Leader in orthoplastic approach receives 2022 Kappa Delta Elizabeth Winston Lanier Award
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The 2022 Kappa Delta Elizabeth Winston Lanier Award was given to L. Scott Levin, MD, FACS, FAOA, FAAOS, for his work integrating the specialties of orthopedic and plastic surgery to improve extremity reconstruction and restoration.
According to a press release, Levin has more than 40 years of experience in reconstructive microsurgery research, is double-board certified in orthopedic surgery and plastic surgery, and has a certificate of added qualification in hand surgery. According to the release, Levin introduced the orthoplastic discipline, which has allowed him to integrate the principles and practices of both specialties when solving clinical problems.
“Reconstructive microsurgery should be and is an essential component of orthopedic surgery,” Levin, vice president and associate dean for resource development, the Paul B. Magnuson Professor and chair of the department of orthopedic surgery, and professor of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, said in the release. “Microsurgery has no specialty home, and the orthopedic community must realize the inordinate power of the operating microscope to solve problems by applying orthoplastic principles to treat these injuries.”
Levin led the team that performed the world’s first bilateral hand transplant in a child using vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) in 2015 and led another team to perform the first transcontinental hand transplant the following year, according to the release. Levin built on the evolution of microvascular tools and techniques for limb salvage and reconstruction by including restorative surgery using VCA to completely restore all missing structures, according to the release.
“In conjunction with my mentors and colleagues, I’ve spent 4 decades researching and developing techniques to advance patient care and educate residents and fellows on the full spectrum of reconstructive microsurgery that includes revascularization, replantation, composite free tissue transfers and, most recently, vascularized composite allotransplantation, all of which are vitally important to optimize limb salvage and functional outcomes for a variety of upper and lower extremity conditions,” Levin said in the release. “By integrating concepts of orthopedics and plastic surgery, we were able to solve clinical problems that seemed intractable resulting in the need for limb amputation. By applying microsurgical techniques, limb salvage became possible, helping patients avoid amputation.”
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