Are you looking to get into the plastic surgery residency program of your dreams? We’ve got you covered! Here, we’ll give you the inside scoop on which plastic surgery programs have the highest and lowest publications, MD-PhDs, AOA, and Gold Humanism members among matched applicants. So, if you’re curious about plastic surgery or have a specific program in mind, you can learn all the details you need to maximize your chances of becoming a plastic surgeon.
Which Plastic Surgery Residency Programs Require the Most Research?
As discussed previously, matched plastic surgery applicants have some of the highest numbers of abstracts, presentations, and publications.
But how many publications are expected of each plastic surgery residency? Here, we’ll discuss which programs have the most – and fewest – publications among their residents. That way, you can make an informed decision and feel hopeful about getting into the program that’s right for you.
Let’s look at which plastic surgery residency programs have the most – and least – publications among their members. (NOTE: the data here report the Average number of peer-reviewed publications among matched applicants. This is more narrow – and restrictive – than the “abstracts, presentations, and publications,” measure found on ERAS and reported by the Charting Outcomes in the Match reports.)
| Residency program name | City | State | Average number of peer-reviewed publications among matched applicants | Average number of research experiences among matched applicants | # current residents who were graduates of joint MD-PhD program | % current residents who were graduates of MD-PhD programs | % matched applicants members of Alpha Omega Alpha (at the time of application) | % matched applicants members of Gold Humanism Honor Society (at the time of application) | Program curriculum includes a dedicated research rotation | % completed residents with non-academic U.S. practice career plans | % completed residents with plans to continue training in another program | % completed residents with plans to obtain a full-time or part-time academic position | % completed residents with other career plans | Total # Residents on Duty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of South Florida Morsani Program | Tampa | FL | 8 | 9 | 0% | 30 | 20 | NA | 0 | 0 | 83 | 17 | 24 | |
| Duke University Hospital Program | Durham | NC | 7 | 15 | 0% | 53 | 13 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| University of Texas Medical Branch Hospitals Program | Galveston | TX | 7 | 10 | 0% | 25 | 25 | OPT | 25 | 50 | 13 | 13 | 23 | |
| Emory University School of Medicine Program | Atlanta | GA | 6 | 11 | 0% | 40 | 10 | NA | 33 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 12 | |
| University of Chicago Program | Chicago | IL | 6 | 10 | 0% | 43 | 14 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 17 | |
| Rutgers Health/New Jersey Medical School Program | Newark | NJ | 6 | 6 | 0% | 50 | 0 | NA | 20 | 80 | 0 | 0 | 17 | |
| New York Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia and Cornell Campus) Program | New York | NY | 6 | 12 | 0% | 40 | 20 | NA | 33 | 67 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Program | New York | NY | 6 | 12 | 0% | 47 | 7 | NA | 0 | 60 | 20 | 20 | 18 | |
| Albany Medical Center Program | Albany | NY | 6 | 5 | 0% | 40 | 20 | REQ | 50 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Program | Dallas | TX | 6 | 13 | 0% | 55 | 23 | NA | 14 | 57 | 29 | 0 | 24 | |
| Baylor College of Medicine Program | Houston | TX | 6 | 16 | 0% | 33 | 7 | OPT | 33 | 67 | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| University of Washington Program | Seattle | WA | 6 | 10 | 1 | 4% | 33 | 10 | NA | 50 | 0 | 13 | 38 | 25 |
| University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Program | Madison | WI | 6 | 7 | 0% | 47 | 27 | REQ | 50 | 33 | 0 | 17 | 18 | |
| Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Program | New Hyde Park | NY | 5 | 13 | 1 | 7% | 38 | 8 | NA | 25 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| NYU Grossman School of Medicine Program | New York | NY | 5 | 28 | 1 | 5% | 44 | 17 | NA | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Wake Forest University School of Medicine Program | Winston-Salem | NC | 5 | 12 | 2 | 14% | 42 | 0 | REQ | 75 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 14 |
| Cleveland Clinic Foundation Program | Cleveland | OH | 5 | 14 | 0% | 27 | 13 | REQ | 20 | 40 | 0 | 40 | 25 | |
| Ohio State University Hospital Program | Columbus | OH | 5 | 16 | 1 | 6% | 43 | 21 | REQ | 33 | 67 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| UPMC Medical Education Program | Pittsburgh | PA | 5 | 27 | 0% | 43 | 7 | 17 | ||||||
