Thank you for your interest in the Mount Sinai Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Residency Training Program. Our program has a long, proud history of excellence and innovation. We provide residents with clinical experiences, educational opportunities, intellectual stimulation, facilities, and a supportive environment to promote their personal and professional growth.
The Mount Sinai program is a “combined” plastic surgery residency that covers a six-year period. Residents spend the first three years in the Department of General Surgery. During this time, they gain exposure to a wide range of surgical disciplines. At the same time, they maintain strong ties with the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery through rotations at Mount Sinai and weekly conferences.
A 1,171-bed tertiary care center on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, The Mount Sinai Hospital is one of the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary teaching hospitals. Our educational process and training programs have evolved throughout our 150-plus-year history.
Our program emphasizes mentoring. We believe that positive role models help ensure residents’ long-term success. We foster mentoring not only from attending physicians to residents, but also among the residents themselves. This system lays the foundation for sound decision-making, while building a strong support network.
Our alumni have gone on to highly sought-after fellowships and practice opportunities in some of the nation’s most prestigious institutions.
History
The Division of Plastic Surgery at Mount Sinai started in 1952. Dr. John H. Garlock played a key role in its creation. He was a founding member of the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Garlock published numerous studies on the use of full-thickness skin grafts, hand surgery and the release of burn contractures.
Dr. Arthur J. Barsky served as the first Chief of Mount Sinai’s plastic surgery service. Upon his appointment as the Chief of Plastic Surgery, Dr. Barsky established the residency training program. In 1955, he participated in the Hiroshima Maiden Project, created to rehabilitate 25 Japanese women who had suffered severe burns from the atomic bomb blast in 1945. In the ensuing years, Mount Sinai surgeons went to Japan and introduced the plastic surgery specialty.
Dr. Barsky also co-founded the Children’s Medical Relief International (CMRI) during the Vietnam conflict to establish a Children’s Reconstructive Surgery Center in Saigon. During its operation, the center trained many local surgeons in plastic surgery and performed more than 10,000 surgeries.
The current division chief, Dr. Lester Silver, served as Director of Professional Services for CMRI, spending significant time on site in Saigon. In 1988, he became the first full-time chief of the division. During his term, he has expanded the full-time faculty, increased both the clinical and research output, and added strength and stability to the training program.
