Faculty Focus: Sara Neimanis, MD

In this installment of Faculty Focus, we present ASPS member Sara Neimanis, MD, assistant professor of surgery and pediatric and craniofacial plastic surgeon at the University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center.

Dr. Neimanis earned her medical degree at the University of Buffalo and completed her plastic surgery residency at the University of Rochester. Following that, she completed a fellowship in pediatric craniofacial plastic surgery at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. A Buffalo native, Dr. Neimanis returned to New York prepared to bring to Rochester surgical offerings that include ear reconstruction as well as different techniques in cleft jaw surgery and midface distraction. She has expressed her embrace of plastic surgery as the perfect combination of art and science, which provides her with the opportunity to help her patients while being creative and approaching each problem with a unique perspective.

PSR: How did you prepare for a competitive fellowship?

Dr. Neimanis: I tried to get exposure to everything early in residency in order to figure out what I liked best. I loved craniofacial surgery and confirmed that I wanted to do a craniofacial fellowship during my third year. Once I knew that, I focused my research efforts on craniofacial projects and regularly attended the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association annual meeting to learn and network.

PSR: What impact did that fellowship have on the advancement of your career?

Dr. Neimanis: I owe so much to my fellowship (shout-out to the amazing people at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta). Specializing in pediatric plastic and craniofacial surgery really requires fellowship training to gain adequate exposure and experience. My program was extremely busy, and I operated nonstop that year. It prepared me to take on almost anything in the world of pediatric plastic surgery – and it provided me with incredible resources and mentors who I can reach out to when I have a complicated case I'd like advice on. I had a great experience on our craniofacial service in residency with our Plastic Surgery Integrated Residency Program Director Clinton Morrison, MD, which helped me have an even more successful fellowship year building upon what I already knew.

PSR: Is a mentor important – and how can we find one?

Dr. Neimanis: A mentor is absolutely important, but I don't think you need to have one, single mentor. You can have different mentors for different aspects of your career and life. The easiest way to find a mentor is to reach out to people who you aspire to be. If you're a medical student, it may be a resident who has matched into your desired field. If you're a resident, it may be an attending who has a practice you'd like to have some day. A good mentor is someone like this – who you feel comfortable with and who takes the time and makes the effort to support you.

PSR: What's the most important quality in a resident?

Dr. Neimanis: Collegiality. Intelligence, research productivity and excellent technical skills are great, but a person who's dependable, gets along well with their co-residents and hospital staff and has a good attitude makes an ideal resident.

PSR: How do you balance your professional and personal lives?

Dr. Neimanis: Traveling is my favorite thing to do, so I block off a few weeks every year and take epic vacations. I also take advantage of free weekends to travel more locally, hike and unplug from responsibilities and the EMR. I'm fortunate to be part of an academic practice where I share call with several other surgeons and have amazing residents, which helps immensely with work-life balance. We cover each other when people are unavailable, so I know my patients are always in good hands if I'm not around. That can be a lot harder for people in solo or smaller practices.

PSR: What was your greatest non-medical challenge of your training?

Dr. Neimanis: My dad died during my fourth year of med school, so starting residency as my family navigated that loss and the financial and logistical sequelae was tough. I felt bad that I couldn't be as supportive as I would've liked because I had my own priorities trying to figure out intern year and not having much free time. Fortunately, I matched at a residency program close to home, which made being around for holidays and events much easier. I'm very grateful for that.

PSR: What are some of the challenges you encounter on a regular basis?

Dr. Neimanis: I'm still early in my career, so at least a couple of times a month I see something I've never seen before. It's always stressful when you don't know exactly what to do to help someone. Having mentors and colleagues to talk to is so important in these cases. We also have a great "Indications" conference monthly, and I love hearing my partners' opinions and the residents' ideas. The other biggest challenge is getting insurance approval for cases I feel are medically necessary for my pediatric patients – but there's not enough time to talk about that.

PSR: What advice do you have for plastic surgery residents?

Dr. Neimanis: Find which clinic you hate the least. I'm partially joking, but it's true. I think every plastic surgery resident enjoys being in the O.R., even if it's not necessarily a case they love. It's clinic to me that defines where your real passions are. I genuinely enjoyed craniofacial clinic in residency. Some people love guiding breast cancer patients through their reconstructive journeys, watching hand trauma patients regain function, etc. If you like the less fun parts of a practice, it's probably a sign that that's where you belong.

PSR: Complete this sentence: "I knew I wanted to become a plastic surgeon when..."

Dr. Neimanis: I spent a summer at MD Anderson Cancer Center between my first and second years of medical school. I was interested in plastic surgery during my first year, and hence finding a summer research position in the field, but once I saw the incredible reconstructive surgery happening there, nothing else on my clinical rotations could compare.

Aabra Ahmed, MD, PGY-5 at the University of Rochester, assisted in the completion of Faculty Focus.