| University of Utah Health Program | Salt Lake City | UT | 5 | 9 | 1 | 11% | 50 | 20 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Program | Richmond | VA | 5 | 6 | 0% | 20 | 30 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University Program | Bronx | NY | 4 | 9 | 0% | 18 | 0 | NA | 50 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |
| Oregon Health & Science University Program | Portland | OR | 4 | 13 | 0% | 38 | 23 | REQ | 60 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 17 | |
| University of Pennsylvania Health System Program | Philadelphia | PA | 4 | 20 | 0% | 27 | 7 | 18 | ||||||
| University of Alabama Hospital Program | Birmingham | AL | 0% | 2 | ||||||||||
| Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science Program | Jacksonville | FL | #DIV/0! | REQ | 0 | |||||||||
| University of Miami/Jackson Health System Program | Miami | FL | 0% | NA | 0 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 10 | |||||
| University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago Program | Chicago | IL | #DIV/0! | OPT | 0 | |||||||||
| Loyola University Medical Center Program | Maywood | IL | 0% | NA | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||||
| Dartmouth-Hitchcock/Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital Program | Lebanon | NH | 0% | NA | 5 | |||||||||
| Cooper Medical School of Rowan University/Cooper University Hospital Program | Camden | NJ | 0% | REQ | 5 | |||||||||
| University of New Mexico School of Medicine Program | Albuquerque | NM | 0% | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||||
| University of Rochester Program | Rochester | NY | 0% | OPT | 40 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |||||
| Nassau University Medical Center/Stony Brook University Program | Garden City | NY | 0% | NA | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||||
| University of North Carolina Hospitals Program | Chapel Hill | NC | 0% | NA | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |||||
| Wright State University Program | Dayton | OH | 0% | REQ | 0 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 8 | |||||
| University of Cincinnati Medical Center/College of Medicine Program | Cincinnati | OH | 0% | NA | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||||
| Lehigh Valley Health Network/University of South Florida College of Medicine Program | Allentown | PA | 0% | NA | 0 | 50 | 0 | 50 | 6 | |||||
| Geisinger Health System Program | Danville | PA | 0% | REQ | 4 | |||||||||
| Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center Program | Hershey | PA | 0% | OPT | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |||||
| Brown University Program | Providence | RI | 0% | OPT | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |||||
| Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine Program | Charleston | SC | 0% | NA | 6 | |||||||||
| Prisma Health/University of South Carolina SOM Columbia (Columbia) Program | Columbia | SC | 0% | REQ | 6 | |||||||||
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center Program | Nashville | TN | 0% | OPT | 6 | |||||||||
| University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Program | Houston | TX | #DIV/0! | 0 | ||||||||||
| Texas A&M College of Medicine-Scott and White Medical Center (Temple) Program | Temple | TX | 0% | REQ | 25 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |||||
| Carilion Clinic-Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine Program | Roanoke | VA | 0% | OPT | 0 | 33 | 67 | 0 | 12 | |||||
| Eastern Virginia Medical School Program | Norfolk | VA | 0% | OPT | 2 | |||||||||
| University of Virginia Medical Center Program | Charlottesville | VA | 0% | REQ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 10 | |||||
| West Virginia University School of Medicine Program | Morgantown | WV | 0% | OPT | 6 | |||||||||
| Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals Program | Milwaukee | WI | 0% | NA | 75 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
What Are the Most Research-Heavy Plastic Surgery Programs?
Here are the plastic surgery programs with the highest average publications among matched applicants:
- University of South Florida Morsani Program (8 publications on average)
- Duke University Hospital Program (7 publications on average)
- University of Texas Medical Branch Hospitals Program (7 publications on average)
- Emory University School of Medicine Program (6 publications on average)
- Ten programs with 6 average publication
What Are the Least Research-Heavy Plastic Surgery Programs?
Here are the plastic surgery programs with the lowest average publications among matched applicants:
- Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Program (5 publications on average)
- Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University Program (4 publications on average)
- Eight programs with 5 publication
- Three programs with 4 average publications
Which Plastic Surgery Residency Programs Have the Most MD-PhDs?
