Collaborative Wound-Care Strategy Session Planned for Plastic Surgery The Meeting in Boston

American Society of Plastic Surgeons and American College of Wound Healing and Tissue Repair to Discuss Fellowship Training to Improve Patient Outcomes

BOSTON, Oct. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Society of Plastic Surgery (ASPS) and the American College of Wound Healing and Tissue Repair (ACWHTR) will hold a joint strategic planning meeting on Oct. 27 in Boston to discuss advanced fellowship training in wound healing and tissue repair.

Since 2011, ACWHTR has trained fellows in wound healing and tissue repair at the University of Illinois at Chicago and helped create similar university-based programs that focus on training non-surgeons in the field of wound healing.

"With more than 6.2 million people in the United States living with non-healing wounds – magnified by an aging society as well as epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the number of patients with these conditions continues to grow," says ASPS President J. Peter Rubin, MD, MBA. "Over the past year, ASPS and ACWHTR have engaged in dialogue about establishing new training paradigms for this much-needed and constantly evolving clinical field." 

Non-surgical providers lead many wound care centers; however, surgeons who provide the needed surgical procedures are also increasingly taking on leadership roles as medical directors, in-patient service chiefs, and leaders in the field.

This strategic planning session is open to all interested providers, medical and surgical professional society representatives, and those currently directing surgical, non-surgical or hybrid training programs. The goal of the meeting is to improve patient outcomes across many settings by establishing a formal, consistent educational curriculum. ASPS has led the process and proposes a non-ACGME match program for plastic surgery residents to build on the trainee's foundational knowledge in skin and wound care procedures.

"A further objective of the collaboration is to increase the number of non-surgical fellowships based on the current ACWHTR educational platform," says president and founder of ACWHTR, William J. Ennis. DO, MBA.

The strategic planning and ASPS/ACWHTR Wound Care Fellowship launch meeting will take place at 1:15 p.m. EDT at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center on Oct. 27, during Plastic Surgery The Meeting in Boston. The option to participate virtually is available. Kindly respond to ASPS Senior Vice President Gina T. McClure at [email protected] for additional information or to register for the virtual event. 

The American College of Wound Healing and Tissue Repair (ACWH) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Chicago that is committed to advancing the field of wound care through education, research, and advocacy. The College fosters the training of medical professionals through the sharing of a physician-based, clinical fellowship curriculum developed in conjunction with the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System and allied healthcare colleges and programs. The goal of the organization is to designate wound care as a board-certified medical specialty.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons in the world. Representing more than 7,000 physician members, the society is recognized as a leading authority and information source on cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. ASPS comprises more than 93 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States. Founded in 1931, the society represents physicians certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

SOURCE American College of Wound Healing and Tissue Repair