A Seat At The Table

By: premingerplasticsurgery

This past week, I attended Plastic Surgery The Meeting, the annual gathering of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), in Houston, Texas. These meetings offer an opportunity to reconnect with colleagues, exchange ideas, learn about advances in our field, and contribute to the future of our specialty.

This year’s meeting was particularly meaningful for me. I had the privilege of chairing the aesthetic breast surgery section for the entire meeting, organizing educational sessions featuring some of the most respected surgeons in our field. I also spoke on several panels and moderated several others, discussing advances in breast surgery, challenging revision cases, evolving techniques, and ways to improve patient safety and outcomes. It was an enormous professional responsibility, and one I was proud to undertake.

But when I think back on the meeting, what stands out most is not a surgical technique or a particularly interesting panel discussion. It was chairing the Jewish Plastic Surgeons Forum that Sheila Nazarian and I established after October 7. In the aftermath of those horrific events, we felt the need to bring Jewish plastic surgeons together to foster collegiality and offer support at a difficult time. Unfortunately, the world hasn’t gotten any better, and the need for this organization has only become more pronounced. Amongst other things, we have had to fight against antisemitism and anti-Zionism that has even infiltrated our peer-reviewed medical journals.

Many people do not realize that the American Society of Plastic Surgeons has a distinctly Jewish history. In 1931, two Jewish immigrant surgeons, Dr. Jacques Maliniac and Dr. Gustave Aufricht, were instrumental in founding what would become the ASPS. They had been denied admission to the existing professional association because they were Jewish. Instead of accepting that there was no place for them, they created one of their own, ASPS. What began with a small group of surgeons grew into a major professional organization. Today, the organization that they established in 1931, ASPS, is the premier plastic surgery organization with the largest membership. There is something profoundly Jewish about that story: when doors are closed, we find ways to open new ones. When we are not given a seat at the table, we build a table. And when we succeed, we have an obligation to remember where we came from.

Nearly a century later at this year’s meeting, that history felt especially relevant. I personally organized a Shabbat dinner for Jewish plastic surgeons and colleagues, including surgeons visiting from Israel. I remembered the years I spent sitting in my room alone at these meetings making hamotzi over two challah rolls, saying kiddush over a cup of grape juice, and eating cold packaged turkey. I wanted to create an opportunity for everyone to gather, share Shabbat, and feel a genuine sense of belonging within our professional community. We sang “Shalom Aleichem” and made kiddush, and hamotzi with home-baked challah that I had brought from home. Seventy people attended.

Among those who joined us was the head of plastic surgery at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, a hospital and department with which I have developed a particularly meaningful professional relationship. Last month over chol ha’moed Sukkot, I had the privilege of operating with him at Shaare Zedek, collaborating and sharing ideas and techniques. He made me feel so welcome during my visit, and it mattered to me that my Israeli colleagues not simply attend, but feel genuinely welcomed, appreciated, and heard at our national meeting. He even brought four of his residents with him. I made a point of inviting them to speak and share their experiences with their fellow surgeons in Houston.

At a time when Jewish and Israeli professionals may feel isolated in international spaces, an invitation to speak and a warm welcome can carry extraordinary meaning. Sitting around a Shabbat table in the middle of a national medical conference reminded me that our professional and Jewish identities do not have to live in separate worlds. We can be dedicated scientists, surgeons, teachers, and leaders while remaining deeply connected to our history, traditions, and one another.

As I looked around that table in Houston, I thought about the Jewish immigrant surgeons who helped establish our society after finding themselves outside an existing professional organization. They helped build a place where they could belong. Generations later, we were honoring that legacy by making sure that the one they helped build was a place where our colleagues could feel at home.

There was also something deeply satisfying about helping lead the scientific programming of that very same society. Almost one hundred years after its founding, I was able to chair a major section of its annual meeting, contribute as a speaker, and guide conversations as a moderator while also bringing Jewish and Israeli colleagues together to celebrate Shabbat. For me, it felt like a bridge between past and present, between my professional world and my personal one.

I often write about plastic surgery as a profession centered on transformation. We help patients navigate changes in their bodies, recover from illness, and feel more comfortable in their own skin. This week reminded me that transformation is not always about changing how something looks. Sometimes it is about changing how someone feels, making a colleague feel included, giving someone a voice, or creating a space where people feel comfortable being themselves. Those gestures may seem small alongside the technical achievements celebrated at a major medical conference, but they can be just as meaningful.

Nearly a century ago, Jewish surgeons who were denied a seat at the table helped build a new one. This past Shabbat in Houston, I had the privilege of bringing colleagues together around another table, one where everyone was welcome. 

At Preminger Plastic Surgery, we are committed to educating our patients and providing personalized care tailored to their unique needs. For those considering plastic surgery, we offer guidance every step of the way to help you achieve your aesthetic and wellness goals. Dr. Preminger is a board-certified plastic surgeon with degrees from Harvard, Cornell, and Columbia.

For more information or to schedule a consultation, please visit premingermd.com or call 212-706-1900. Follow us on Instagram @premingerplasticsurgery.