Are you hoping to get into a plastic surgery residency program? Having an MD-PhD may help you stand out, but it’s not always necessary.
As noted previously, having an MD-PhD is associated with an increased likelihood of matching into plastic surgery as a specialty. Note that this is a relatively moderate advantage (~13% match rate increase for those with a PhD vs. those without).
Check out this list of plastic surgery residency programs in the US and their MD-PhD percentages.
| Residency program name | City | State | % current residents who were graduates of MD-PhD programs | # current residents who were graduates of joint MD-PhD program | Average number of peer-reviewed publications among matched applicants | Average number of research experiences among matched applicants | % matched applicants members of Alpha Omega Alpha (at the time of application) | % matched applicants members of Gold Humanism Honor Society (at the time of application) | Program curriculum includes a dedicated research rotation | % completed residents with non-academic U.S. practice career plans | % completed residents with plans to continue training in another program | % completed residents with plans to obtain a full-time or part-time academic position | % completed residents with other career plans | Total # Residents on Duty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest University School of Medicine Program | Winston-Salem | NC | 14% | 2 | 5 | 12 | 42 | 0 | REQ | 75 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 14 |
| University of Utah Health Program | Salt Lake City | UT | 11% | 1 | 5 | 9 | 50 | 20 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Program | New Hyde Park | NY | 7% | 1 | 5 | 13 | 38 | 8 | NA | 25 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Ohio State University Hospital Program | Columbus | OH | 6% | 1 | 5 | 16 | 43 | 21 | REQ | 33 | 67 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| NYU Grossman School of Medicine Program | New York | NY | 5% | 1 | 5 | 28 | 44 | 17 | NA | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| University of Washington Program | Seattle | WA | 4% | 1 | 6 | 10 | 33 | 10 | NA | 50 | 0 | 13 | 38 | 25 |
| Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science Program | Jacksonville | FL | 0% | REQ | 0 | |||||||||
| University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago Program | Chicago | IL | 0% | OPT | 0 | |||||||||
| University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Program | Houston | TX | 0% | 0 | ||||||||||
| University of Alabama Hospital Program | Birmingham | AL | 0% | 2 | ||||||||||
| University of Miami/Jackson Health System Program | Miami | FL | 0% | NA | 0 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 10 | |||||
| University of South Florida Morsani Program | Tampa | FL | 0% | 8 | 9 | 30 | 20 | NA | 0 | 0 | 83 | 17 | 24 | |
| Emory University School of Medicine Program | Atlanta | GA | 0% | 6 | 11 | 40 | 10 | NA | 33 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 12 | |
| University of Chicago Program | Chicago | IL | 0% | 6 | 10 | 43 | 14 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 17 | |
| Loyola University Medical Center Program | Maywood | IL | 0% | NA | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||||
| Dartmouth-Hitchcock/Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital Program | Lebanon | NH | 0% | NA | 5 | |||||||||
| Rutgers Health/New Jersey Medical School Program | Newark | NJ | 0% | 6 | 6 | 50 | 0 | NA | 20 | 80 | 0 | 0 | 17 | |
| Cooper Medical School of Rowan University/Cooper University Hospital Program | Camden | NJ | 0% | REQ | 5 | |||||||||
| University of New Mexico School of Medicine Program | Albuquerque | NM | 0% | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||||
| University of Rochester Program | Rochester | NY | 0% | OPT | 40 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |||||
| New York Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia and Cornell Campus) Program | New York | NY | 0% | 6 | 12 | 40 | 20 | NA | 33 | 67 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Program | New York | NY | 0% | 6 | 12 | 47 | 7 | NA | 0 | 60 | 20 | 20 | 18 | |
| Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University Program | Bronx | NY | 0% | 4 | 9 | 18 | 0 | NA | 50 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |
| Nassau University Medical Center/Stony Brook University Program | Garden City | NY | 0% | NA | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||||
| Albany Medical Center Program | Albany | NY | 0% | 6 | 5 | 40 | 20 | REQ | 50 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| Duke University Hospital Program | Durham | NC | 0% | 7 | 15 | 53 | 13 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| University of North Carolina Hospitals Program | Chapel Hill | NC | 0% | NA | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |||||
| Wright State University Program | Dayton | OH | 0% | REQ | 0 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 8 | |||||
| Cleveland Clinic Foundation Program | Cleveland | OH | 0% | 5 | 14 | 27 | 13 | REQ | 20 | 40 | 0 | 40 | 25 | |
| University of Cincinnati Medical Center/College of Medicine Program | Cincinnati | OH | 0% | NA | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||||
| Oregon Health & Science University Program | Portland | OR | 0% | 4 | 13 | 38 | 23 | REQ | 60 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 17 | |
| University of Pennsylvania Health System Program | Philadelphia | PA | 0% | 4 | 20 | 27 | 7 | 18 | ||||||
| Lehigh Valley Health Network/University of South Florida College of Medicine Program | Allentown | PA | 0% | NA | 0 | 50 | 0 | 50 | 6 | |||||
| Geisinger Health System Program | Danville | PA | 0% | REQ | 4 | |||||||||
| Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center Program | Hershey | PA | 0% | OPT | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |||||
| UPMC Medical Education Program | Pittsburgh | PA | 0% | 5 | 27 | 43 | 7 | 17 | ||||||
| Brown University Program | Providence | RI | 0% | OPT | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |||||
| Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine Program | Charleston | SC | 0% | NA | 6 | |||||||||
| Prisma Health/University of South Carolina SOM Columbia (Columbia) Program | Columbia | SC | 0% | REQ | 6 | |||||||||
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center Program | Nashville | TN | 0% | OPT | 6 | |||||||||
| University of Texas Medical Branch Hospitals Program | Galveston | TX | 0% | 7 | 10 | 25 | 25 | OPT | 25 | 50 | 13 | 13 | 23 | |
| University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Program | Dallas | TX | 0% | 6 | 13 | 55 | 23 | NA | 14 | 57 | 29 | 0 | 24 | |
| Texas A&M College of Medicine-Scott and White Medical Center (Temple) Program | Temple | TX | 0% | REQ | 25 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |||||
| Baylor College of Medicine Program | Houston | TX | 0% | 6 | 16 | 33 | 7 | OPT | 33 | 67 | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Program | Richmond | VA | 0% | 5 | 6 | 20 | 30 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| Carilion Clinic-Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine Program | Roanoke | VA | 0% | OPT | 0 | 33 | 67 | 0 | 12 | |||||
| Eastern Virginia Medical School Program | Norfolk | VA | 0% | OPT | 2 | |||||||||
| University of Virginia Medical Center Program | Charlottesville | VA | 0% | REQ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 10 | |||||
| West Virginia University School of Medicine Program | Morgantown | WV | 0% | OPT | 6 | |||||||||
| University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Program | Madison | WI | 0% | 6 | 7 | 47 | 27 | REQ | 50 | 33 | 0 | 17 | 18 | |
| Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals Program | Milwaukee | WI | 0% | NA | 75 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Plastic Surgery Programs with the Highest Percentage of MD-PhDs
Here are the plastic surgery programs with the highest reported % of residents who were graduates of MD-PhD programs:
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine Program (14%)
- University of Utah Health Program (11%)
- Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Program (7%)
- Ohio State University Hospital Program (6%)
- NYU Grossman School of Medicine Program (5%)
- University of Washington Program (4%)
Plastic Surgery Programs with the Lowest Percentage of MD-PhDs
While having an MD-PhD can give you a leg up on matching into plastic surgery, note that there are many (many) programs without an MD-PhD among their residents. In fact, there were only 6 programs that reported having any graduates from MD-PhD programs.
Which Plastic Surgery Programs Have the Most AOA and Gold Humanism Honor Society Members?
Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) and Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) memberships are two important factors in the plastic surgery residency matching process. AOA recognizes students and residents who excel academically, in leadership, and in professionalism, while GHHS recognizes individuals who demonstrate exceptional qualities in patient-centered care and humanism.
As noted before, AOA membership is associated with an increased likelihood of matching into plastic surgery.
