Plastic Surgery Research Council (PSRC)
October 2021 Facebook  Instagram  Twitter
Message From The PSRC Chair
How to get started working with Big Data
Mastering Research in Big Data
New Member Spotlight
Upcoming Meetings
PSRC News Staff

Gregory Borschel, MD, PSRC Chair
Gregory Borschel, MD
PSRC Chair

Dear PSRC Members and Friends:

This Thanksgiving season, I wanted to express my gratitude to all of those in the PSRC that continue to make this group such a wonderful gathering place for Plastic Surgery research in North America and beyond. Of course, we have had to adapt, pivot, and modify our professional and personal lives over the course of the past year and a half, but as a by-product, we can also take great pride in having done so. Sometimes we are stronger than we think, more resilient than we could have guessed, and more resourceful than we could have predicted. This is the core nature of the Plastic Surgeon. We are routinely called upon to deal with the unknown, the rare, and sometimes, the undescribed. It falls to us to figure out solutions where none may be readily apparent. We are resourceful -- and we are gritty. And that is what serves us well in times of crisis, as well as in “regular times” (whatever those are).

As you know, we pivoted the 2021 Annual Meeting this past spring to an online format, and the first-ever PSRC Pentathlon featured five events: Wound Healing, Nerve/Hand; Craniofacial/Congenital; Transplant/Micro; and Breast/Aesthetic/Gender. Over 500 participants tuned in over the course of the week. For anyone that missed it, the abstracts from the PSRC Pentathlon can be found here in PRS-GO: https://journals.lww.com/prsgo/toc/2021/07001

PSRC now includes more members than ever. We are 760 members strong, representing over an 11% increase over pre-pandemic levels. In addition, the PSRC enjoys an increased level of global participation. PSRC now includes delegations from 21 different countries and five continents.

With that, thank you to Paige Fox for her continued dedication as the PSRC newsletter Editor-in-Chief. Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.


Greg Borschel

SAviram Giladi, MD, MS
Aviram Giladi, MD, MS
Aviram Giladi, MD, MS
Research Director
The Curtis National Hand Center at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital

Over the past two decades, there have been astounding advancements in data availability and analytic capabilities. However, even from my earliest database research projects, the massive opportunities that “big data” provide - especially when studying uncommon events or moderate/small effects - were clear. I was fortunate to learn from mentors in medical school and residency that were early adopters and very experienced in designing and executing health services research projects that centered on using bigger datasets. So, although I hope to give some valuable pointers to anyone interested in integrating big data/databases into their research career, I must disclose that a lot of my early experience was very much “right place, right time.” Mentorship and support are critical!
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Catherine Curtin, MD
Catherine Curtin, MD

Catherine Curtin, MD
Professor of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery
Stanford University

Vast amounts of information are routinely collected during patient care. This information has enormous potential to answer many important clinical questions. It is no wonder that many clinicians, researchers and administrators want to use this data to further their missions. “Big data,” “machine learning” and “artificial intelligence” can answer many pressing problems but after working in this space, I have learned that the answers don’t necessarily come easy. I hope to provide some small pearls on those who are interested in working with health data.
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Paige Myers, MD
Paige Myers, MD

Paige Myers, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
University of Michigan

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I grew up in a small town in upstate New York, just a few miles from the Canadian border. I completed plastic surgery residency at the University of Rochester and a reconstructive microsurgery fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Currently, I am a clinical assistant professor in the section of plastic surgery at the University of Michigan. My practice consists largely of breast reconstruction, primarily autologous, while also focusing on lymphedema surgery and other types of general complex reconstructions. My husband and I are so happy to be here at UM and love exploring with our pup all that the Midwest has to offer!
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Upcoming Meetings

PSRC News Staff

Paige Fox, Editor
Joseph Catapano, Assistant Editor
Edward Davidson, Assistant Editor
Noopur Gangopadhyay, Assistant Editor
Summer Hanson, Assistant Editor
Benjamin Levi, Assistant Editor