Teaching Facial Plastic Surgery, 2013

Dr. Pearlman sitting in chair smiling

Dr. Pearlman, course director for the AAFPRS

Two weeks ago was the 46th Annual Fall Meeting of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. As co-director with Dr. Rick Davis from Miami, Florida, we spent countless hours over the past year working hard to make this meeting a success. From the feedback we received, it certainly was. There were approximately 85 hour-long courses, 9 invited lectures, 10 panels, 7 half day workshops, over 100 vendors, plus a number of special luncheon sessions. By meeting time, all of the hard work was done. We spent most of the meeting just making sure things ran smoothly and that all speakers and panels stayed on time and on topic.

The most outstanding part was the speakers that we invited. We kicked off with Dr. Timothy Marten from San Francisco, an excellent lecturer on facelift surgery. Dr. Val Lambros presented his unique ideas on facial aging, based on years of studying individuals and how they age and comparing generations within the same family. Prof. Wolfgang Gubish from Stuttgart, Germany, a prolific rhinoplasty surgeon, gave a few outstanding lectures on treating very crooked and devastated noses; a topic on which he is world renown. Dr. Raj Kanodia lectured on his personal technique of subtle rhinoplasty and minimally invasive facial rejuvenation. Dr. Fred Menick demonstrated why he is one of the recognized experts in nasal reconstruction following cancer removal. Dr. Jeffrey Spiegel gave us new insights into beauty with a lecture on facial gender transformation surgery. Three endowed lectures were also given. Dr. Fred Stucker spoke on over four decades of performing rhinoplasty. Dr. Mohit Bhandari discussed the ever growing field of Evidence-Based Medicine. Dr. Richard Linnehan gave an inspiring presentation having flown four Space Shuttle missions.

Overall, running this meeting was a busy but very rewarding experience. Having been involved in academic medicine for 24 years, I am able to fulfill one of the original definitions of doctor: to teach others.

Steven J. Pearlman, M.D., F.A.C.S.