A History of DUKE PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY 1934 RANDOLPH JONES, JR. Prior to the formal development of plastic surgery as a subspecialty, plastic and reconstructive procedures at Duke University were performed by both Dr. Deryl Hart and Dr. Clarence Gardner. In 1934, Dr. Randolph Jones was appointed as the first chief of the division of Plastic Surgery after completing his general surgery residency at Duke. He served in this position until he was tragically gunned down by a paranoid schizophrenic patient in 1941 who believed he had been mistreated. A total of six bullets entered the surgeon’s body before the assailant was overpowered by several other physicians. Dr. Jones’ widow, Virginia Jones, who Excellence in remarried Duke’s football coach Wallace Wade, donated money for LEADERSHIP Duke Plastic Surgery Research in the name of her late husband in Every chief of Plastic Surgery has 1986 under the stipulation that contributed in a unique way to the donation remain anonymous building what is now recognized until her death. as a top academic, clinical, and educational program. 1944 1975 KENNETH PICKRELL NICHOLAS GEORGIADE Dr. Kenneth Pickrell was recruited In 1975, Dr. Nicholas Georgiade to join the staff at Duke in 1944 earned the position of chief of and assumed the role of head of the division. Dr. Georgiade held the Division of Plastic Surgery. degrees in both dentistry and Dr. Pickrell completed a surgery medicine and completed his residency at Johns Hopkins, which residency at Duke in 1954. included training in all specialties of surgery. He developed an interest During his tenure at Duke, in plastic surgery and trained under Dr. Georgiade became a highly pioneering plastic surgeon accomplished and renowned Dr. John Staige Davis in Baltimore. academic plastic surgeon with Dr. Pickrell was recruited to Duke specific expertise in cleft lip and and served as chief of Plastic palate repair, as well as breast Surgery for 30 years. He also served surgery. He routinely sought out as chief of neurosurgery for a innovators in all fields of plastic short time until Dr. Barnes Woodall surgery and was known to visit returned from WWII. them in order to learn their techniques and incorporate them In 1946, he initiated the Duke into his practice at Duke. He rose Plastic Surgery residency training to leadership positions in nearly program, one of the first in the every plastic surgery society in the country and the only three-year United States. The impact of Dr. program. Dr. Pickrell trained Georgiade’s work and leadership over 50 residents during his time in Duke Plastic Surgery is still as chief and was known for his present today. compassion and “little acts of kindness and love.” His dedication to the division helped establish Duke Plastic Surgery as a national leader. 1985 1995 DONALD SERAFIN L. SCOTT LEVIN From 1985 to 1995, the chief In 1995, Dr. L. Scott Levin became of the division was Dr. Donald the chief of Plastic Surgery at the Serafin. It was during this time that age of 40. Dr. Levin completed an microsurgery became a mainstay Orthopedic Surgery residency and of plastic surgery at Duke. Plastic Surgery residency at Duke Dr. Serafin was a global pioneer and brought a unique perspective in reconstructive microsurgery to the division. and hosted the prestigious Plastic Surgery Research Council at Duke Known for his charisma and in 1983. He offered a microsurgical inspiring speeches, Dr. Levin training course that trained over 100 rapidly ascended to become surgeons from all over the world a world-recognized leader in in the microsurgery technique. He reconstructive microsurgery, published a compendium of flaps for particularly in the field of reconstruction that included a video orthopedic reconstruction, a type library of flap dissections. of work he often referred to as “orthoplastic” surgery. He served In 1985, Serafin recruited as chief of the division until 2009, microvascular physiologist Bruce at which time he relocated to Klitzman to direct the research the University of Pennsylvania to lab. Among other research, Serafin become chair of the Department and Klitzman pioneered several of Orthopedics. techniques for post-op monitoring of free flaps, including continuous oxygen measurement, laser Doppler flowmetry, and fluorescent tracer appearance in flaps following intravascular injection. 