Didactics

The resident curriculum is a series of weekly lectures covering the full gamut of a plastic surgery over a three-year cycle. Conference is taught using a variety of formats including case-based discussion, anatomic dissection, journal article review, didactic lecture, and hands-on workshops by attending plastic surgery faculty. All residents are excused from duties to attend.

Center for human appearance conferences

The Edwin & Fannie Gray Hall Center for Human Appearance (CHA), founded in 1987, is a first of its kind multispecialty group of physicians and psychologists all of whom have an academic and clinical interest in appearance. They are plastic surgeons, dermatologists, oral & maxillofacial surgeons, oculoplastic surgeons, head & neck surgeons and psychologists. The mission of CHA is to support and promote research, education and treatment for ALL problems of appearance from birth through old age. (CHA website)

Among the CHA activities are monthly clinical conferences at which members of the Center present a leading-edge topic related to each specialty’s perspective about appearance, with an active discussion following. Also, the CHA disburses small grants to support clinical and basic science research to the specialties involved on a competitive basis annually. The CHA then supports a research conference each spring focused on presentation of the results from each of the supported projects, and with an internationally known scientist as the additional feature for the day. In the fall a clinical symposium is held with rotating responsibility among the specialties, aimed at a multispecialty audience.

The Center was founded by Linton A. Whitaker, MD who continues as its director. The Edwin Hall II TRUST supports the Center’s activities.

Grand rounds

Plastic Surgery Grand Rounds are held weekly on Thursday morning at 7am. Grand rounds are delivered by senior residents and faculty, as well as national and international experts in the field of plastic surgery. Visiting professors present several times per year, with special Ivy and Whitaker lectureships taking part each Fall and Spring. Morbidity and Mortality conference is held once monthly during Grand Rounds.

June 2026

Date	6:00 am	7:00 am	8:00 am
4	Chief Cases Presentation 6:30-8:00 pm	Chief Case Presentation 6:30-8:00 pm	No conference
11	Chief Case Presentation 6:30-8:00 pm	Chief Case Presentation 6:30-8:00 pm	No conference
18	Faculty Meeting
25	Hand Conference	Patient Safety Conference

July 2026

Date	6:00 am	7:00 am	8:00 am
2	Resident Orientation (6:30 am start)	Resident Orientation (6:30 am start)	No 8 am Conference
8**	Casting Session 5:30 pm	Casting Session 5:30 pm	Casting Session 5:30 pm
9	No Conference	Robert Montgomery, MD, PhD Combined with General Surgery	No 8 am Conference
14**	Casting Session 5:30 pm	Casting Session 5:30 pm	Casting Session 5:30 pm
16	Hand Bootcamp Jason Wink, MD Faculty Meeting	Welcome Message Joseph Serletti, MD	CME: Scalp Recon (Kaamya) Sameer Shakir, MD, Moderator
23	Hand Conference	Patient Safety Conference	CME: Hand Infections (Alan Yang) Alex Lambi, MD, Moderator
30	Katie Manning, CHOP Artist (Starting at 6:30 am)	Katie Manning, CHOP Artist Grand Rounds	CME: Botox/Filler (Hank)

August 2026

Date	6:00 am	7:00 am	8:00 am
6	Face Boot Camp Sameer Shakir, MD	Billing and Compliance Session	No 8 am Conference
13	Hand Conference - Compressive Neuropathies UE Alex Lambi, MD	David Chang AAPS Visiting Professor	David Chang AAPS Visiting Professor
20	Pediatric Plastic Surgery Cassie Ligh, MD Faculty Meeting	Resident Grand Rounds Liz Card, MD	Craniofacial Pearls CF Fellow
27	Hand Conference	Ear Reconstruction Cassie Ligh, MD	CME: Facial Reanimation (Pooja) Cassie Ligh, MD, Moderator

September 2026

Date	6:00 am	7:00 am	8:00 am
3	Professionalism Ines Lin, MD	Resident Grand Rounds Carrie Morales, MD	CME: UE Peripheral Nerve (Emily)
10	DeMatteo DOS Address	DeMatteo DOS Address	DeMatteo DOS Address
17	Topic TBD Eric Liao, MD No Faculty Meeting	Research Update John Fischer, MD FACS MPH	HUP Consults/Resident Indications
24	Hand Conference	Roman Khonsori, MD CHOP Visiting Professor	CHOP Visitor

