Kristen M. Davidge
MD, MSc, FRCS(C)
Plastic & Reconstruction Surgeon, Hospital for Sick Children
Research Director, Dept of Surgery, University of Toronto
Assistant Professor, Dept of Surgery, University of Toronto
Associate Scientist, Child Health & Evaluative Sciences, SickKids Research Institute
The scope of research activities within the Division of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery at the University of Toronto is vast, encompassing the full spectrum of basic science and translational research, epidemiology, surgical education, global surgery, technology, and health care delivery. With an entrepreneurial spirit, we are impassioned to use our research to transform patient care and enhance patient outcomes. With over 60 surgeons on staff in our division, the vast majority of us hold higher degrees in research and many of our academic staff are graduates of the innovative Surgeon-Scientist program that was established at the University of Toronto well over 25 years ago. The research successes of our faculty are numerous, from grant funding to publication, with wide recognition on local, national and international platforms.
The Division of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery at the University of Toronto has always had a tremendous interest in training tomorrow’s leaders and surgeon scientists. Each year, the division supports trainees with an interest in academic surgery to enter the Surgeon Scientist program to complete a MSc or PhD and help define the future of our specialty. We are fortunate in being surrounded by highly productive and collaborative surgical and non-surgical divisions at the University of Toronto. Our research trainees have worked with Divisions of Thoracic Surgery, Medical Bioengineering, Orthopedic Surgery, Computer Science (deep learning) and General Surgery, to name a few.
Whilst many of our training program graduates become community Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, we stress the importance of research methodology in all of our trainees as a necessary skill set regardless of the designation of your practice. All our trainees contribute to the body of scientific literature by completing a minimum of 2 research projects leading to peer-review publications during their residency. Residents are highly encouraged to present at national and international conferences to further their career development. Our division is also very active in mentoring and supporting research at the undergraduate student, medical student, and fellowship level, as well as non-resident graduate students.
The Division of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery at the University of Toronto is committed to research excellence and to the development of our specialty through innovative research. If you have any questions about our research program, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
Kristen Davidge
Research Director, Division of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery
