Biomedical Engineering Seminar Series
Monday, September 18, 2022
GP1002
12:00pm – 12:50pm
Engineered Care: From the Bench to the Bedside in Reconstructive Surgery
Giorgio Giatsidis, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Lead Surgeon-Scientist, Principal Investigator
Division of Plastic Surgery, UMass Chan Medical School
Abstract: Reconstructive plastic surgery is a uniquely and intrinsically eclectic and creative medical discipline, prone to and primed to multidisciplinary collaborations to provide innovative solutions to complex challenges. Plastic surgeons are tasked by other referring physicians with using a multitude of skills and techniques to restore form and function in patients of every age, and to treat conditions that can affect any part of a body and that can involve a wide range of tissues - often with uncommon or new presentations.
Problem analysis, critical thinking, solution design, creativity, integration of innovative and different approaches, a multidisciplinary “open” mind, team working, and a focus on delivering an outcome that is both functional and optimal, are among some of the characteristics that plastic surgery share with (biomedical) engineering.
Hence, it is not a surprise that the collaborative bond between plastic surgeons and engineers has always been natural, strong, prolific, and productive in improving patient care, while also advancing science and technology. Here, we will overview some examples from my own professional path and my experience working side-by-side with engineers to provide solutions to critical clinical needs in the areas of wound healing, muscle injury, tissue preservation, soft tissue reconstruction, tissue monitoring, and others. We will also highlight some of the most promising opportunities for collaborative research in this field.
Biography: Dr. Giatsidis received is M.D. cum laude from San Raffaele University (Milan, Italy) with a research thesis on lymphangiogiogenesis, and completed his residency training in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery cum laude at the University of Padua (Padua, Italy), where he also obtained his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine with a thesis on angiogenesis through tissue mechano-stimulation. He later joined Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA), where he completed a postdoctoral fellowship (Orgill’s lab) and a Stepping Strong Fellowship on trauma research, before joining the faculty as an Instructor in Surgery and a Principal Investigator of his own lab. Dr. Giatsidis also completed a clinical Microsurgery Fellowship at the Washington University in St. Louis.
Dr. Giatsidis’ clinical work and interest focus on head-to-toe reconstruction after trauma, chronic disease, cancer, or surgery. His area of expertise is complex reconstruction using microsurgical techniques, and he is particularly keen to develop and apply innovative systems to patient care.
The Restorative and Regenerative Laboratory he leads has received over $3M in federal funding (Department of Defense, NIH), in addition to foundation and industry grants. The work of the lab spans from preclinical research in animal models to clinical trials, with an overarching translational goal of leveraging new technologies at the bench-side to advance care at the bedside. Some areas of investigation include muscle regeneration, wound healing, ischemia/reperfusion injury, angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, tissue engineering, transplantation, point-of-care diagnostic systems, medical devices, advanced prosthetics, robotics, surgical education, and global surgery.
Dr. Giatsidis is an Editorial Board member of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open, Microsurgery, and Wounds, and a reviewer for numerous other leading scientific journals. He is routinely a member of grant review panels for the Department of Defense, the Plastic Surgery Foundation, and others.
For a zoom link please contact June Norton at jnorton@wpi.edu or Kate Harrison at kharrison@wpi.edu