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Research

I do clinical outcomes and health economics research in plastic and reconstructive surgery, at Ohio State with Dr. Min-Jeong Cho and at UCSF with Dr. Scott Hansen. Most of it comes back to lymphedema and to reconstructive care in safety-net systems.

Illustration. In lymphovenous bypass, a lymphatic vessel is joined to a vein under the microscope, at sub-millimeter scale.

Ohio State, with Dr. Min-Jeong Cho

Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, OSU Wexner Medical Center

  1. Axillary reverse mapping cohort

    Lead investigator on an IRB-approved retrospective cohort (n > 150) on preventing lymphedema after axillary lymph node dissection. First-author manuscript in preparation.

  2. Axillary vascular grafts in prophylactic lymphovenous bypass

    Frontiers in Surgery, 2026 · 3rd of 6 authors

  3. Proximal vs. recipient site for vascular lymph node transfers

    Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2025 · 2nd of 4 authors

  4. GLP-1 receptor agonists, BMI and lymphatic conditions

    Retrospective cohort (n = 200+), with multivariable regression and propensity scores.

UCSF, with Dr. Scott Hansen

Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, UCSF Medical Center

  1. OASIS: an implementation framework and its social return

    Under review: Plast Reconstr Surg; Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open

    The framework for an outpatient injection-related soft tissue infection service in a safety-net setting, which reaches 500+ patients a year, with a full cost-benefit and social-return-on-investment analysis. First author on both manuscripts, under review.

  2. Housing status and documented post-procedure follow-up

    Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open, 2026, in press

  3. Perioperative medical therapies in hidradenitis suppurativa surgery

    Annals of Plastic Surgery, 2026 · 4th of 7 authors

  4. A consensus single-cell atlas

    JID Innovations, 2026, not yet in PubMed · 4th of 5 authors

  5. Procedural stacking as an independent marker of thirty-day morbidity

    Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, 2026 · 5th of 6 authors

  6. Virtual surgical planning and 3D printing in hand surgery

    A systematic review of 40+ studies distal to the distal radius. First author; in preparation.

OASIS · UCSF

The data, reconciled

  1. 27,731source rowsthe rows the data work started from, before reconciliation
  2. 5,939encountersthe source rows, reconciled into encounters
  3. 3,464patientsthe patients those encounters represent
  4. 409eligible cohort
  5. 284with follow-up measuredof the eligible cohort
Three prespecified analyses and five sensitivity analyses.

Counts as reported for the OASIS cohort; the manuscripts are under review. The band is drawn on a log scale.

Presented

  1. First-author abstract, acceptedCalifornia Society of Plastic Surgeons 2027 Annual Meeting
  2. ePosterOASIS follow-up and houselessnessPSRC 71st Annual Meeting
  3. OASIS follow-up and houselessnessAmerican Association of Plastic Surgeons
  4. Oral presentation · presenting authorFinancial sustainability and social return on investment in safety-net primary careUCSF Department of Surgery 39th Annual Resident Research Symposium, San Francisco
  5. Single-cell atlas and endotypesNorthern California Chapter, American College of Surgeons
  6. OASIS follow-up and houselessnessCalifornia Society of Plastic Surgeons
  7. Oral presentationFinancial analysis of a safety-net skin and soft-tissue-infection clinicUCSF Department of Plastic Surgery Monthly Research Meeting
  8. Oral presentationHidradenitis suppurativa surgical adjuncts (194 operations)Western Medical Research Conference, Carmel, CA
  9. Poster · first authorAxillary reverse mappingOhio State MDSR Symposium
  10. Accelerated wound healing after HS surgerySurgical Outcomes Club, Chicago
  11. Surgical reoperation in HSCalifornia Society of Plastic Surgeons
  12. Poster · first authorComplex limb salvageOhio State PRS Mentorship Symposium
  13. Cutaneous microbiome trends in HSNorthern California Chapter, American College of Surgeons
  14. Poster · co-authorNMDAR-mediated excitotoxicity in multiple sclerosis modelsSociety for Neuroscience
  15. second authorPredictors of digit survivalAmerican Association for Hand Surgery

Areas and methods

Areas

  • Lymphedema prevention and lymphatic surgery
  • Supermicrosurgery and microsurgical reconstruction
  • Access to reconstructive care in safety-net health systems
  • Cost-effectiveness analysis and health economics in surgical care
  • Evidence synthesis: systematic review and meta-analysis

Methods

  • Retrospective cohorts
  • Systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA, random effects)
  • Multivariable regression and propensity scores
  • Cost-benefit and SROI analysis
  • Chart abstraction under IRB governance

Every publication, with PubMed records and citations →

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