New leadership structure signals bold next chapter for PRS
Harvard's Samuel Lin, MD, MBA, named new PRS Editor-in-Chief, and WashU's Justin Sacks, MD, MBA, takes on strategic role for ASPS journals

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). A prolific researcher with more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Lin has served on the PRS editorial board since 2014 and has reviewed nearly 1,100 articles for the journal since 2011.

Dr. Lin is an Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, Director of Aesthetic Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess (BID) Medical Center and Chief of Plastic Surgery at BID – Needham Hospital. He is also Co-Director of the Harvard Aesthetic and Reconstructive Fellowship and an adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts University. He has also been Program Director of the BIDMC/Harvard Plastic Surgery Residency Programs since 2018.

"Dr. Lin is an accomplished clinician and investigator with significant experience in both aesthetic and reconstructive sides of our specialty – as well as a high-impact researcher, educator and valued collaborator within the MedTech industry," says ASPS President C. Bob Basu, MD, MBA, MPH. "He is a true innovator who embraces the power of technology and possesses all the tools necessary to take our journal to new heights."

"It is an honor and privilege to lead PRS and follow in the footsteps of the editors in chief – many true giants in our specialty – who have preceded me," says Dr. Lin. "For decades, it has been the most respected journal in our specialty and among the most cited in all of surgery. I look forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead and will continue to push PRS to embrace the future while representing the full spectrum of our specialty."

Recognizing the increasing demands of the publishing and business aspect of scholarly journals, in addition to the importance of PRS and PRS Global Open to the clinical advancement of the specialty, Justin Sacks, MD, MBA, has been appointed to serve in the newly created, non-editorial position of Managing Director of the ASPS journal portfolio.

"The traditional model of medical journals is changing," says Dr. Basu. "The ecosystem of scientific publishing is rapidly evolving with digital technology and AI, and the expectations of authors and readers are changing with it. Plastic surgery is all about innovation and leading from the front in everything we do, and this new position dedicated to focusing on the business and technology aspects of our journals will keep PRS and PRS Global Open at the cutting edge of publishing now and into the future."

In this role, Dr. Sacks, who currently serves as ASPS/PSF Board Vice President of Finance and Treasurer, will provide financial oversight and lead long-term business strategy for the journals.

"The journals are tremendously valuable assets not only to ASPS but to our specialty as a whole, and I look forward to contributing to their continued success," says Dr. Sacks. "I am excited to work with Dr. Lin and PRS Global Open Editor-in-Chief Jeff Janis, MD, to explore opportunities to further leverage ASPS resources and incorporate aspects of AI not only to improve the technological infrastructure of the journals, but to enhance the experience for authors and readers. I am humbled to take on this operational role to help amplify both PRS and PRS Global Open. The future of our specialty is going to be an exciting one."

With the previous Editor-in-Chief term slated to end in 2026, ASPS convened a search committee and issued a call for applications in mid-2025. More than 20 highly accomplished plastic surgeons worldwide were considered, and multiple rounds of interviews took place in September and October.

"The caliber of applicants was astounding," says PSF immediate-past President Alan Matarasso, MD, who co-chaired the search committee. "All of the finalists had reputations as outstanding clinicians and demonstrated leadership in the specialty. Dr. Lin offered the perfect combination of versatility and vision – and his distinguished record of service to PRS was second to none."

Dr. Lin, whose term begins Jan. 8, succeeds Kevin Chung, MD, MS, as the eighth PRS Editor-in-Chief in the journal's 80-year history.

"Dr. Chung has led PRS with integrity, vision and an unwavering commitment to scientific excellence," says ASPS immediate-past President Scott Hollenbeck, MD, who co-chaired the selection committee. "Under his leadership, the journal has continued to flourish as a globally respected platform for groundbreaking research, clinical innovation and scholarly advancement."

About Samuel J. Lin, MD, MBA

Dr. Lin is Director of Aesthetic Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston. He completed medical school and residencies in both Plastic Surgery and Otolaryngology at Northwestern University, and a fellowship in microsurgery at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. He has strong roots in reconstructive surgery, but today his clinical practice primarily focuses on complex aesthetic surgery, including functional and aesthetic rhinoplasty, facial rejuvenation, breast augmentation, mastopexy and body contouring. He has also served as Chair of the Aesthetic Section of the ASPS Spring Meeting since 2024 and is Chair of the upcoming 2026 ASPS Spring Meeting.

As a researcher, Dr. Lin has been continually funded across an array of topics, including quality improvement, biomaterials and med tech projects. He has a background in bioengineering and serves as the Executive Director of the Harvard Surgical Program in Innovation (SPIN) at BIDMC. Dr. Lin has also served as Chair of The PSF Clinical Grants Committee and holds an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management.

About Justin Sacks, MD, MBA

Dr. Sacks is the Sydney M. Jr. and Robert H. Shoenberg Chair of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Professor in the Washington University School of Medicine's Department of Surgery in St. Louis, Mo. He completed medical school and plastic surgery residency at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, a basic science research and Hand fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and a reconstructive microsurgery fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Prior to WashU, he was faculty at both the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Dr. Sacks is a renowned clinician and researcher whose practice spans cosmetic, oncologic, traumatic and acquired defect reconstruction from head to toe. He is a federally funded researcher with grants from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense and others. His research has led to multiple patented biomedical devices, and he is the co-founder of both LifeSprout and TissueLock. He has published more than 210 peer-reviewed articles, more than 20 book chapters and has served as a reviewer for PRS since 2010. Dr. Sacks also holds an MBA in Medical Service Management from the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School.