Grants Funded
Grant applicants for the 2024 cycle requested a total of nearly $3 million dollars. The PSF Study Section Subcommittees of Basic & Translational Research and Clinical Research evaluated more than 100 grant applications on the following topics:
The PSF awarded research grants totaling over $650,000 dollars to support more than 20 plastic surgery research proposals.
ASPS/PSF leadership is committed to continuing to provide high levels of investigator-initiated research support to ensure that plastic surgeons have the needed research resources to be pioneers and innovators in advancing the practice of medicine.
Research Abstracts
Search The PSF database to have easy access to full-text grant abstracts from past PSF-funded research projects 2003 to present. All abstracts are the work of the Principal Investigators and were retrieved from their PSF grant applications. Several different filters may be applied to locate abstracts specific to a particular focus area or PSF funding mechanism.
Patient Reported Outcomes in Gender Mastectomy
Megan Lane MD
2019
The Regents of the University of Michigan
Pilot Research Grant
Other, General Reconstructive
An estimated 0.6 percent of the United States population identifies as transgender. Many trans individuals opt for hormonal therapy and gender-affirming surgery in order to live as their preferred gender. According to the 2015 US Transgender Survey, one quarter of American transgender individuals have undergone some form of gender affirming surgery, and more than half would like some type of surgery in the future. Gender-affirming surgery includes gender mastectomy and phalloplasty in transmen and breast augmentation, facial feminization, and vaginoplasty in transwomen. The desire to undergo gender-affirming surgery has led to a four-fold increase in the number of these procedures in the US from 2012 to 2014. Despite the growing number of patients seeking gender-affirming surgery, the psychosocial and quality of life benefits of these procedures remain poorly studied, particularly among U.S. patient populations. Previous analyses have been limited by their small sample sizes, retrospective designs, and lack of patient reported outcome (PRO) measures. Furthermore, studies assessing PROs have mainly relied on ad hoc survey instruments. While the life changing nature of gender-affirming surgeries may seem evident to surgeons performing these procedures, prospective studies evaluating clinical and patient-reported outcomes are still needed to assist patients, providers, payers and policy-makers in making important decisions regarding these operations. Using a prospective study design with pre-/post-measures (specifically GAD-7, PHQ-9, Body Image Quality of Life Index, modified BREAST-Q, and the BODY-Q), we will conduct a pilot study evaluating clinical and patient-reported outcomes of gender mastectomy in transmen. We have already begun this study, with over 70 patients recruited in our pre-operative phase. We have also begun connecting with other sites in the hopes of creating a multi-center PRO study. The specific goals of this pilot study are as follows: 1) Establish a study process and selection of a standard panel of validated surveys for the study of gender affirming surgery in preparation for a larger multicenter study. 2) Collect pilot data on complication rates and patient-reported outcomes, specifically concerning anxiety, depression, body image, and health-related quality of life. Although we have started this project, we would like to hire a research assistant to help successfully recruit patients and see them postoperatively.
