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Paris Butler, MD, MPH, FACS

Associate Professor of Surgery ( Plastic), Vice Chair of Education and Inclusive Excellence
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Additional Titles

Vice Chair Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Surgery

About

Titles

Associate Professor of Surgery ( Plastic), Vice Chair of Education and Inclusive Excellence

Vice Chair Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Surgery

Biography

Dr. Paris D. Butler is an Associate Professor in the Division of Plastic Surgery at the Yale University School of Medicine. He is also the inaugural Yale Department of Surgery Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). After completing his undergraduate education as a student athlete (basketball) at Roanoke College, he attended medical school at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He completed a general surgery residency at the University of Virginia and subsequently completed his plastic surgery training at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). He is board certified by both the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS).

Dr. Butler has clinical interests in breast reconstruction, breast reductions, breast lifts, post bariatric body contouring, scar/wound management, breast implant removal, and aesthetic surgery (abdominoplasty, breast augmentation, liposuction, etc.).

During his general surgery training, he completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Stanford University where he studied keloid biology. Additionally, he obtained a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) from Univ. of California-Berkeley in health policy and management with special certificate in minority health. Dr. Butler is nationally recognized for his dedication to reducing healthcare disparities along ethnic lines – something he has approached with research, policy, and teaching in mind.

Prior to being recruited to Yale, Dr. Butler served for 6 years on the faculty as an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to his clinical appointment, he also served as the Associate Designated Institutional Official (DIO) of Underrepresented in Medicine (UIM) Affairs in UPenn’s Graduate Medical Education office.

He has received numerous teaching awards in addition to recognition for his work with mentoring residents, medical, undergraduate, and high school students aspiring to enter the field. Dr. Butler has authored over 75 publications in peer-reviewed journals and the lay press. He serves on the American College of Surgeons’ (ACS) Committee on Healthcare Disparities, Society of Black Academic Surgeons’ (SBAS) Membership, Financial, and Health Equity Committees, the American Board of Surgery’s (ABS) Governance Committee, the Association of Academic Surgeons’ (AAS) Diversity Committee, the American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons’ (ACAPS) DEI Committee, and is Chair of the American Society of Plastic Surgery’s (ASPS) Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

Plastic Surgery Resident
University of Pennsylvania (2016)
US DHHS Policy Fellow
Office of Minority Health (2013)
General Surgery Resident
University of Virginia (2012)
MPH
Univ. of California-Berkeley, MHP (Health Policy and Mngmt) (2009)
MD
University of Virginia, MD (2004)
BS
Roanoke College, Double: Biology; Sociology (2000)

Research

Overview

During his general surgery training, he completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Stanford University where he studied keloid biology. Additionally, he obtained a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) from Univ. of California-Berkeley in health policy and management with special certificate in minority health. Dr. Butler is nationally recognized for his dedication to reducing healthcare disparities along ethnic lines – something he has approached with research, policy, and teaching in mind. He has used his formal training to explore the underrepresentation of minorities in academic medicine and the affect it can have on disparities; a topic he has published on extensively.

Medical Research Interests

Education, Graduate; Health Workforce; Healthcare Disparities; Keloid

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Paris Butler's published research.

Publications

2024

Clinical Care

Overview


Paris D. Butler, MD, MPH, is a board-certified plastic surgeon who provides a variety of surgeries that restore form and function, including reconstructive surgeries for women who have undergone mastectomies to treat breast cancer. Dr. Butler performs a significant number of breast reduction and breast lift surgeries (many of which are covered by insurance). He also provides body contouring operations for patients who have undergone massive weight loss either through traditional exercise and diet or bariatric surgery. Additionally, Dr. Butler offers aesthetic surgeries, including abdominoplasty, breast augmentation, breast implant removal (with capsulectomy), and liposuction.

“My interest in science, technology, and innovation started very early in life,” says Dr. Butler. “I have also always wanted to help people and serve my community. So, medicine was the perfect choice for me.”

Dr. Butler takes time to get to know his patients, understanding that each one is going through their own personal journey. He often sees himself as an important member of a team—for patients with cancer, that may mean working alongside a breast surgeon, a medical oncologist, and a radiation oncologist, among other specialists, to determine the best treatment for their unique disease and situation.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Butler is nationally recognized for his dedication to reducing health care disparities along ethnic lines—an area he has approached with research, policy, and teaching, and in leadership roles in several national organizations.

At Yale, he is the Department of Surgery’s first vice chair of diversity, equity, and inclusion, leading efforts of recruitment and retention of physicians and surgeons from marginalized populations, in addition to research efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusion. “Diversity is at the center of our responsibility to transform health care and lead academic medicine into the future,” he says.

Clinical Specialties

Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery; Breast Reconstructive Surgery; Cosmetic Surgery

Fact Sheets

Board Certifications

  • Plastic Surgery

    Certification Organization
    AB of Plastic Surgery
    Original Certification Date
    2018

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