Here we list the US plastic surgery residency programs and the % of their residents who were AOA or GHHS members. Note you can search for individual programs, sort the data, and many other useful things in your plastic surgery residency search.
| Residency program name | City | State | % matched applicants members of Alpha Omega Alpha (at the time of application) | % matched applicants members of Gold Humanism Honor Society (at the time of application) | # current residents who were graduates of joint MD-PhD program | % current residents who were graduates of MD-PhD programs | Average number of peer-reviewed publications among matched applicants | Average number of research experiences among matched applicants | Program curriculum includes a dedicated research rotation | % completed residents with non-academic U.S. practice career plans | % completed residents with plans to continue training in another program | % completed residents with plans to obtain a full-time or part-time academic position | % completed residents with other career plans | Total # Residents on Duty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Program | Dallas | TX | 55 | 23 | 0% | 6 | 13 | NA | 14 | 57 | 29 | 0 | 24 | |
| Duke University Hospital Program | Durham | NC | 53 | 13 | 0% | 7 | 15 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| Rutgers Health/New Jersey Medical School Program | Newark | NJ | 50 | 0 | 0% | 6 | 6 | NA | 20 | 80 | 0 | 0 | 17 | |
| University of Utah Health Program | Salt Lake City | UT | 50 | 20 | 1 | 11% | 5 | 9 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Program | New York | NY | 47 | 7 | 0% | 6 | 12 | NA | 0 | 60 | 20 | 20 | 18 | |
| University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Program | Madison | WI | 47 | 27 | 0% | 6 | 7 | REQ | 50 | 33 | 0 | 17 | 18 | |
| NYU Grossman School of Medicine Program | New York | NY | 44 | 17 | 1 | 5% | 5 | 28 | NA | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| University of Chicago Program | Chicago | IL | 43 | 14 | 0% | 6 | 10 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 17 | |
| Ohio State University Hospital Program | Columbus | OH | 43 | 21 | 1 | 6% | 5 | 16 | REQ | 33 | 67 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| UPMC Medical Education Program | Pittsburgh | PA | 43 | 7 | 0% | 5 | 27 | 17 | ||||||
| Wake Forest University School of Medicine Program | Winston-Salem | NC | 42 | 0 | 2 | 14% | 5 | 12 | REQ | 75 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 14 |
| Emory University School of Medicine Program | Atlanta | GA | 40 | 10 | 0% | 6 | 11 | NA | 33 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 12 | |
| New York Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia and Cornell Campus) Program | New York | NY | 40 | 20 | 0% | 6 | 12 | NA | 33 | 67 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| Albany Medical Center Program | Albany | NY | 40 | 20 | 0% | 6 | 5 | REQ | 50 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Program | New Hyde Park | NY | 38 | 8 | 1 | 7% | 5 | 13 | NA | 25 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Oregon Health & Science University Program | Portland | OR | 38 | 23 | 0% | 4 | 13 | REQ | 60 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 17 | |
| Baylor College of Medicine Program | Houston | TX | 33 | 7 | 0% | 6 | 16 | OPT | 33 | 67 | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| University of Washington Program | Seattle | WA | 33 | 10 | 1 | 4% | 6 | 10 | NA | 50 | 0 | 13 | 38 | 25 |
| University of South Florida Morsani Program | Tampa | FL | 30 | 20 | 0% | 8 | 9 | NA | 0 | 0 | 83 | 17 | 24 | |
| Cleveland Clinic Foundation Program | Cleveland | OH | 27 | 13 | 0% | 5 | 14 | REQ | 20 | 40 | 0 | 40 | 25 | |
| University of Pennsylvania Health System Program | Philadelphia | PA | 27 | 7 | 0% | 4 | 20 | 18 | ||||||
| University of Texas Medical Branch Hospitals Program | Galveston | TX | 25 | 25 | 0% | 7 | 10 | OPT | 25 | 50 | 13 | 13 | 23 | |
| Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Program | Richmond | VA | 20 | 30 | 0% | 5 | 6 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University Program | Bronx | NY | 18 | 0 | 0% | 4 | 9 | NA | 50 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |
| University of Alabama Hospital Program | Birmingham | AL | 0% | 2 | ||||||||||
| Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science Program | Jacksonville | FL | #DIV/0! | REQ | 0 | |||||||||
| University of Miami/Jackson Health System Program | Miami | FL | 0% | NA | 0 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 10 | |||||
| University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago Program | Chicago | IL | #DIV/0! | OPT | 0 | |||||||||
| Loyola University Medical Center Program | Maywood | IL | 0% | NA | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||||
| Dartmouth-Hitchcock/Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital Program | Lebanon | NH | 0% | NA | 5 | |||||||||
