The Austin Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons is a unique medical organization, comprised of board-certified plastic surgeons, where our members are truly a community in much more than a regional sense. We come together to share innovations and find comprehensive solutions to our plastic surgery patients’ varied needs, and we believe that the best care comes from cooperation.
Read on to learn about our mission as an organization, how we got here and how we continue to evolve as a group dedicated to patient care, with the inclusive and forward-thinking attitude that Austin is known for.
Our Mission
Our mission, through unparalleled collegiality and open communication among members, is to provide Austin-area patients excellent education and care in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Our members, each board-certified plastic surgeons, have a variety of specialties and believe that patients get the best care when matched with the right specialist. We are committed to continuing education to stay on the forefront of industry innovations, and we hold our members to the highest standards of safety.
Our History
Our organization fosters an uncommonly high level of collegiality and collaboration among our members, which include more than 40 board-certified plastic surgeons in the Austin area. This spirit of cooperation is one of the touchstones of our group, and it started with some of the first plastic surgeons to ever practice in Travis County.
In the 1970s, the Austin Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons was first formed under the name The Austin Society of Plastic Surgeons. Before there was any name, though, there was merely a small group of plastic surgeons who would get together to review cases and talk about techniques. Early members specialized in areas such as hand surgery, burn repair, breast cancer reconstruction, reconstructive procedures for children and a variety of cosmetic surgeries.
Founders also created Austin Smiles, a nonprofit group whose member surgeons perform reconstructive cleft lip and palate procedures for children in need in Central Texas and Latin America. ASPRS is proud that many of our members work with Austin Smiles to help low-income families at home and abroad.
In the following decades, many more surgeons set up practices in Austin, attracted by the friendly and cohesive atmosphere. As the demand for plastic and reconstructive procedures grew, so too did the areas of specialty of our members. Different members have focused on microsurgery, skin removal, wound care and a wide array of other treatments.
Our high levels of cooperation and our broad specialties make for a better standard of care for our patients. Rather than compete for a patient’s business, we find the right specialist for each person who seeks our care.
In recent years, we changed our name to the Austin Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons to better reflect the range of services that we are happy to provide.
Our Organization Today
As Austin’s suburbs have grown, our membership numbers have risen. Today’s society reflects the same spirit of our founders who would get together casually to talk about cases, but with a modern approach.
At four meetings each year, members give presentations on their surgical techniques, research and significant case studies. Continuing education is a mainstay of ASPRS because of how rapidly our field evolves. Advances in nonsurgical cosmetic treatments, wound healing, microsurgery and many more specialties keep our surgeons on their toes, and we are committed to sharing techniques that provide our patients the best, most predictable results.
Amid the ever-changing medical landscape, the goal that most holds our group together is patient safety. All of our members are certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery and are committed to a standard of excellence. Additionally, by sharing our knowledge, we balance tried and true techniques with the latest innovations for procedures that ensure our patients’ health and peace of mind.
