Duke University Hospital Program

Program Identity & Fit

Duke's Integrated Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Residency is a six-year academic pathway explicitly designed to develop future leaders of academic plastic surgery, situated within a tertiary/quaternary university medical center with deep subspecialty infrastructure spanning craniomaxillofacial trauma, microsurgery, and multidisciplinary breast and oncologic reconstruction. The division's craniomaxillofacial fellowship signals a high-volume, technology-forward trauma and reconstructive practice using computer-navigated surgical planning and patient-specific hardware, reflecting a broader departmental culture of innovation and academic productivity. Training draws on Duke's extensive general surgery, surgical oncology, and multidisciplinary cancer infrastructure, positioning plastic surgery residents within a research-embedded, subspecialty-rich environment rather than a community or high-volume general reconstructive model. The program states explicitly that it seeks self-motivated individuals with established records of clinical excellence and academic productivity who will represent Duke well in future practice.