Prof. Dr. David Chwei-Chin Chuang (Taiwan)

Dr. Chuang, the past president of WSRM (World Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery),  committed his surgical career to microsurgical reconstruction of the peripheral nerve. His work with more than 3000 peripheral nerve patients and innumerable academic contributions in the past three decades reflect his dedication to the development of microsurgery. Prof. Dr. Chuang’s zeal for increasing professional awareness of peripheral nerve microsurgery is one of his most valuable assets, which extends beyond his involvement in clinical and academic apprenticeship at his home base with the renowned Chang Gung Memorial University Hospital Microvascular Surgery Fellowship. His teaching inspires students to “think outside the box” and explore new frontiers in medicine. He has trained countless residents and fellows and deeply influenced numerous department chairs throughout the world. His vast contribution has been shared in more than 200 presentations worldwide and passed on to the next generation of microsurgeons in numerous journals and essential plastic reconstructive surgery textbooks.

Prof. Dr. Gregory H. Borschel (USA)

Dr. Borschel is the Chief of Plastic Surgery at Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, US. His practice focuses on pediatric nerve injuries, corneal neurotization, facial paralysis, congenital hand surgery, and microvascular reconstruction. His research laboratory develops treatments for nerve injuries and improving patient outcomes. He works with neuroscientists, engineers, and doctors around the world to improve treatments for patients with these conditions. Dr. Borschel graduated from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1997 and completed a residency in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Michigan in 2005. He completed a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship in neuromuscular tissue engineering at the University of Michigan, and a fellowship in Pediatric Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. His clinical work focuses on pediatric facial paralysis, nerve injuries, hand surgery and microvascular reconstruction, and he has pioneered corneal neurotization, a treatment for neurotrophic keratopathy, a rare cause of blindness caused by lack of nerve supply to the cornea. His research laboratory focuses on ways to enhance peripheral nerve regeneration, including drug and growth factor delivery, electrical stimulation, and the cellular and molecular mechanisms underpinning neurotrophic keratopathy and corneal neurotization.

He has published over 130 original peer-reviewed publications, four textbooks in Plastic Surgery, and dozens of book chapters. He has served as primary supervisor for several Master’s students, PhD students and postdoctoral fellows in nerve regeneration research. These students have won hundreds of international, national and local awards, fellowships, competitions and prizes for their research in nerve regeneration.

Dr. Borschel was elected President of the American Society for Peripheral Nerve for 2021 and was reappointed President for 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He was elected Chair of the Plastic Surgery Research Council for 2020 and was appointed Chair for an unprecedented second term for 2022.

His research sponsors have included granting agencies such as the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Moebius Syndrome Foundation, and the Foundation for Fighting Blindness. In 2007 he was the recipient of the American Association of Plastic Surgeons Academic Scholar Award. He was also awarded the C. James Carrico Faculty Research Award by the American College of Surgeons in 2009. In 2014 he was awarded the University of Toronto Department of Surgery George Armstrong Peters Prize “for outstanding academic productivity in research”, the highest honour that the Department can bestow upon a young surgeon.

Prof. Dr. Samir Mardini (USA)

Dr. Samir Mardini is Professor of Surgery and Chairman of the Division of Plastic Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Mardini is Director of the Craniofacial Clinic, Facial Paralysis and Reanimation Clinic and Surgical Director of the Essam and Dalal Obaid Center for Reconstructive Transplant Surgery at Mayo Clinic. After completing his plastic surgery residency at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Dr. Mardini completed a one-year fellowship in Craniomaxillofacial surgery and a two-year fellowship in Reconstructive Microsurgery at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan. Dr. Mardini remained in Taiwan for more than 5 years before joining the faculty at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Mardini is an internationally recognized reconstructive surgeon with vast expertise in both craniofacial and microsurgery reconstructions. He has published more than 185 peer-reviewed articles, 30 book chapters, and 3 books including “Flaps and Reconstructive Surgery” together with Fu Chan Wei, considered one of the reference books in plastic surgery. He is an editorial board member and reviewer for several plastic surgery journals. Dr. Mardini is a member of the American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery, Founding Member of the American Society of Reconstructive Transplantation and Founding Member and Council Member of the World Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery. In 2011, Dr. Mardini was awarded with the prestigious Godina Travelling Fellowship by the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery. Dr. Mardini collaborates with several humanitarian organizations and has performed several mission trips as volunteer surgeon with Smile Network International and the Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation. Dr Mardini leads the facial palsy team at Mayo Clinic.

Prof. Dr. Tae Suk Oh (Korea)

Dr. Oh graduated from department of materials science engineering at Seoul National University and completed his medical education at the Seoul National Medical School. He finished plastic surgery residency program at the Asan Medical Center, South Korea. He spent one year at Duke University, North Carolina, United States as a visiting scholar. Currently he is Associate Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department at the Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. The main focus of his clinical work and research are Facial Palsy, Head and Neck reconstruction, Cleft lip and palate surgery and Face lift.

Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bozkurt (Germany)

Dr. Bozkurt is a board certified Plastic Surgeon and Hand Surgeon. He was recently appointed as Medical Director and Head of the Department for Plastic and Hand Surgery, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery at the HELIOS University Hospital Wuppertal (Germany) in 3/2017. In 10/2015 Dr. Ahmet Bozkurt received an Extraordinary Professorship (APL-Professur) from the Medical Faculty of the RWTH Technical University in Aachen (Germany), after he was appointed as Full (W2) Professor in 6/2013.

