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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Arch Plast Surg 2022; 49(02): 221-226
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1744421
Clinical Practice and Education
Review Article

Plastic Surgeons as Medical Directors: A Natural Transition into Medical Leadership

Faryan Jalalabadi
1   Division of Plastic Surgery, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
,
Andrew M. Ferry
1   Division of Plastic Surgery, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
2   Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
,
Andrew Chang
1   Division of Plastic Surgery, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
,
Edward M. Reece
1   Division of Plastic Surgery, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
2   Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
,
Shayan A. Izaddoost
3   Memorial Plastic Surgery, Houston, Texas
,
Victor J. Hassid
4   Department of Plastic Surgery, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
,
Youssef Tahiri
5   Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
,
Edward P. Buchanan
1   Division of Plastic Surgery, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
2   Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
,
Sebastian J. Winocour
1   Division of Plastic Surgery, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
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Abstract

With the growing complexity of the U.S. health care system, highly motivated medical directors with strong leadership skills are vital to the success of health care facilities. Presently, there are no articles assessing a plastic surgeon's qualifications for the role of medical director. In addition, there is a paucity of literature comparing the responsibilities of medical directors across various types of health care institutions. Herein, we outline why plastic surgeons have the unique skillset to succeed in this role and highlight the differences between medical director positions across the vast landscape of health care. While the intricacies of this position vary greatly across different landscapes of the health care industry, successful medical directors lead by following a set of universal principles predisposing them for success. Plastic surgeons innately exhibit a subset of particular traits deeming them suitable candidates for the medical director position. While transitioning from the role of a surgeon to that of a medical director does require some show of adaptation, plastic surgeons are ultimately highly likely to find intrinsic benefit from serving as a medical director.

Keywords

plastic surgery - physician executives - leadership - policy - academic medical centers

Author Contributions

Conceptualization: A.M.F., A.C., E.M.R., S.A.I., V.J.H., Y.T., E.P.B., S.J.W. Methodology: F.J. Visualization: F.J., A.M.F., A.C., E.M.R., S.A.I., V.J.H., Y.T., E.P.B., S.J.W. Writing - original draft: F.J., A.M.F., A.C., S.J.W. Writing - review & editing: F.J., A.M.F., A.C., E.M.R., S.A.I., V.J.H., Y.T., E.P.B., S.J.W.




Publication History

Article published online:
06 April 2022

© 2022. The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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