Meet Our Team
The Division of Plastic Surgery consists of highly skilled, board-certified attending plastic and reconstructive surgeons: Bernard T. Lee, MD, MBA, Peter S. Kim, MD, Samuel J. Lin, MD, Adam Tobias, MD as well as affiliated surgeons who operate at BIDMC. Other team members include plastic surgery fellows, Harvard plastic surgery residents, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and professional support staff.
Each team member is dedicated to providing exemplary care to patients, excellent service to referring physicians, as well as valuable educational training programs to health care providers and the general community.
Members of the plastic surgery team, all of whom have extensive experience in caring for patients in need of reconstructive surgery, aesthetic (cosmetic) surgery, and/or hand surgery, work collaboratively with a multidisciplinary group of physician specialists and other professional caregivers throughout the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center community.
Our team approach ensures that patients benefit from well-coordinated and multidisciplinary care tailored to their specific needs.
We also offer the services of social workers to help patients and their family members cope with any psychological or social issues arising from their injury or illness. In addition, patients have access to a broad range of other care providers including nurses, counselors, physical and occupational therapists, and many others.
SURGEONS
Bernard T. Lee, MD, MBA
Acting Chief, Division of Plastic Surgery
617-632-7835
Dr. Lee, a board-certified general surgeon and plastic surgeon, received his MD from Tufts University School of Medicine, and a MBA from University of Massachusetts, Isenberg School of Management. He completed a residency program in general surgery at Tufts - New England Medical Center and a plastic surgery residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is currently enrolled in the Clinical Effectiveness MPH program at the Harvard School of Public Health. As an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Lee serves as the Vice Chief of Research and Education and Director of Quality for the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and as the Co-Director of the Peter Jay Sharp Program for Aesthetic and Reconstructive Breast Surgery. Dr. Lee, a Principal Investigator of various research grants and projects, is an active clinical researcher in breast reconstruction, particularly focusing on perforator imaging studies, patient satisfaction, and quality assessment and outcomes in reconstructive breast surgery. Dr. Lee serves as the Associate Editor for the Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery, is on the Editorial Board of the Annals of Plastic Surgery, and is an editor of a three-volume textbook on reconstructive surgery, Grabb's Encyclopedia of Flaps.
View Dr. Lee's CV
Peter S. Kim, MD
617-632-7851
Dr. Kim is a board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in the care of the upper extremity. He received his MD from the Brown University School of Medicine, and completed his plastic surgery residency at McGaw Medical Center, Northwestern University. Upon completion of his residency, Dr. Kim completed a fellowship in hand and upper extremity in the Department of Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Washington. Dr. Kim is an Instructor in Surgery at Harvard Medical School. His clinical and research interests are in hand/upper extremity and microsurgery. He offers complete care of upper extremity problems including fractures of the hand, wrist and distal radius, wrist instability, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, Dupuytren’s contractures, among other conditions. He focuses on minimally invasive options that allow for quicker return to activity.
View Dr. Kim's CV
Samuel J. Lin, MD
617-632-7369
Dr. Lin, who is board certified in both plastic surgery and otolaryngology, received his MD from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and completed residencies in both otolaryngology and plastic surgery, also at Northwestern. After his residency in plastic surgery, Dr. Lin completed a fellowship in microvascular surgery at MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, in Houston. Currently, Dr. Lin serves as the BIDMC residency site director of the Combined Harvard Plastic Surgery Residency Program, and is the co-director of the Harvard Aesthetic and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery Fellowship. As an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Lin is active in both basic science and clinical research with a focus on nerve rehabilitation, rhinoplasty, breast reconstruction, and body contouring along with general reconstruction. Dr. Lin has published papers and serves on the review boards of both plastic surgery and otolaryngology peer-reviewed journals. He is the editor of several medical textbooks including "An Aesthetic Atlas of the Head and Neck," "Atlas of Body Contouring Procedures," and "Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Pearls of Wisdom."
View Dr. Lin's CV
Adam Tobias, MD
617-632-7836
Dr. Tobias, a board-certified plastic surgeon, received his MD from Brown University School of Medicine and completed his plastic surgery residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. After his residency, he completed a fellowship in Microsurgical Breast Reconstruction at the Mercy Medical Center, in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Tobias serves as the Director of the Peter Jay Sharp Reconstructive and Aesthetic Breast Surgery Program at the BIDMC. As an Instructor in Surgery at Harvard Medical School, he is involved in the education of plastic surgery fellows and also mentors post-residency breast surgery fellows. He is active in clinical research, particularly in the area of reconstructive and aesthetic breast reconstruction, including the ongoing development of clinical pathways to improve surgical care, increase efficiency, reduce errors, and achieve the most optimal surgical outcomes on behalf of breast reconstructive patients.
NURSE PRACTITIONER AND NURSES
Leah J. Gaff, LPN
Ms. Gaff is a license practical nurse who completed her nursing program at Medical Professional Institute in Malden, MA. She has worked with patients at the BIDMC in Internal Medicine and in Plastic/Reconstructive Surgery. Her goal is to ensure that every patient feels supported, informed, and well cared for. She is currently in the process of obtaining her Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
Maria Semnack, RN
Ms. Semnack is a registered nurse who obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UMass Boston (summa cum laude). Since 1993, she has worked at the BIDMC in a variety of surgical roles, in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Maria, who is active in the Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month and was recently recognized by the hospital as the recipient of the prestigious Edward & Marilyn Schwarz Award for Patient Education, educates patients about all phases and aspects of the surgical reconstructive process, helps patients recover physically and psychologically after surgery, and provides essential support to help patients both restore, as well as attain a new sense of wholeness and well-being after their cancer treatments. Maria treats every patient as if they were her only patient.
Serena Skiffington, NP
Ms. Skiffington is a nurse practitioner who obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at New York University. Upon completion of her RN, she completed a Masters of Science in Nursing at Northeastern University, also becoming certified as a Nurse Practitioner (NP). Serena has 8 years of experience as a nurse practitioner. Her goal is to be a strong and caring advocate for patients in an inpatient setting. Serena assures that there is high quality and safe care for all inpatients on the Plastic and Reconstructive Service. She is actively involved in the continuity of care for patients, also ensuring that the appropriate follow up and procedures are in place prior to discharge. Serena works closely with the attending surgeons, fellows, residents, nurses, and other staff to ensure that all plastic surgery patients receive exceptional and compassionate care.
Affiliated Plastic Surgeons Who Operate at BIDMC
Richard Bartlett, MD
Terri Halperin, MD
Leonard Miller, MD
Don Morris, MD
Sumner Slavin, MD
Amir Taghinia, MD
Michael Tantillo, MD
Joseph Upton, MD