University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Program

Program Identity & Fit

This is a large, university-based integrated plastic surgery program in the Texas Medical Center, combining a high-volume tertiary/quaternary academic base (Memorial Hermann-TMC) with safety-net exposure at LBJ General Hospital, an oncologic reconstruction rotation at MD Anderson, and a private-practice aesthetic exchange at St. Joseph Medical Center. The six-year curriculum is procedurally dense (case logs well above ACGME minimums, particularly hand and breast reconstruction) and spans the full breadth of the specialty, including craniofacial, microsurgical, burn, gender affirmation, and hand subspecialty training with progressively greater autonomy at LBJ in senior years. Research is structurally embedded via a dedicated 1-2 year funded resident/student research fellowship, weekly research meetings, and departmental T32/C-STEP/trauma research infrastructure, with active investigation in breast reconstruction, microsurgery, craniofacial anomalies, gender affirmation surgery, and hand trauma disparities. The program's structure - broad clinical volume plus embedded research years and exposure to both indigent and private-practice settings - signals a preference for residents who can function across the full spectrum of academic and community plastic surgery practice.