Integrated Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Residency

The integrated plastic and reconstructive surgery residency is a six-year, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited program providing residents with a comprehensive and well-rounded training experience in all areas of the specialty and subspecialties.

We prepare highly competent, inquisitive and responsible plastic surgeons through a balance of structured education, clinical experience and research opportunities. You'll complete the program ready to succeed in academic or private practice and to successfully pass the board examination.

Rotations provide rich and varied experiences in a range of settings. You'll train in plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgery at RUSH University Medical Center and John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County. Additionally, you will rotate through a multitude of supplementary specialties, including the burn unit, surgical departments and otorhinolaryngology throughout RUSH University Medical Center, RUSH Hospital Oak Park, Cook County Hospitals and in a private practice rotation that focuses on aesthetic surgery. Rotations are built around a “focused practice” model, so that each resident will experience not only the pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative management style of each faculty member, but will also be exposed to their professionalism, systems-based practice methods, and ethics.

In the first three years, residents are trained academically and clinically, guided by faculty well-known in their areas of specialty. Residents supervise outpatient clinics on a one-to-one basis and participate in inpatient and surgical patient care. Because of the volume of information that must be assimilated in such a short period, our program is built upon a foundation of anatomy training, didactic lectures and operative experience designed to teach the conceptual basis of our specialty, rather than specific procedures.

In the fourth and fifth years, the training focus is on fundamentals in all aspects of plastic surgery, including hand surgery, aesthetic surgery, breast surgery, craniofacial surgery and microsurgery.

Senior residents customize the educational and clinical aspects of their program to allow greater focus on specific and individualized interests and are encouraged to present papers at meetings and conferences.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Residency at RUSH University Medical Center is to train, educate, and equip our house staff to excel as clinicians, plastic surgeons, and upstanding professionals with the highest ethical standards, who will serve as potential future leaders in the field. We intend to train the whole plastic surgeon, including knowledge, skills, and professionalism with a duty to care for the patient.

How to Apply

Our program recruits two residents each year via the National Resident Match Program (NRMP).

Please submit applications via the Plastic Surgery Common Application (PSCA) no later than September 15, 2024 and include the following:

• PSCA application
• U.S. Medical Licensing Examination data
• Medical school transcripts
• Three reference letters
• Personal statement

All applications are reviewed, and those selected for interviews will be notified by email or phone.

Our program director is Deana Shenaq, MD and our associate program director is Keith Hood, MD.

For further information, please email residency coordinator Elisha Harris (Elisha_Harris@rush.edu).