I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as President of The Aesthetic Foundation for the next year. Like most society members, before becoming directly involved with The Foundation, I did not appreciate everything that The Foundation did to advance the science of aesthetic surgery. After becoming a member of the Scientific Research Committee, eventually the Board, and especially after being the recipient of a Foundation grant for our systemic symptoms associated with breast implants study, I saw the direct effect that aesthetic research could have for practicing plastic surgeons. Whenever I attend meetings, both domestic and international, I am approached by surgeons who tell me how our research has impacted their practice or how they use our data to educate their patients. That study would never have happened without a Foundation grant.
Anyone who attended the Spotlight on Research Luncheon during The MEET in Austin saw the amazing ongoing research studies supported by Foundation grants. Last year we awarded $303,000 in grants for increasingly higher levels of scientific research.
APPLY FOR A GRANT HERE
The Foundation also supports breast cancer patients through the Breast Cancer Journey Assistance Fund. Last year this fund awarded over $80,000 in grants to patients in need. This year’s recipients of the Career Achievement Award, Drs. Pat Maxwell and Jack Fisher generously donated the funds received in their honor, over $200,000 to BCJAF to help deserving patients undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
The Foundation sponsored Externship Program supported 36 medical students from schools which do not have plastic surgery programs with mentorship, research support and guidance. 12 of those students attended The Meet in Austin. We are proud to support these students who represent the future of plastic surgery. Please contact me if you are interested in becoming a mentor.
MENTOR HERE
The ARISE registry has been migrated to a more functional platform which has improved functionality and will help to pave the way to potential FDA recognition. Surgeons are no longer allowed to fax implant registration to the manufacturer, and ARISE is an easy, quick way to satisfy the FDA requirements. Please contact me or Dr. Caroline Glicksman, the Chair of the ARISE Task Force, if you have not signed up for ARISE or have any questions about incorporating it into your practice.
ACCESS ARISE
I look forward to a productive year as President and encourage all Aesthetic Society Members to support The Foundation when paying their Society dues. It is an exciting time for The Aesthetic Foundation with a high level of research being supported and the results published in Aesthetic Surgery Journal. If you have research that you have considered but do not know where to start or how to obtain funding, if you would like to be a mentor, or want to support the Breast Cancer Journey Assistance Fund or The Foundation in general, please contact me, anyone on our Board, or Foundation staff and we would be happy to help.
Sincerely,
Patricia McGuire, MD
President, The Aesthetic Foundation
