Advanced Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship

Clinical Expectations and Call Schedule

The Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is comprised of two full time members while the fellowship consists of six additional faculty members and a private practice surgeon who has served as a fellowship director for more than 25 years. The fellowship incorporates several integrated but distinct settings: a university-based reconstructive practice; an offsite academic cosmetic and suburban practice; a county hospital clinic and an outpatient ambulatory surgery center. These locations are all within the Indianapolis metro area and 30 minutes driving time. The fellow is at one location daily.

The fellow functions as an integral member of a busy reconstructive practice acting as primary surgeon on most cases at IU Health University Hospital. Functional rhinoplasty, trauma, anterior skull base, facial reanimation, microvascular reconstruction, microtia repair and a large volume of Mohs reconstruction cases are performed in a graduated “hands-on” manner by the fellow with the attending surgeons. Fellows interested in gaining expertise in microsurgical techniques are offered training opportunities in the microsurgical lab, and ultimately serve as primary surgeon on microvascular free flap reconstruction cases as interest and skills dictate.

At IU Health North Hospital Suburban Practice and Outpatient Ambulatory Surgery Center, the fellow sees cosmetic surgery patients and outpatient reconstructive cases in a busy clinic and performs cases weekly in the surgery center, located in a mixed medical retail space in an affluent Indianapolis suburb, 30 minutes from downtown.

The fellow conducts his/her own outpatient clinic at Eskenazi Health — located adjacent and walking distance from the Academic Health Center in downtown Indianapolis — and performs surgeries independently based on skill level. The fellow also manages the facial trauma service at this hospital, allowing the fellow to gain the experience in practicing as an independent provider gaining knowledge in practice management, billing, coding, etc.

The fellow can expect to actively participate in 1,000+ cases during their fellowship year.

Research Responsibilities

A research project producing a manuscript suitable for publication and presentation at a national meeting is required via the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) program requirements. IU School of Medicine offers innumerable opportunities for collaborative research, both clinical and basic science.

Supervision and Teaching Expectations

The fellow is an instructor in the Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery and is expected to participate in regular teaching conferences as well as supervising residents at all levels. The fellow will be assigned occasional lectures to give at resident teaching conferences, and one Grand Rounds to be presented to the department. In addition, the fellow will be a teaching instructor at our annual Facial Plastic and Free Tissue Transfer course.

The fellow will take faculty call approximately 10-20 days every six months.

How to Apply

The deadline to submit applications for the fellowship year is typically around January 31 through the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery website. Interviews will be conducted from March 1 to May 31. Those interested can email Maggie Scully, residency coordinator.