The Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation (ASERF) is pleased to present a new opportunity for ASERF/ASAPS member surgeons based in San Diego County, California to aid patients in completing their aesthetic breast reconstruction journeys.

The Mollenkopf Breast Reconstruction Fund made possible through a generous restricted donation to ASERF by Susan and Steve Mollenkopf, which was matched by the Qualcomm Foundation, provides grants of up to $5,000 to assist underinsured or uninsured patients in completing a quality aesthetic breast reconstruction following breast cancer.

The ideal candidates to receive a Mollenkopf grant are women who have had breast reconstruction but for whatever reason, still have unacceptable results and who are deferring surgery due to financial difficulties. Ideally, doctors would donate their surgical skills and the grant money would help cover the patient’s operating room fees, anesthesia, deductibles and other related expenses.

For San Diego County surgeons who have patients eligible for a Mollenkopf Fund grant, please download the grant request form, which outlines the criteria and application process. When a doctor confirms patient eligibility, complete the form and return to ASERF in a timely manner. At that time, a four-person committee will review all grant requests. (Although this unique patient support is available exclusively to active surgeons in San Diego County, exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis.)

This collaboration between ASERF, the Mollenkopfs and Qualcomm will positively impact many women throughout San Diego County.

For additional information on the Fund, please contact Ivan Rodriguez at (562) 799-2356 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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.