ASPS International Membership

ASPS Global Partners

ASPS actively seeks to advance patient care and plastic surgery on a global scale. To achieve those goals and foster a worldwide community dedicated to excellence within the specialty, ASPS has formalized agreements (Memorandum of Understanding) with national plastic surgery societies from around the world.

Each national plastic surgery society with which ASPS has signed a Memorandum of Understanding has achieved high standards in plastic surgery – and in a mutual recognition of standards, governance and ethics, all members of each National Society are eligible to join the other as an International Member.

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Message from the ASPS President

It is an honor and privilege to lead the world's largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons. In leading this incredible Society, I will ensure that ASPS continues to advocate for patient safety and provide members with practice support, educational opportunities and resources to ensure we advance and improve the quality of care for plastic surgery patients.

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Message from the International Representative to the ASPS/PSF Board of Directors

I am privileged to serve as the International Representative to the Board of Directors of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and The Plastic Surgery Foundation. As president of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons, it has been gratifying to see ASPS/PSF continue to grow its international focus and foster collaboration with colleagues from around the world.

The inaugural Global Leadership Forum (GLF) Summit in 2012 took place in Munich, Germany, and has continued to provide an opportunity for leaders in our field to meet to discuss areas of mutual interest and learn from and support each other. In my role as ASPS/PSF International Representative, I was able to attend the GLF meeting that took place at Plastic Surgery The Meeting (PSTM) in Boston. Among the nearly 700 registrants from more than 100 countries attending PSTM22, the GLF meeting was attended by more than 91 participants representing nearly 50 countries, either in-person or virtually.

Topics discussed during the GLF in Boston included training in plastic surgery, resources for surgery and regulation of cosmetic surgery. It was interesting to hear that nonsurgical and even non-medical practitioners who perform cosmetic procedures is a source of patient harm in the communities of many countries and highlighted an area where we may be able to learn from each other about what works well (and what does not) to combat this problem. It was also wonderful to hear from seven countries that are new to the Global Leadership Forum: Poland, Croatia, Portugal, Oman, Kuwait, Malaysia and Finland. Though there is much diversity among the Global Partner countries, this meeting brought the realization of how much we actually have in common.

Attending the ASPS/PSF Board of Directors meeting gave me an insight into the workings of this huge organization of nearly 12,000 members. It was heartening to see how many opportunities there are for collaboration in the world, and although the pandemic has had so many terrible consequences, one positive aspect is how easily we can stay in touch with global friends and colleagues. As the International Representative to the ASPS/PSF Board of Directors, I am excited for the opportunity to hear the perspectives of plastic surgeons from all over the world and to work with ASPS to progress global consensus building and projects that advance the care of patients globally.

About Nicola Dean, FRCS, FRACS, PhD

Dr. Dean studied medicine at Leeds University UK and then moved to Australia to complete a PhD in post-mastectomy breast reconstruction at the University of Adelaide, where she developed a dedicated breast reconstruction service at Flinders Medical Centre. Dr. Dean's research interests include patient-reported outcomes, patient empowerment and health services; she also supervises postgraduate and undergraduate research students in these areas.