Gregory Borschel, MD PSRC Chair

Dear PSRC Members and Friends:

We are greatly looking forward to gathering in person – particularly after having been apart for so long. The upcoming Annual Meeting will be held in Toronto, Canada, this coming June.

We received a fabulous number of abstract submissions this year, far exceeding our expectations. A total of 652 abstract were submitted, and the Program is packed with new and hot topics.

PSRC now includes more members than ever. We are 776 members strong, representing a 16% 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.

Meanwhile, we will hold a panel entitled: “Plastic Surgery Research: Past, Present, and Future” at the upcoming 100th Celebration of the American Association of Plastic Surgeons (AAPS) to be held in April 9-12, 2022 in San Diego, California. Several luminaries will be on this panel, including numerous past PSRC chairs as well as rising stars.

Thank you again to Paige Fox for her fourth edition of the PSRC newsletter as Editor-in-Chief. Looking forward to seeing everyone soon!

Greg Borschel

Allison Snyder-Warwick, MD

Interview with Allison Snyder-Warwick, MD
By: Benjamin Levi, MD

1. What inspired you to serve on a review panel?
Serving on a review panel is fun! It is inspiring to learn about key questions being asked and answered within our specialty. Supporting a phenomenal idea or contributing feedback that may make a colleague’s research even better is rewarding and debating with passionate friends and colleagues and critically thinking about the future of plastic surgery research is always enlightening! Serving on a review panel enhances my own grant writing skills—I’ve learned so much since I first served as a reviewer—and also provides a sense of accomplishment. I value the opportunity to work closely with many brilliant colleagues who are excited about research.

2. What is something you didn’t know that you know now that you lead a review panel?
We are part of a community that is passionate about advancing our specialty, and our diverse opinions and ideas make us stronger. :)
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Peter Iafrate, Pharm.D

Interview with Peter Iafrate, Pharm.D
Chair, University of Florida Gainesville Health Science Center IRB
By Harvey Chim, MD

1. What types of studies need IRB approval?
   
   The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is charged with the review and approval of human subject’s research. So if what you are doing is both research and involves humans, then IRB approval is required.
   
   According to federal regulations 45 CFR 46 (also called the Common Rule), research is defined as a “systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge.”
   
   A human subject is "a living individual about whom an investigator (whether professional or student) conducting research:

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Melanie Urbanchek, PhD

By Melanie Urbanchek, PhD

Laboratory animals are essential to almost every major advance in human and animal medicine. Animal research has helped make life-changing discoveries such as: vaccines and medicines, transplant procedures, anesthetics, and blood transfusions. Millions of humans live longer or improved lives because of animal research. Animal research can be an important adjunct to clinical and translational research.
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Heather Baltzer, MD, MSc, FRCSC, FACS

Heather Baltzer, MD, MSc, FRCSC, FACS
Director, Toronto Western Hand Program
Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery
University Health Network: Toronto Western Hospital
Krembil Research Institute

By: Christopher L. Sudduth, MD

Dr. Heather Baltzer is a hand surgeon with a strong interest in hand and wrist arthritis. She focuses on translational proteomics to investigate systemic and joint-specific biomarkers related to the development and progression of symptomatic osteoarthritis in the hand and wrist.

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• American Association of Plastic Surgeons
  April 9-12, 2022, San Diego, CA
  meeting.aaps1921.org
  
  
• World Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery (WSRM) 11th Meeting
  June 1-4 2022, Cancun (Mexico)
  wsrm2022.com
  
  
• American Society of Plastic Surgeons
  October 27-30, 2022, Boston, MA
  https://www.plasticsurgerythemeeting.com/
  
  
• American Society of Reconstructive Transplantation (ASRT) Biennial meeting
  November 3-5 2022, Chicago, IL
  https://www.a-s-r-t.com/current-meeting

Paige Fox, Editor
Harvey Chim, Assistant Editor
Summer Hanson, Assistant Editor
Benjamin Levi, Assistant Editor
Christopher Sudduth, Assistant Editor
Melanie Urbanchek, Assistant Editor