Dr. Peter Neligan
Drive for 75 Fueling the Future
Denver, Colorado was the setting for the kick-off of The Plastic Surgery Foundation’s (The PSF) Drive for 75 Campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to encourage a greater number of ASPS members to invest in clinically relevant investigations that will fuel the future of plastic surgery.
This past year, The PSF received 142 research grant and fellowship applications totaling over $4 million in funding requests. The contributions of over 1,500 ASPS members and corporate partners enabled The PSF to award nearly $750,000 to support investigator-initiated research and to sponsor thirty-two investigators. With the support of every ASPS member The PSF will be able to sponsor even more research opportunities and assure that plastic surgery is a specialty based on innovation and clinical excellence.
The Drive for 75 activities at PS 2011 were the start of an ambitious campaign to restore ASPS member support of the Foundation to the levels seen a decade ago – when 75% of the entire membership made an annual contribution.
Lead by Dr. Norm Cole‘s call to action during the Opening Ceremonies, a cadre of volunteers headed by Dr. Cole and Drs. Gary Culbertson and Sephrer Egrari encouraged their friends and colleagues to make a contribution or pledge in support of The PSF.
A Partner in Research ribbon for their badge recognized every member who contributed $100 or more. Every contributor received a Drive for 75-lapel pin.
During the meeting, a Drive for 75 speedometer helped attendees to keep pace with the progress toward securing contributions from 75% of the ASPS members in attendance. By the close of the meeting, twelve percent of the surgeons and other friends in attendance had contributed or pledged $61,000 to support the future of plastic surgery.
While the response during the meeting was a great start, Council of Advisors and other volunteers will be reaching out to all ASPS members to restore the specialty’s philanthropic commitment to advancing plastic surgery into the future. As Dr. Cole stated in Denver, “Our specialty is small. The public does not perceive us a group in need. We need to take care of ourselves.” From residents just starting out to those who want to affirm their life’s work in the specialty the contributions of every member makes a difference."
For more information about the many research studies funded by The PSF or to contribute or pledge please go to www.The PSF.org or contact Susan Hacker, Individual Giving Associate, at 847-709-7542.
The PSF Awards 2012 Clinical Fellowship in Post Bariatric Contouring
Many plastic surgeons complete their residency with the desire to gain expertise in a sub-specialty of plastic surgery that could lead improved treatment for all plastic surgeons and patients.
The PSF Post-Bariatric Body Contouring Clinical Fellowship provides a resident or recent resident graduate with a year of protected and dedicated time to gain structured exposure to all aspects of practice in post-bariatric body contouring under the supervision of a well-established and accomplished mentor.
“By providing a promising young surgeon the rare opportunity to concentrate solely on Post-Bariatric Body Contouring for a full year, he or she will have gained valuable training and expertise. We hope individuals who participate in the fellowship will ultimately become leaders in the field, who will study healing and outcomes, and provide better techniques from which our whole society may benefit. We are so grateful to Ethicon Endo-Surgery for this wonderful contribution - it is much appreciated,” says Dr. Michele Shermak, Chair of The PSF Clinical Fellowship Committee.
Through Ethicon Endo-Surgery’s generous support of the Post-Bariatric Body Contouring Clinical Fellowship, Ronald P. Bossert, MD from the University of Rochester Medical Center will have the opportunity to spend a full year from July 2011 through June 2012 under the mentorship of J. Peter Rubin, MD at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. During his fellowship year, Dr. Bossert will gain advanced training in:
• Proper evaluation of the Massive Weight Loss patient presenting for body contouring,
• Principles of patient selection and matching procedures to patient goals,
• Operative techniques in advanced body contouring and breast surgery
“This fellowship is a unique opportunity for a plastic surgeon to have a focused experience in body contouring after weight loss and also develop academic projects that serve as a foundation for contribution to our specialty. The fellowship program allows for significant growth of the clinical and research activities of our body-contouring program, and provides a valuable educational focus for our plastic surgery residency. Importantly, former fellows are founding centers of excellence in post-bariatric contouring in their regions.” Says J. Peter Rubin, MD, Chief of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh.
To learn more about all of The PSF training programs that help plastic surgeons progress in their careers and supplement their existing knowledge by building new competencies go to www.ThePSF.org/training.
Research Needs – and Ease of Giving – Lead to Maliniac Circle
Peter Neligan, MD, Seattle, says he’d watched the induction of Maliniac Circle members at each annual meeting with a sense of longing to be a part of it, but he believed that while there would be nothing better than to join an illustrious group of plastic surgery philanthropists, the cost of doing so seemed prohibitive – even for the 2009 PSF president.
