The Combined Divisions of Plastic Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital's Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medical Center offer a fully ACGME-accredited 6-year Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency Program in the heart of New York City.
About the Program
Residency training at NewYork-Presbyterian is a comprehensive clinical experience encompassing the full spectrum of core plastic and reconstructive surgery subject areas including microsurgery, pediatric and craniofacial surgery, hand surgery, and aesthetic surgery. The goal of the residency program is to attract and produce highly moral, scientifically skilled, and technically superior surgeons who will become leaders in the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery during their professional careers.
Residents have the unique advantage of training at two world-class Ivy League medical institutions: the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Significant time is also spent at Harlem Hospital, a thriving community health center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital, a world-renown cancer center, and the Hospital for Special Surgery, the nation's top orthopedic hospital.
Each of these outstanding facilities exposes the resident to the diverse range of clinical disorders managed by plastic surgeons, from complex tertiary care reconstructions to a resident-run aesthetic surgery clinic in Upper Manhattan. Residents get exposure to burn care at the William Randolph Hearst Burn Center, trauma management at multiple hospitals from Manhattan to Queens, and cancer treatment at all our participating institutions. Additional time is spent in our outpatient offices where residents participate in the care of private practice patients under the direct supervision of reputable and dedicated volunteer faculty, developing their experience in ethical medicine, practice management, and outpatient safety. Scheduled elective time is also available for specialized rotations, surgical mission trips, or research activities.
Clinical Curriculum
The first two years of the 6-year Integrated program consists of prerequisite surgical training in a variety of general- and plastic surgery-related specialties such as:
- Breast surgery
- Head & neck surgery
- Neurosurgery
- Burn care
- Vascular surgery
- Transplant
- Pediatric surgery
- Orthopedic surgery (hand)
- Dermatology
- Surgical ICU
- Emergency medicine
- Anesthesiology
- Surgical oncology
- Oral maxillofacial surgery
The final four years consists of full-time plastic surgery training throughout all the affiliated hospitals including Weill Cornell Medical Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Harlem Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital, and the Hospital for Special Surgery.
In addition to the core clinical rotations, the plastic surgery residency program at NewYork-Presbyterian features a comprehensive didactic curriculum with weekly educational conferences, Grand Round conferences with distinguished guest speakers, journal club, morbidity & mortality conferences, didactic courses, anatomy labs, visiting professorships, and case presentations.
Research
As part of a world-class academic institution, residents in the Weill Cornell and Columbia University Combined Divisions of Plastic Surgery are required to pursue independent clinical or basic science research during their time in the program. On average, our residents produce at least one academic manuscript a year, with most residents graduating with multiple publications, presentations, and abstracts in prominent academic journals. Residents are encouraged and given support to attend regional and national meetings, including the Northeastern Society of Plastic Surgeons conference, Plastic Surgery Research Council, American Society of Plastic Surgeons annual meeting, and more.
Residency Life
The NewYork-Presbyterian program is located in the heart of New York City's Manhattan, with access to hospital-subsidized housing in New York's famed Upper East Side, adding a quality lifestyle experience that is difficult for other training programs to match. New York City is a world center for art, culture, commerce, cuisine, and education, featuring hundreds of attractions all within a few miles' radius.
Residents enjoy the serenity of Central Park, located just a few blocks from Weill Cornell Medical Center, a vast number of cultural attractions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, American Museum of Natural History, Guggenheim museum, and Carnegie Hall, the great playhouses of Broadway, sports at Madison Square Garden, Yankee Stadium, MetLife Stadium, and Citi Field, festivities at Times Square, and of course the famous New York City nightlife.
The ability to live in the most culturally-diverse and vibrant big city in the world, foster your interests outside of medicine, and train at a world-class academic institution is what makes the plastic and reconstructive surgery program at NewYork-Presbyterian an unparalleled surgical residency experience.
After Residency
Over the past decade our graduates have pursued career paths in academic plastic surgery, undertaken additional fellowship training in craniofacial surgery, microsurgery, or hand surgery, and earned competitive private practice positions all across the United States. All resident graduates have participated in the certification process offered by the American Board of Plastic Surgery with 100% of our graduates eventually becoming Board-Certified Plastic Surgeons.
Contact Us
Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have about the program, living in New York City, or the Division of Plastic Surgery. You can also visit the Plastic Surgery Residency Program page at Weill Cornell for more information.
David Otterburn, MD | Program Director
Phone: (646) 962-4250
Christine Rohde, MD | Division Chief, CUIMC
Phone: (212) 342-3707
Charise Acevedo | Division Administrator, CUIMC
Phone: (212) 342-3911
Email: ca318@cumc.columbia.edu
Thank you for your interest in the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Residency Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital's Weill Cornell and Columbia University Irving Medical Centers.