PSN Extra

Policy challenge to advocacy victory: How ASPS helped reverse Aetna's reconstructive surgery bundling policy

By Erika Adler Tuesday, September 8, 2026

On Sept. 3, Aetna notified ASPS that, after reviewing the clinical scenarios presented by the Society, it would discontinue the claims edit. Aetna terminated the rule on the evening of Sept. 4, retroactive to its July 1 effective date.

FesariusTherapeutics closes oversubscribed $20M Series A, led by Jefferson Life Sciences and backed by NY Ventures and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

FesariusTherapeutics, a commercial-stage medical technology company reimagining dermal repair, today announced the close of an oversubscribed $20 million Series A financing round. The round was anchored by Jefferson Life Sciences (JLS) and joined by Johnson & Johnson (through its corporate venture capital organization, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc.), Empire State Development's NY Ventures and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), marking its inaugural institutional investment.

Remembering an innovator and legend of the specialty

By Jesse A. Taylor, MD & Joseph M. Serletti, MD Monday, March 23, 2026

Linton A. Whitaker, MD, passed away Feb. 14 in Bryn Mawr, Penn., at age 89. Dr. Whitaker leaves an indelible imprint on the discipline of plastic and craniofacial surgery.

Society moves to restructure educational line for members

By ASPS Staff Sunday, March 1, 2026

ASPS is reorganizing how education is planned, built and evaluated based on the way that members actually practice – in order to deliver the most meaningful education on the most relevant, timely topics.

Remembering The PSF past President Thomas Stevenson, MD, 1946-2026

By Granger Wong, MD, DMD Monday, February 23, 2026

The PSF past President Thomas Stevenson, MD, passed away Jan. 23 at age 80. Dr. Stevenson was Professor Emeritus at the University of California-Davis and a longtime leader in the field of plastic surgery.

Remembering John Mulliken, MD, 1938-2026

By John G. Meara, MD, DMD, MBA; Bonnie L. Padwa, MD, DMD; & Kevin B. Churchwell, MD Thursday, January 22, 2026

John Mulliken, MD, a pioneering figure in plastic surgery, passed away Jan. 20 at age 87.

New leadership structure signals bold next chapter for PRS

Friday, January 16, 2026

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) has named Samuel J. Lin, MD, MBA, to serve as the next Editor-in-Chief of the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (PRS). Justin Sacks, MD, MBA, has also been appointed to serve in the newly created, non-editorial position of Managing Director of the ASPS journal portfolio.

Colleagues pay tribute to ASPS past President C. Lin Puckett, MD, 1940-2026

By Edward Luce, MD Friday, January 16, 2026

Plastic surgeons are mourning the passing of ASPS past President Charles Linwood "Lin" Puckett, MD, who died Jan. 9 at age 85.

The Global Plastic Surgery Congress scheduled for May 27-29 in Buenos Aires

Thursday, December 18, 2025

The inaugural Global Plastic Surgery Congress (GPSC), featuring some of the specialty's leaders from around the world, will be held May 27-29 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

WHCRA: Past, present and the push for modernization

By Lauren McNulty & Alicia Billington, MD, PhD Monday, September 1, 2025

A small but transformative piece of legislation – the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA) – was enacted in 1998 to safeguard care for millions of women. Although WHCRA was groundbreaking at the time, it was written in an era when breast reconstruction options were more limited. Today's advances in cancer treatment, reconstructive surgery and genetic testing have created scenarios not explicitly addressed when the law was enacted.