MD
Assistant Professor, Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery
UNC-Chapel Hill
Clinical Research
Area of Interest
I am a plastic surgeon with general surgery training and an interest in cancer reconstruction with specific expertise in clinical epidemiology of cancer and surgical treatment of lymphedema. My academic and research interests are in surgical epidemiology, oncologic reconstruction and development of innovative surgical tools and methods for resource-constrained settings.
I have chosen a career in oncologic reconstruction and breast cancer reconstruction in particular due to my belief that the possibilities for making patients whole again are infinite. I have been involved in breast cancer advocacy as a medical student, breast cancer research as a graduate student and breast cancer care as a surgical trainee in general surgery and plastic surgery, and as a plastic surgeon. I have worked on a variety of clinical studies in my career and coordinated a multinational, multicenter surgical randomized control trial which was published in a top five journal in medicine. I was part of the group that published the first surgical epidemiologic papers in breast reconstruction from the ACS National Surgical Quality Initiative Project (NSQIP). I have also applied my epidemiological skills in publishing systematic reviews and pooled analyses. I have the benefit of a general surgical training with a clear understanding of both the oncologic and reconstructive aspects of breast cancer care. I have also had specialized training in lymphedema surgery.
Awards and Honors
- American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery Associate Member, 2018
- American College of Surgeons RAS Scholarship Award, 2015
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons Member, 2015
- Society of Laparoscopic Surgery Travel Grant, 2013
- American College of Surgeons Member, 2012
- Ad-hoc Reviewer – Breast Cancer Research & Treatment, World Journal of Surgical Oncology, The Lancet, Annals of Epidemiology, Cancer Epidemiology Honors, 2009
- Susan G. Komen Foundation Travel Scholarship, 2006
