Skip to Content

PSEF Outstanding Achievement in Research Awards

Plastic surgery is recognized as a specialty with rich tradition for innovation and research. To help bring recognition to the important contributions that scientific research and investigation have had, and continue to have, on the development of the specialty and all of medicine two PSEF Outstanding Research Achievement Awards were awarded at Plastic Surgery 2009.

These annual awards will serve to recognize plastic surgery pioneers who have dedicated much of their career to scientific discovery and advancement.

PSEF Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Research

This award is established to recognize outstanding achievements in clinical plastic surgery research. This award recognizes an investigator whose novel and significant work has had or may have a far-reaching impact on the treatment of surgical disorders and the practice of plastic surgery. Such work may involve clinical, epidemiological, and health services research.

Joseph G. McCarthy, MD2009 Award Recipient: Joseph G. McCarthy, MD

Dr. McCarthy's main professional interests have been in the field of reconstructive plastic surgery of the face. He has pioneered and developed the concept of craniofacial distraction which has revolutionized this surgical discipline. A champion of the cause of patients with facial deformity, he has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction since 1981 and was the Founding Chairman of the Medical Advisory Board of Smile Train, the latter organization having provided pro bono surgery to over 150,000 children with cleft lip/palate around the world. He has been recognized by numerous awards and honors, given over 20 endowed lectureships and authored more than 350 scientific papers and book chapters. As one of the founding members of the International Society of Craniofacial Surgery, he later served as its Secretary/Treasurer and President. He has also been President of the Northeastern Society of Plastic Surgeons, the New York Regional Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Association of Plastic Surgeons. He was a Founder and President of the American Society of Craniofacial Surgeons and in 2007 he was named National Physician of the Year by the Castle Connolly Organization. He has been on the Best Doctors List (New York Magazine) since 1980 and the Best Doctors in America list since 1996.

As Director of the Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, Dr. McCarthy oversees the largest national educational effort in plastic surgery and has trained over 100 plastic surgery residents and 25 post-resident fellows in craniofacial surgery. The graduates of the residency training program have gone on to assume the Chairs of Plastic Surgery in over 20 universities around the world.

Back to Top

PSEF Award for Outstanding Achievement in Basic & Translational Research

This award is established to recognize outstanding achievements in basic and translational research impacting the practice of plastic surgery. This award recognizes an investigator whose novel and significant work has had or may have a far-reaching impact on the treatment of surgical disorders and the practice of plastic surgery. Such work may involve areas of biomedical research including, basic and translational studies.

Cho Y. Pang, PhD2009 Award Recipient: Cho Y. Pang, PhD

Cho Y. Pang, Ph.D. is a senior scientist at the Hospital For Sick Children Research Institute in Toronto. Dr. Pang is also a full professor in the Departments of Surgery and Physiology and the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto. Dr. Pang was an associate professor at the University of Toronto in 1985-1993 and the Head of the Division of Surgical Research in 1988-1998 at The Hospital For Sick Children Research Institute. Before coming to Toronto, Dr. Pang was an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at the Southwestern Medical School in Dallas from 1980-1982. Before that, Dr. Pang took 3 years of postdoctoral research training at Yale University School of Medicine and postgraduate and undergraduate training at the University of Manitoba in Canada.

Dr. Pang's basic science research activities have been focused on the pathophysiology and pharmacology of skin flap ischemic necrosis in wound reconstruction and skeletal muscle ischemia/reperfusion injury in autogenous muscle transplantation and replantation surgery. Dr. Pang's research was supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH), Medical Research Council of Canada (MRC), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) as well as foundation and industrial funds in the past 26 years, and will continue to be supported by renewable CIHR grants over the next 3 years. In addition to participation in graduate student thesis advisory committees, and serving as thesis examiner, Dr. Pang has also supervised/co-supervised more than 20 plastic surgery/otolaryngology residents in doing basic science research. These surgical trainees have won 8 presentation awards from the Plastic Surgery Research Council, 1 investigator and 1 scholarship award from the Plastic Surgery Education Foundation, 6 presentation awards from the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons, and 5 other national and international research presentation/essay awards. Dr. Pang has also published 98 peer-reviewed papers/articles thus far.

Dr. Pang was a consultant editor for the Plastic Reconstructive Surgery journal and was invited by NIH and CIHR to participate in a grant review committee. At the present time, Dr. Pang is a guest reviewer for several surgical and basic science journals, and a member of the American Physiological Society, Canadian Physiological Society, American Heart Association, and Plastic Surgery Research Council.

Back to Top