Program Overview

Program Overview

The Division of Plastic Surgery faculty are committed surgeon educators who have developed an expanded educational environment to help fulfill their mission of providing the best training experience. With the wide variety and volume of clinical opportunities available at UC Medical Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati West Chester Hospital, and in the surrounding community, the division provides excellent educational content for students and residents, while delivering first-rate patient care and providing opportunities for collaborative efforts for both clinical and basic science research in plastic surgery.

Program Details

Although each member of the division has unique areas of interest and expertise, our major strengths are our core values of teamwork, dedication to excellence, and ability to work as a cohesive group. We have broad interests among our faculty, and every aspect of plastic surgery is well represented. Residents are exposed to the entire scope of plastic surgery during their training.

Program Structure

The faculty surgeons are dedicated to providing an environment for broadly training plastic surgeons. The division provides training in the independent (3 years after completion of a surgical or subspecialty residency) pathway in plastic surgery training as well as the integrated (6 year) pathway. Having two programs allows rapid growth as the independent residents bring surgical maturity to combine with the integrated residents’ plastic surgery-specific knowledge. The two programs are very cohesive, and during the senior years, there is not a perceived difference between residents in the two programs.

Curriculum

The integrated program continues to evolve with more intensive plastic surgery and plastics-related rotations during the first three years for our junior residents. The rotations, progression, knowledge, skill, and responsibility vary according to the pathway and the individual; however, the ultimate level of proficiency and dedication to core values is the same for all residents. The final three years are the same for independent and integrated programs, with six curriculum-focused rotations that repeat each year, allowing graduated and progressive responsibility as each resident returns to familiar clinical material and attendings with another year’s growth and experience.

Accreditation and Work Hours

The residency programs have received full continued accreditation by the ACGME. The Division of Plastic Surgery and the UC Department of Surgery are committed not only to meeting but exceeding the new ACGME work hour restrictions. Senior residents are on call an average of every 6th night from home.

Career Outcomes

Graduates have consistently matched to top fellowship programs in all subfields of plastic surgery; about half of our graduates choose fellowship. They practice all over the country, in academic centers, community hospitals with teaching appointments, and private practices. Our primary goal is to graduate surgeons who have the knowledge, skill, and experience to operate independently - in this, we have been highly successful.

Program Administration

• Ann Schwentker, MD, Program Director
  • Ann Schwentker, MD, Plastic, Reconstructive, Hand, and Burn Surgery Residency Director
• Kristen Merkhofer, Plastic, Reconstructive, Hand, and Burn Surgery Residency Coordinator

Program Culture

We are a small, tight-knit group and really enjoy working together in and out of the operating room. We are seeking applicants who share our values and are excited about the opportunities plastic surgery offers.