October 2026

Date	6:00 am	7:00 am	8:00 am
1	Functional Prehabilitation Rebecca Knackstedt, MD, PhD	Resident Grand Rounds Alex Wilson, MD, PhD	HUP Consults/Resident Indications
8	Acute Burns Francesco Egro, MD, MSc, MRCS	Resident Grand Rounds Alan Makhoul, MD	Consult Review Hand Fellows
15	Orthognathic Principles Joseph Napoli, MD, DDS Faculty Meeting	Patient Safety Conference	CME: Lower Extremity Reconstruction/Limb Salvage (Phoebe) Sean Li, MD, Moderator
22	Lymphedema Niv Milbar, MD	Resident Grand Rounds Peyton Terry, MD	CME: Abdominal Wall/Chest Wall Recon (Peter)
29	Lower Extremity Orthoplastic Surgery Jarrod Bogue, MD	Resident Grand Rounds Zack Zapatero, MD	CME: Perineal Recon (Dillan)

November 2026

Date	6:00 am	7:00 am	8:00 am
5	Skills Lab Jess Rose, DO	Skills Lab Jess Rose, DO	Skills Lab Jess Rose, DO
12	Hand Conference	Resident Grand Rounds Robyn Rubenstein, MD	CME: Augmentation Mammoplasty (Zack)
19	Faculty Meeting Topic TBD Mike Tecce, DO	Patient Safety Conference	Craniofacial Pearls CF Fellow
26	No Conference Thanksgiving	No Conference Thanksgiving	No Conference Thanksgiving

December 2026

Date	6:00 am	7:00 am	8:00 am
3	Ivy Lectureship / GS Grand Rounds Lindsey Fitzharris, PhD	Ivy Lectureship / GS Grand Rounds Lindsey Fitzharris, PhD	Ivy Lectureship / GS Grand Rounds Lindsey Fitzharris, PhD
10	Oral Exam	Oral Exam	Oral Exam
17	Faculty Meeting Hand Conference	Patient Safety Conference	Consult Review HUP Consult Team
24	Holiday Weeks	No Conferences	No Conferences
31	Holiday Weeks	No Conferences	No Conferences

January 2027

Date	6:00 am	7:00 am	8:00 am
7	Abdominoplasty John Fischer, MD, MPH	Ean Saberski Grand Rounds	Ean Saberski Grand Rounds
14	CHA Conference	CHA Conference	CHA Conference
21	Oculoplastics Makayla McCoskey, MD Faculty Meeting	Resident Grand Rounds Dillan Villavisanis, MD	CME: Pressure Sores (Peyton)
28	Hand Conference	Patient Safety Conference	CME: Mastopexy/Reduction Techniques (Rubenstein) John Fischer, MD, Moderator

February 2027

Date	6:00 am	7:00 am	8:00 am
4	Topic TBD Scott Bartlett, MD	Resident Grand Rounds Phoebe McAuliffe, MD	CME: Breast Reconstruction (Alan M)
11	LEHR Lecture	LEHR Lecture	LEHR Lecture
18	Faculty Meeting Dr. Chang - Hand Inservice Review	Patient Safety Conference	CME: Cleft Lip/Palate (Lizz)
25	Dr. Chang - Hand Inservice Review	In Service Review	CME: Gender Care/Facial Feminization (Carrie) Jordan Swanson, MD, Moderator

March 2027

Date	6:00 am	7:00 am	8:00 am
4	In Service Exam	In Service Exam	In Service Exam
11	Mohs Joseph Sobanko, MD, MBA	Resident Grand Rounds Emily Gudbranson, MD	Craniofacial Pearls CF Fellow
18	Cesar Briceno, MD Faculty Meeting	Resident Grand Rounds Peter Ferrin	CME: Surgical Rejuvenation of the Face (Alex W)
25		Patient Safety Conference	CME: Burn (Zhang)

April 2027

Date	6:00 am	7:00 am	8:00 am
1	Microfellow Cases	Physician Advocacy Sean Li, MD	CME: Liposuction (Kurtzman)
8	Microfellow Cases	Faculty Indications Conference
15	Building a Practice Tom Paliga, MD Faculty Meeting	CHOP Fellow Grand Rounds	Hand Consult Review Hand Fellow(s)
22		Patient Safety Conference	CME: Gynecomastia (Byrns)
29	Hand Conference

May 2027

Date	6:00 am	7:00 am	8:00 am
6	Microfellow Cases	Faculty Indications Conference	Resident Indications
13	No Conference	CHA Conference	No Conference
20	No Conference	Whitaker Lectureship Craig Birgfeld, MD	Whitaker Lectureship
27	Hand Conference	Patient Safety Conference

June 2027

Date	6:00 am	7:00 am	8:00 am
3	Microfellow Cases Faculty Meeting	Combined General Surgery Grand Rounds Mike Rosen, MD	Combined General Surgery Grand Rounds Mike Rosen, MD
10	Chief Cases Presentation 6:30 - 8:00 am	Chief Case Presentation 6:30 - 8:00 am	Graduation Photos
17	Chief Cases Presentation 6:30 - 8:00 am	Chief Case Presentation 6:30 - 8:00 am	No Conference
24	Hand Conference	Patient Safety Conference