2009 2017 GREGORY GEORGIADE JEFFREY MARCUS Following Dr. Levin’s departure, Our current chief is Dr. Jeffrey Dr. Greg Georgiade became Marcus, who assumed the position chief of the division. The son of in 2017 after Dr. Georgiade Nick Georgiade, Dr. Georgiade resigned. Dr. Marcus is the first completed his MD, General Surgery chief of Plastic Surgery to have residency, and Plastic Surgery trained under the integrated plastic residency at Duke. surgery paradigm, finishing his training at Northwestern in 2001. Under Dr. Georgiade’s leadership, He completed both pediatric and the division grew to 10 full-time craniofacial fellowships at Toronto faculty performing every aspect of Sick Kids Hospital. During this time, plastic surgery. Dr. Georgiade also he was recruited to Duke by Dr. piloted a transition in the residency Levin during his fellowship training program, from the “independent” and traveled between Toronto and track to the “integrated” Durham to see patients and build a program which started in 2013. facial reanimation program. Dr. Georgiade brought Scott Hollenbeck, Suhail Mithani, David During his nearly 15 years as an Powers, and Alexander Allori to the attending, he was an innovator, Duke faculty. inventing a hybrid MMF device, an excellent educator, and a hospital administrator. As chief of surgery for DUke Children’s Hospital (2015–2017), he organized efforts in receiving level 1 designation from the American College of Surgeons in 2016, with Duke being one of only 5 hospitals in the country to receive this status. As chief, his mission statement is “top 5 in 5,” and he is committed to making Duke the best plastic surgery program in the country. Programs AT DUKE Clockwise from top left: Dr. David Sabiston meets with medical team; Dr. J. Leonard Goldner at work in the operating room; the original entrance to Duke Hospital South. Microsurgical RECONSTRUCTION ithin Duke’s Department of for spinal and cranial surgery at Duke. Surgery, the combined efforts of Dr. Urbaniak followed the mission Wthe Divisions of Orthopaedics, of Duke University Medical Center, Plastic Surgery, and Neurosurgery translating basic science research established and contributed to Duke’s from bench to bedside. Following Dr. reputation as one of the world’s leading Urbaniak’s lead, Dr. Richard Goldner, institutions for microsurgery. Dr. Andrew Koman, Dr. James Nunley, and Dr. Scott Levin participated During the late 1960s, as advances in in microsurgical efforts, and the microscopes and instruments came replant service grew. At the time the about, the reconstructive microsurgery microsurgical program was developing, program at Duke began. At that time, Dr. the Duke Hand Fellowship Program J. Leonard Goldner, professor and chief was established. The program trained of Duke Orthopaedics, encouraged Dr. plastic and orthopaedic microsurgeons James Urbaniak to study the circulation from the United States and abroad— of the flexor pollicis longus tendon. surgeons who were and have remained Dr. Urbaniak used the operating in positions of leadership in hand microscope to dissect the vincula of the surgery and microvascular surgery. tendon, and subsequently discovered the merits of operative microscopy for Dr. David Sabiston, the legendary chair surgical procedures. of Duke Surgery from 1964 to 1994, set up a dual service line of microsurgery, In 1968, Dr. Susumu Tamai, a Japanese with Orthopaedics performing the orthopaedic surgeon, described the majority of the replantations and Plastic first thumb replantation. Following this Surgery performing free-tissue transfer. landmark case, the field of operative Reconstructive microsurgery as we know microsurgery in orthopaedics and plastic surgery began to become a it today evolved from the experience reality. Dr. Urbaniak established Duke’s with replantation and subsequently replantation team in the early 1970s, with techniques of autologous tissue which included Dr. Donald Bright, Dr. transplantation. This technique was Lee Whitehurst, and Dr. Panayotis popularized at Duke by Dr. Donald Soucacos. The Duke replantation team Serafin and the late Dr. Bill Barwick in shared their early clinical experience the 1970s and early 1980s. with other replant centers, such as Perhaps the greatest contribution that the Buncke Clinic in San Francisco, Dr. Levin made to Duke Plastic Surgery the Kleinert Kutz Hand Care Center in was establishing the Duke Human Louisville, Kentucky, and the Indiana Hand Center in Indianapolis. Tissue Laboratory. This began as a single room in what was the Bell Building that At the same time that hand and digital contained a single dissection table and a replantation was developing, Dr. few instruments for anatomic teaching. Blaine Nashold and his neurosurgical Working collaboratively with the colleagues were already using the Department of Anatomy and with the operating microscope on a routine basis support of Ralph Snyderman and Robert Anderson, $300,000 was invested into handed the reins of this course to his space that added additional dissection friend and colleague Michael Zenn, who tables and a cold storage facility to has expanded the Duke flap experience. store cadavers.