Tara L. Huston, MD, FACS, of Stony Brook Medicine's Department of Surgery, presided over the Northeastern Society of Plastic Surgeons' (NESPS) 41st annual scientific meeting in Philadelphia. The meeting, held September 13th through the 15th, was the culmination of Dr. Huston's one-year term as president of the NESPS. Dr. Huston was only the second female, and first physician from Stony Brook, to lead the NESPS.
Co-hosted by Doctors Kristen Broderick, from Johns Hopkins, and Ashley Amalfi, from Rochester, the meeting featured 120 presentations covering many cutting-edge plastic-surgical-science topics. A President’s Black-Tie Reception, which promoted social interaction and recognition of scientific achievements, was held at Philadelphia's historic Union League Club.
Several Stony Brook residents and students made presentations of scientific research. These included:
- "Effect of Operative Plane on Anesthetic Requirements in Tissue Expander Breast Reconstruction Patients," by third-year resident, Dr. Christina Chopra
- "Functional Restoration Of The Burned Hand: The Role of Tendon Expansion," by fourth-year resident, Dr. Christopher Liao
- "Free Community Screening Events Improve Access to Dermatological Care in Suffolk County, New York," by medical student, Katherine Mangiliardi
- "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Vascularized Skin Substitutes in Repairing Full-thickness Skin Defects in Rodent Models: A Time-Course Study" and "Combined Cellular Suspensions and Hydrogel Scaffolds for One-Stage Repair of Full-Thickness Skin Defects in Rodent Models," were presented by research faculty member, Dr. Gurtej Singh
And, speaking about the importance of mentorship and her own journey to becoming a leader, Dr. Huston delivered her Presidential Address entitled, “Charting the Course." This inspirational and personal speech can be viewed on YouTube.
Next year's NESPS annual meeting will be hosted by incoming president, Janice Lalikos, MD, FACS, September 26th through 28th in Baltimore.