Long Island Plastic Surgeon is New President of American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Aesthetic Society Elects Top Officers at 2008 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA

NEW YORK, May 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New York plastic surgeon Alan H. Gold, MD, is the new President of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). The Aesthetic Society, with nearly 2,400 members, is the leading national organization of board-certified plastic surgeons specializing in cosmetic surgery of the face and body. The election of new officers was held on May 4, during the ASAPS 2008 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA which was attended by plastic surgeons from around the world.

Dr. Gold, of Great Neck, NY, has been an ASAPS member since 1985. Dr. Gold is in private practice and holds an academic appointment as Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at the Weill Cornell Medical College. He has served as the Aesthetic Society's Historian, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice-President and President-Elect and is currently serving as the Society's representative to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Board of Directors. Dr. Gold is the immediate past-president of both the Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation (ASERF) and the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF), and was the Co-Chair of the Joint Silicone Implant Task Force. He is a Clinical Editor of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal and serves on the Journal's task force.

He received his undergraduate degree from Colgate University and medical degree from Downstate Medical Center School of Medicine. He served a surgical residency at North Shore University Hospital and a fellowship in hand surgery at Nassau County Medical Center. He served a plastic surgery residency at the Kings County Hospital Center. He was certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) in 1979.

According to ASAPS statistics, nearly 11.7 million cosmetic procedures were performed in 2007, up 2 percent from 2006. ASAPS members performed more cosmetic surgical procedures per doctor than any other group of specialists. "ASAPS has been the leader in aesthetic surgery education for plastic surgeons for more than 40 years," says Dr. Gold. "Today, our mission also includes educating the public. Cosmetic surgery can make a significant and positive impact on peoples' lives, but they need to be well informed about their options and choose them and their surgeon wisely."

Other new Aesthetic Society officers on the Executive Committee are:

President-Elect: Renato Saltz, MD, of Salt Lake City, UT. An Aesthetic Society Member since 1995, Dr. Saltz is in private practice in Salt Lake City, UT and is the Former Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery, University of Utah. He is currently the Co-Chair of the Cosmetic Medicine Task Force. Dr. Saltz served as Chair of the Symposium Committee, Chair of the Candidate Liaison Committee, Chair of the Residents' Forum, the Past Chair of the International Symposium and serves on the Aesthetic Surgery Journal Task Force. He is a Clinical Editor of Aesthetic Surgery Journal and is the Education Council Chair and Immediate Past-General Secretary of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS). Dr. Saltz is also the Founder and President of the Image Reborn Foundation of Utah, a retreat program for women with breast cancer.

Vice-President: Felmont F. Eaves, III, MD of Charlotte, NC. An Aesthetic Society Member since 1999, Dr. Eaves is a partner at Charlotte Plastic Surgery and an attending surgeon at Presbyterian Hospital, Carolinas Medical Center, and Mercy Hospital. Dr. Eaves currently serves as Chair of the Perioperative Patient Safety Workgroup, Administrative Commissioner, a traveling professor, and a member of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal Task Force. He is the Former Chair of the Finance & Investment and Patient Safety, and Public Education Committees.

Treasurer: James A. Matas, MD of Orlando, FL. An Aesthetic Society Member since 1997, Dr. Matas is in private practice and is the former Chief-of-Staff of Dr. P. Phillips Hospital in Orlando. Dr. Matas currently serves as the Chair of the Practice Relations Committee, and the Vice-Chair of both the Communications Commission, and the Continuing Medical Education Committee.

Secretary: Jeffrey M. Kenkel, MD of Dallas, TX. An Aesthetic Society Member since 2001, Dr. Kenkel is a professor and Vice Chairman of the Department of Plastic Surgery at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He is the editor of Selected Readings in Plastic Surgery. Dr. Kenkel currently serves as the Secretary of the Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation (ASERF), and Chair of the Education Commission.

About ASAPS

The 2400-member American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) is the only plastic surgery organization devoted entirely to the advancement of cosmetic surgery. ASAPS is recognized throughout the world as the authoritative source for cosmetic surgery education. U.S. members are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Canadian members are certified in plastic surgery by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Toll-free referral line: 888.ASAPS.11 (272.7711). Web site: www.surgery.org

SOURCE American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery