Dr. Fiala – visiting Professor at University of Michigan

Last week, I had the pleasure to be invited to give two teaching presentations to the residents in the Section of Plastic Surgery of the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor. The talks, about cosmetic surgery and the basics of running a practice, were well received by the residents. Dr. Bill Kuzon, the Chief of the Section and a distinguished Professor of Surgery, was an extremely gracious host, and went out of his way to make me feel at home.
While I was there, I had a chance to chat with the faculty members and see what’s new in academic practice. I was particularly pleased to learn that new research from U of M about preventing DVT’s after abdominoplasty completely supports what we’ve been doing in our practice. Also, Dr. Wilkins at U of M is using fat grafting to the breast for reconstruction after cancer, something that we are also starting to work with in our practice. I had a chance to visit with Dr. Paul Cederna’s lab group, who are working on getting nerve impulses to control high-tech prosthetics for combat-wounded amputees. The stuff they are doing is simply amazing.
The size of the U of M medical center is overwhelming, even bigger than when I was there 15 years ago …it covers about 12 city blocks. The new children’s hospital set to open this fall, will be the largest in North America, with over 1 million square feet of area.
All in all, a successful trip. But brrrrr……it’s cold up there!