The Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation (ASERF) is pleased to announce that ASAPS Founding Members Drs. Thomas Baker and Simon Fredricks will be awarded the 2017 Career Achievement Award. The presentation will take place at the Member Business Meeting to be held during The Aesthetic Meeting 2017 at the San Diego Convention Center, on Sunday, April 30. 

The year was 1967 and the setting was the famous Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy. Drs. Fredricks and John Lewis had just taken part in the IV International Congress of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in nearby Rome.  On that fateful evening at Harry’s, they laid out the groundwork for a new organization dedicated to teaching the art and science of aesthetic plastic surgery. They jotted down the names of 26 surgeons on a napkin, including Dr. Baker, who would join them as a Founding Member a few months later.

At that time, Drs. Baker and Fredricks were seen by many as disrupters and by others as visionaries who stood against the status quo. They proved to be the latter as their vision, insight and dedication helped build the largest and most prestigious educational organization in the world dedicated to aesthetic plastic surgery of the face and body. Drs. Baker and Fredricks’ dream has grown to a society with a membership of nearly 2,400 members worldwide. By keeping membership requirements high, offering first-in-class education and top-notch programs and services, they fostered an environment in which newer, better, and safer techniques could be developed and taught to board certified plastic surgeons.  As the educational opportunities and science from ASAPS and ASERF continues to grow, the future of our specialty looks brighter than ever.

Both doctors are Past Presidents of ASAPS, with Dr. Fredricks also having served as ASERF’s first President when it was formed in 1993. Individually, Drs. Baker and Fredricks have written influential books and hundreds of important articles. They have given countless lectures to both aspiring and established plastic surgeons, and pioneered aesthetic surgical techniques. Even today, after nearly 120 years of combined experience, Drs. Baker and Fredricks continue to make their mark on our chosen profession by staying involved and sharing their wisdom.

Given the ubiquity and demand for plastic surgery today, it is almost impossible to overstate how nascent the field of plastic surgery was in 1967.  The science was scarce. The textbooks were few and far between. There was no dedicated peer-reviewed journal. Educational opportunities were scarce and of inconsistent quality. Drs. Baker and Fredricks were great visionaries whose creation of ASAPS enabled aesthetic surgery to develop into the successful entity that it is today.   Indeed, every plastic surgeon who performs cosmetic procedures owes their career to these pioneers.

Please join in making a tax-deductible contribution honoring these ground-breaking surgeons as a tribute to their distinguished careers. You can make your gift at ASERF’s donation page and even add a personal message to either (or both) doctors in the Comments field.

Your tribute to Drs. Baker and Fredricks will be used to fund research for aesthetic plastic surgery. It will also serve as an acknowledgment of their vision that led to the formation of The Aesthetic Society half a century ago. Furthermore, the ASERF and ASAPS Boards look forward to seeing you in San Diego on April 30 and join us in showing our gratitude to Drs. Baker and Fredricks for their invaluable contributions.

Donate today to support ASERF’s mission of research in aesthetic plastic surgery! 

ASERF is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a 501[c][3] nonprofit organization. The Foundation’s federal tax identification number is 33-0613185.

Dr. Gil Gradinger Honored with Career Achievement Award

At the business meeting of the Aesthetic Society this year, an outstanding physician, educator and mentor was honored with the Society’s first Career Achievement Award. That member is Dr. Gill Gradinger. A much loved and visionary aesthetic surgeon who is one of the founding members of the organization.

In 2009, the Editors of ASN had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Gradinger. Excerpts of that interview are below:

Dr. Gilbert P. Gradinger may not have known that he was helping create a legacy through the formation of the Aesthetic Society in 1967, but his ideals on education and excellence have nonetheless remained a standard within the community of plastic surgeons. As a founding member, former president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and former chair of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Dr. Gradinger has contributed countless hours of service, research and experience to generations of plastic surgeons. He retired from his private practice several years ago and has dedicated great effort to the organization and maintenance of the Resident Cosmetic Clinic at the University of California at San Francisco. This effort has resulted in a busy cosmetic surgery practice for the senior and chief residents, as well as continuing his educational goals.

As a founding member, did you realize the potential for ASAPS?
I definitely lacked the vision to realize its potential back then—I had no idea it was going to become the important Society it is today. In 1967, I was approached by Simon Fredricks to join a travel club of young plastic surgeons surgeons (because we were young at that time) and by the next meeting in 1968, we became the Aesthetic Society. I was concerned at the time that it would be divisive and would disrupt the community, but it was definitely an underserved subject. We needed the teaching and it just grew from then. When I considered it from that standpoint—I was pleased to be a founding member.

When did you realize the Aesthetic Society was something substantial in the plastic surgery community?
After two or three years it really began to grow. The membership requirements were hard to reach back then in terms of cases and years of practice. In the beginning, there was just an annual meeting and the first program was a visiting professor program. It was only one person per year—I did mine in 1982 and I visited 24 different residency programs during that year. You didn’t turn down any invitations.

What do you feel is the Society’s role now that plastic surgery is in the mainstream and all over the media?
I think the Society’s primary role rests in education—both clinical and investigative. I think the formation of Quad A (The American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, Inc. (AAAASF) and the research foundation (ASERF) are extremely important functions that benefit all plastic surgeons. A major secondary goal is the ethical promotion of the member’s needs and interests. In terms of the public, we should aid in informing and protecting the public.