Justin M. Sacks, MD, MBA, FACS
Chief, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Biography
Justin M. Sacks is the Shoenberg Professor and Chief, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in the Department of Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis. He recently spent the last decade at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine where he was the Vice-Chair of Clinical Operations and Director of Oncological Reconstruction. A graduate from Cornell University, Dr. Sacks received his medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, where he also completed his combined general surgery and plastic surgery residency. Following residency training, he completed a two-year research fellowship in the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. While in Pittsburgh he also completed a one-year combined orthopedic/plastic surgery upper extremity fellowship. Further pursuing his clinical interests, he completed a one-year microvascular reconstructive surgery fellowship in the Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas where upon completion he was invited to join the faculty and remained there for three years. His research focuses on advancements in the field of vascularized composite allotransplantation, tissue engineering and vascular perfusion assessment. His clinical interests include the reconstruction of all forms of acquired, oncological and traumatic defects ranging from the head and neck to the breast, chest, abdomen, pelvis and extremities. In 2016 he completed an MBA in medical service management at the Carey Business School at Johns Hopkins University. He is the co-founder of the Johns Hopkins Biotech Startup Lifesprout. In addition, his team has developed a pressure sensing device to help mitigate pressure sore development in the in-patient setting.
Dr. Sacks maintains a robust clinical reconstructive practice while at the same time performing basic science, clinical outcomes and translational research. He has authored over 100 original publications in peer-reviewed journals and 20 textbook chapters on plastic surgery and reconstructive surgery. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery. He is fellow member of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery and Plastic Surgery Research Council. He is a founding member of the American Society of Reconstructive Transplantation. Currently, he is the immediate past-Chair of the Plastic Surgery Research Council.
Education
Medical School: Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University, New York, NY, 1998
Graduate School: MBA, Carey School of Business, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 2016
Post Doctoral Education
General Surgery Residency: Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY, 2001
Plastic Surgery Residency: Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY, 2004
Plastic Surgery/Microsurgery Research and Clinical Fellowship: Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, 2006
Hand, Upper Extremity and Microsurgery Fellowship: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, 2007
Microsurgery Cancer Reconstruction Fellowship: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, TX, 2008
Board Certifications
Plastic Surgery—Certified
Specialty Areas
Head to toe cancer and trauma reconstructive surgery following post-traumatic injury and oncologic surgery, as well as reconstructive surgery of the body, including the head and neck, breast, chest, abdomen, pelvis and extremities.
More about Dr. Sacks’s clinical practice as a Washington University physician