By
Dr. John Siebert
As a plastic surgeon with a private practice, I have long served as a researcher, educator, and physician at several New York City hospitals as well. In 2007, I was honored to win the Residents Teaching Award and the Lifetime Service Award from the Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery (IRPS) at the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine.
IRPS is part of NYU’s Langone Medical Center Department of Surgery, and as such undertakes a wide variety of educational, clinical and research programs. Founded in 1955, IRPS began with a pilot clinic at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital. In 1963, dedicated Institute clinic and laboratories were established at the newly- constructed NYU Medical Center.
Since that time, IRPS has been highly involved in milestones in reconstructive plastic surgery, including the first craniofacial surgery in 1969 and the first treatment of an infant through such a procedure in 1974. IRPS expanded in 1978, with the construction of NYU’s flagship institution, Bellevue Hospital. Today, the Langone Medical Center houses IRPS activities.
IRPS grew rapidly throughout the 1990s with the establishment of the Center for Development Repair and Regeneration in 1996; the Laboratory of Developmental Biology and Repair in 1997; and the Laboratory of Micro Vascular Research and Vascular Tissue Engineering in 2000. With world-class staff and facilities, IRPS holds regular multidisciplinary conferences on the evaluation and treatment of complex medical issues. One aspect of IRPS’s growth that I have been a part of is the development of NYU’s Microsurgery Division, where I have served as a Plastic Surgery Resident and Microsurgery Fellow.
IRPS receives financial support through public and private grants and funds, as well as through the financial assistance of its principal sponsor, the Foundation for Facial Reconstruction. IRPS also accepts philanthropic donations through the Langone Medical Center. For more information about the valuable work undertaken at the Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, visit its website at surgery.med.nyu.edu/plastic.