| Cooper Medical School of Rowan University/Cooper University Hospital Program | Camden | NJ | 0% | REQ | 5 | |||||||||
| University of New Mexico School of Medicine Program | Albuquerque | NM | 0% | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||||
| University of Rochester Program | Rochester | NY | 0% | OPT | 40 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |||||
| Nassau University Medical Center/Stony Brook University Program | Garden City | NY | 0% | NA | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||||
| University of North Carolina Hospitals Program | Chapel Hill | NC | 0% | NA | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |||||
| Wright State University Program | Dayton | OH | 0% | REQ | 0 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 8 | |||||
| University of Cincinnati Medical Center/College of Medicine Program | Cincinnati | OH | 0% | NA | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||||
| Lehigh Valley Health Network/University of South Florida College of Medicine Program | Allentown | PA | 0% | NA | 0 | 50 | 0 | 50 | 6 | |||||
| Geisinger Health System Program | Danville | PA | 0% | REQ | 4 | |||||||||
| Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center Program | Hershey | PA | 0% | OPT | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |||||
| Brown University Program | Providence | RI | 0% | OPT | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |||||
| Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine Program | Charleston | SC | 0% | NA | 6 | |||||||||
| Prisma Health/University of South Carolina SOM Columbia (Columbia) Program | Columbia | SC | 0% | REQ | 6 | |||||||||
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center Program | Nashville | TN | 0% | OPT | 6 | |||||||||
| University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Program | Houston | TX | #DIV/0! | 0 | ||||||||||
| Texas A&M College of Medicine-Scott and White Medical Center (Temple) Program | Temple | TX | 0% | REQ | 25 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |||||
| Carilion Clinic-Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine Program | Roanoke | VA | 0% | OPT | 0 | 33 | 67 | 0 | 12 | |||||
| Eastern Virginia Medical School Program | Norfolk | VA | 0% | OPT | 2 | |||||||||
| University of Virginia Medical Center Program | Charlottesville | VA | 0% | REQ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 10 | |||||
| West Virginia University School of Medicine Program | Morgantown | WV | 0% | OPT | 6 | |||||||||
| Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals Program | Milwaukee | WI | 0% | NA | 75 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Plastic Surgery Programs with the Most and Least AOA and GHHS Members
The plastic surgery residency programs with the highest reported percentage of AOA members are:
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Program
- Duke University Hospital Program
- Rutgers Health/New Jersey Medical School Program
- University of Utah Health Program
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Program
- University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Program
- NYU Grossman School of Medicine Program
The plastic surgery residency programs with the lowest reported percentage of AOA members are:
- Cleveland Clinic Foundation Program
- University of Pennsylvania Health System Program
- University of Texas Medical Branch Hospitals Program
- Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Program
- Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University Program
Are AOA Numbers Artificially Low in the Most Competitive Plastic Surgery Residency Programs?
As we can see above, while AOA and GHHS membership can be beneficial, it’s not necessarily a critical factor in being accepted into a plastic surgery residency program.
For example, Cleveland Clinic Foundation Program only had 27% of its residents with AOA membership and only 13% with GHHS membership.
So, why might some of the most competitive plastic surgery residency programs have fewer AOA and GHHS members? One potential explanation is that some of the most prestigious medical schools don’t have AOA chapters. For example, the medical schools at Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and UCSF all lack AOA chapters.
Ultimately, it’s essential to remember that AOA and GHHS membership can be important factors in getting accepted into a plastic surgery residency program. However, they’re not the only ones. There are plenty of other ways to make your application stand out, such as having strong USMLE scores, letters of recommendation, and a well-crafted personal statement.
Concluding Thoughts
Publications; AOA and GHHS membership; and having a PhD can all benefit an application into plastic surgery. However, as we can see, different plastic surgery residency programs have different expectations as to what they are looking for in applicants.