Dr. Bozkurt graduated from Aachen University in 2004 and joined the residency program at the Department of Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Burn Center at the University Hospital in Aachen. After finishing his PhD-Studies in 2009, he received his board certification in 2010. He participated in a number of clinical rotations in national as well in international renowned University Hospitals (e.g. Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Medical University of Vienna / Austria; Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, UPMC-University of Pittsburgh/USA).

Dr. Bozkurt received a high number of national and international research fellowship, scholarships and awards (e.g. the most prestigious Hans Anderl Award of the European Society [EURAPS, 2013] and the Science Award of the German Society [DGPRÄC, 2009]). Dr. Bozkurt was the principal investigator and main applicant of several major grants and raised external funds of more than 1 million euro.

Prof. Dr. Boban M. Erovic (Austria)

Dr. Boban M. Erovic studied Medicine at the University of Vienna and finished his residency at the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, at the Medical University of Vienna in 2007. He earned his PhD degree in 2006. He finished his 2-years fellowship in microvascular reconstruction at the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto in 2011. Since 2013 he is Associate Professor at the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at the Medical University of Vienna and head of the Head & Neck group. Clinically he is focusing on microvascular reconstruction after tumor ablation of the head and neck.

Prof. Dr. Christos Perisanidis (Austria)

Dr. Perisanidis received 1996 his dental degree from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and 2002 his medical degree from the University of Ioannina, Greece. His completed his Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery training at the University Hospital “Evangelismos” in Athens, Greece in 2006. Since 2008 he is a consultant surgeon at the Department for Oral and Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery at the Medical University of Vienna. In 2013 he was appointed as an Associated Professor for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and he received his PhD from the Kapodistrian University of Athens in 2014. In 2014 he became Clinic Team Leader at the Department for Oral and Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery at the Medical University of Vienna. In 2016 Dr. Perisanidis became Director of the Clinical Department for Oral and Maxillofacial Oncology and Microsurgery at the Medical University of Vienna. His research focus are microvascular reconstruction of the face and definition of new biomarkers in patients with head and neck cancer.

Prof. Dr. Othmar Schuhfried (Austria)

Dr. Schuhfried is Research Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of the Medical University of Vienna. His research focuses on electrophysiology, functional electrical stimulation, outpatient neurological rehabilitation and physical modalities. Currently head of the electrophysiological ambulance and the thermography ambulance of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of the Medical University of Vienna.

Dr. Kallirroi Tzafetta (UK)

Dr. Kallirroi Tzafetta is a Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon at the renown St Andrew’s Centre of Plastic Surgery and Burns in Broomfield Hospital, Essex, UK.

She specializes in reconstructions following Head and Neck Surgery and Facial Palsy. She has been trained in Plastic Surgery Centres in the United Kingdom, and was also a Consultant Plastic Surgeon in Leeds prior to her current position. She has furthered her microsurgical training and sub-specialized in Facial Palsy reanimation as a Microsurgical Fellow in Norfork, Virginia, USA under Dr. Terzis. She is a Core Member of the Essex Head and Neck MDT, Board member of the facial palsy UK, and member of the Bell’s Palsy Society. She has been an author on scientific papers and textbook chapters (such as: Facial Reanimation at: Plastic Surgery, Indications and Practice by B Guyuron, et al,   Atlas of Operative Maxillofacial Trauma Surgery by M Perry, S Holmes, and Oxford Textbook of Plastic Surgery).

Prof. Dr. Eva Stifter (Austria)

Dr. Stifter is Associate Professor for Ophthalmology at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria. She is specialist for ophthalmic microsurgery, cataract surgery and pediatric ophthalmic surgery. Starting with a plastic surgery residency in 2004/2005 at the Medical University of Vienna, Division for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, she has a special interest in oculoplastic lid surgery and the surgical therapy of facial palsy.  

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Weninger (Austria)

Dr. Weninger studied Medicine at the University of Vienna, graduating 1995 as MD. 2000 he spent a year with Dr TJ Mohun at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research in London. 2002 he received his Habilitation and 2003 his certificate as medical specialist for Anatomy. Since 2016 he is head of the Division of Anatomy of the Medical University of Vienna. Dr. Weninger focuses on clinically applied anatomy, morphological phenotyping of biomedical model organisms and on developing and exploring novel imaging methods http://www.wolfgangweninger.at .

Prof. Dr. Andres Rodriguez (Sweden)

Dr. Rodriguez is Chief and Associate Professor in Plastic Surgery Department of Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery Uppsala University Hospital, Sweden. Dr. Rodriguez completed his medical education, postgraduated PhD studies and plastic surgery residency in Spain followed by two-years microvascular fellowships at the Canniesburn Plastic Surgery Unit in Glasgow and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan. He works in Uppsala, Sweden since 2010 leading one of the most active microsurgical centers in Scandinavia. He is the program director of the International Fellowship Program in Microsurgery at the Uppsala University and his main focus of clinical and research activity is head and neck reconstruction and facial paralysis. He has over 45 peer-reviewed publications and he is member of the Editorial Boards of several journals in plastic surgery.

Prof. Dr. Chieh-Han John Tzou (Austria)

Dr. Tzou completed his medical education and plastic surgery residency at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria under Prof. Dr. M. Frey and a one-and-a-half-year microvascular fellowship at the Chang Gung Memorial University Hospital in Taiwan with Prof. F.C. Wei, Prof. D.C.C. Chuang and Prof. M.H. Cheng. Currently he is the Director of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Clinic at the Hospital of Divine Savior Vienna, Austria (Krankenhaus Goettlicher Heiland Wien) and Associate Professor of the Sigmund Freud University of Vienna. The main focus of his clinical work and research are facial palsy, reconstructive lymphedema surgery, nerve reconstruction, microsurgical reconstruction and super-microsurgery.