The Maliniac Circle is reserved for plastic surgeons who have contributed or will contribute to The PSF or the National Endowment for Plastic Surgery at least $100,000 through estate bequests or life insurance policies, or $50,000 in cash or securities.
It wasn’t until 2009 Maliniac Circle inductee William Kuzon Jr., MD, explained to him the simplicity of giving to the National Endowment that he realized such a contribution was easily within reach. “He told me: ‘I took the insurance option and it’s very affordable.’ I only wish that I’d done it sooner,” Dr. Neligan says.
“I made one telephone call to the contact person for Maliniac Circle contributions, and he set it up,” Dr. Neligan recalls. “Someone came to my office, drew blood and conducted an insurance exam – and a couple of phone calls later, it was all in place. I don’t think ASPS members know just how easy this process can be. I was very pleased.”
Dr. Neligan, who is a professor of surgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine and director of its Center for Reconstructive Surgery, and his wife, Gabrielle Kane, MD, were inducted into the Maliniac Circle during
Plastic Surgery 2010 in Toronto – coincidentally, with Dr. Kuzon onstage as president of the Foundation.
Circle of Support
The second important element that drove Dr. Neligan’s contribution is the importance of financial support to the specialty provided by Maliniac Circle membership, he says. “The heart and soul of our specialty is research and development,” he says. “Without these, our specialty goes nowhere. Plastic surgery’s tradition is that its practitioners are innovators, but what typically happens is that other specialties come along and start performing the procedures for which we’ve paved the way and which we’ve refined – and then we go on to do something else. But in order to continue to go on and innovate, we need financial support.
“That’s one of the two main factors behind the National Endowment’s creation,” Dr. Neligan explains. “The other is that the specialty and Society need financial backing to confront the controversies that arise – such as the breast implant crisis in 1992. Then-ASPS President Norm Cole, MD, and others realized that we had no ‘war chest’ with which to address matters such as these, which prompted them to establish the endowment. It’s adapted to the point that we’re now awarding research grants each year – so the donations by ASPS members are having a direct effect upon the specialty and our members can see where their support is going.”
The Impact of Giving
Dr. Neligan says he was further inspired to contribute to the National Endowment by the example set by Robert Wharton, an unassuming Canadian whose vast wealth allowed him to fund the first endowed plastic surgery chair in the country at the University of Toronto.
After undergoing a procedure that involved Dr. Neligan and another surgeon, Wharton asked what they needed in order to develop a first-rate surgical service – and then he wrote a check for $5 million (with more donations following). He typically requested anonymity for his incredible largesse, Dr. Neligan recalls.
“The only reason we were allowed to use his name for the endowed chair was that he was a business leader and we thought it would encourage others to see how he gave his money – so perhaps they should do so, too,” Dr. Neligan says. “He didn’t do it for publicity or attention.
“That’s the same way I felt about my contribution to the National Endowment, but also that’s why I decided to go on the record about it,” adds Dr. Neligan, who originally had declined an interview by PSN on his Maliniac Circle induction. “It may encourage others to give – the more people give, the more they will be seen and the reasons behind their contributions better understood. And the better that will be for all of us.”
Plastic Surgery’s Wide Net
Rather than describe a specific area of plastic surgery he would like to see funded, Dr. Neligan says he would be happy to see his contribution targeted for any facet of the specialty. “The beauty of plastic surgery is that the net it casts is quite large,” he says. “New things regularly come along that we grab and run with. “For example, one of the noteworthy developments in microsurgery from the last few years involves the development of lymphatic surgery,” he says. “Ten years ago, no one might have been interested in it, yet today it’s gaining increasing focus. Twenty years ago, facial transplantation was so revolutionary that it might not have even been dreamed of. Tomorrow, something completely different will come up. The possibilities surrounding the next revolutionary development to be advanced by plastic surgery are nearly infinite.”
Dr. Neligan says that while it’s impossible to turn back time in order to contribute sooner to the National Endowment, he gives young plastic surgeons some points to consider – many of which they may be completely unaware, he notes.
“I didn’t think about the things I’ve been talking about until several years into my practice,” Dr. Neligan says. “I was just excited to start my practice. I would’ve liked to know early on just how easy and affordable this contribution can be, and more important, how amazing this specialty is and how the repeating pattern of innovation, mastery and then progression to the next innovation is fully dependent upon our financial support.
