The Yale School of Medicine Department of Surgery is pleased to announce the recruitment of Dr. Bohdan Pomahac as the succeeding Division Chief of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, following Dr. John Persing's 29-year tenure. Dr. Persing plans to retire at the end of June, 2021.
"It has been an honor and a privilege to lead and learn from such an outstanding team of faculty, trainees, and staff over the years. I look forward to watching the division and department grow to new heights with Dr. Pomahac at the helm," said Dr. Persing.
Professor Pomahac joins the Yale Surgery community via Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School, where he is the Roberta and Stephen R. Weiner Distinguished Chair in Surgery, Director of Vascular Composite Allograft Transplantation program.
"I am deeply humbled by the opportunity to lead an outstanding Division of Plastic Surgery with so many talented faculty and staff. It is a true honor to follow Dr. Persing, who set a high bar with all his accomplishments. I am excited to join the Yale team!" said Dr. Pomahac.
A pioneer in the field, Dr. Pomahac’s team performed the first three full face transplant procedures in the United States, and the first successful bilateral upper extremity transplantation in the Northeast. With the overall 10 face and 3 bilateral hand transplants, Dr. Pomahac made BWH the world leader in vascularized composite transplantation.
His expertise adds to a growing portfolio of destination programs in the division, which, since Dr. Persing's appointment as Chief in 1992, has grown into a multi-disciplinary enterprise — with novel programs across the state, including wound healing, craniofacial surgery, melanoma care, muscle reinnervation, breast reconstruction, and cutting-edge research in machine learning and 3D printing.
"Dr. Persing's thoughtful succession planning will ensure the continued success of the plastic surgery programs at Yale — a testament to his servant leadership, dedication to our mission, and the all-star faculty community he has built,” said Department of Surgery Chair, Dr. Nita Ahuja.
"Dr. Pomahac embodies the triple-threat academic physician, as a funded surgeon-scientist, and someone who invests deeply in his faculty for their development. I am especially grateful to the search committee for its review of an exceptionally competitive pool of candidates."
Dr. Walter Longo led the national search, facilitated by recruitment firm, Korn Ferry. Additional members included Drs. Jean Bolognia, Raul Guzman, Benjamin Judson, Donald Lannin, John Morton, and Mr. Greg Kharabadze.