"Had I realized this," he says, "I would have done all this long ago."
For more information about becoming a Maliniac Fellow. contact:
Carol V. Wargo, CFRE, CAE
Chief Development Officer
Phone: 847-228-3358
cwargo@plasticsurgery.org
Where Are They Now?: Chad Perlyn, MD, PHD 
Research Focus: Craniofacial Molecular Embryology
Institution: Miami Children’s Hospital
When did you receive your first PSF award and what was the focus of your project?
I received my first award from The PSF in 2003. The focus of the project was the role of fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) in craniofacial development and how these receptors specifically were involved in the clinical condition known as craniosynostosis. This is a condition where the cranial suture is fused prematurely in the developing fetal skull causing significant anomalies of the craniofacial region. This award was very meaningful to me because it was the initial funding of the project, which eventually evolved in to a doctorate at the University of England. Because of The PSF grant, I was able to complete a doctor’s degree in the field of molecular craniofacial embryology. Without the support of The PSF, this would not have been possible.
Since you received your PSF award, what significant scientific findings have you made in your continued efforts?
The majority of my work has been in craniofacial molecular embryology. I think the most significant work that I have done is involved with the development of a pharmacological agent that prevents the cranial sutures from fusing in the first place. This is exciting and promising work. We were able to demonstrate that we could prevent suture fusion in a mouse model for Curzon’s Syndrome. Not only did that work lead to the publication of the pharmacologic agent. More importantly, it helped us further understand the developmental processes related to craniosynostosis.
What are you working on now?
Over the last several years, we have worked on several projects; one of them was involved in the actual mechanism of suture development and the developmental process behind suture interdigitation and maintenance. This helps to explain the normal process of suture fusion, which of course allows us to better understand the abnormal process and conditions like craniosynostosis.
In addition, I have also been doing some very interesting work showing how perceived gain-of-function mutations actually cause loss of function. In some ways, the best way to think about this is like a circuit breaker in your basement. If a surge of electricity suddenly occurs, the lights in the house do glow brighter. The circuit breaker trips and it shuts off. In many of the mutations, that we perceive as gain of function, we actually see this phenomenon. There may be a brief gain of function, but then the system shuts down and the outcome is actually more of a loss of function sequel. This shows the complexity of the biological systems and how much we still have to learn about some of these mutations.
What applicability in today's world does your research have?
I see what we do as akin to breast cancer therapy. A century ago, the radical mastectomy was the norm. Now, we try to do as minimal of an operation as can be done and treat the tissue with adjuvant therapies. I hope that this becomes a trend for craniofacial surgery. It would be wonderful if in one hundred years we look back at the craniofacial remodeling surgeries that we do today and wonder why we had to do such aggressive procedures. It would be wonderful if we could do significantly lesser interventions and have pharmacological therapy to help improve the quality of life of these children. Certainly, as medicine becomes more and more advanced and our surgical capabilities for very specialized and precise operations increase, it would be terrific if this could be applied to craniofacial surgery as well.
What would you like to see the researchers of today/tomorrow do with your work?
I would like to see adjuvant therapies developed for craniosynostosis. Ideally, once this syndrome was picked up in utero or through genetic testing, a therapy could be given to pregnant mothers to prevent the sutures from fusing in the first place. The initial work that we published shows the potential for this to exist. In some ways, a more realistic expectation is the development of adjuvant therapy that could be given postnatally. In craniofacial surgery, we take abnormal bone and move it to a normal anatomic position and then expect it to grow normally. In many of the nonsyndromatic kids, it does, but there is a large population of children who still need other surgeries down the road. If we could do a single operation at early infancy and then limit the abnormal growth disturbances caused by the mutation, this would make a tremendous impact.
What advice would you give someone just embarking on his or her research career?
I think anyone who is interested in research should absolutely pursue it. It is a profoundly different type of training than surgical training. It teaches a different type of discipline and patience. Most of us love surgery because of the instant gratification that we get when we help a child with our own hand. Research is the opposite. It is at times profoundly challenging and frustrating as you search for answer after answer and do not come up with it, but yet when you do finally have that eureka moment it is one of the most satisfying things that can happen in a young person’s career as you suddenly open secrets that were not understood. The excitement from looking in the microscope and suddenly realizing something is as profound as helping any child on the operating table if not more so. During surgery, you change the child’s life in a moment, but with research you potentially can help so many people.
