SOPS History

Development of the American Association of Pediatric Plastic Surgeons (AAPPS) and the American Academy of Pediatrics-Section on Plastic Surgery (AAP-SOPS)

Recognizing the emerging specialty of pediatric focused plastic surgery, Dr. Mutaz Habal became the first plastic surgeon to join the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in 1972, where he was placed into the AAP Section on Surgery.  He was joined by Dr. Ken Salyer in 1977.  When the plastic surgery membership within the AAP Section on Surgery grew to 5 with the addition of Drs. Bob Parsons, Michael Sadove, and Don LaRossa, the AAP requested that a national organization in pediatric plastic surgery be formed before recognition of plastic surgery as an independent Section on the AAP.  The plastic surgery membership also realized that there are times that they would want to speak / act on behalf of pediatric plastic surgery without involving the AAP.  This was especially important for relations with other parts of larger organized plastic surgery.  This effort gave rise to the American Association of Pediatric Plastic Surgery (AAPPS) in 1985, which started as a national organization under the leadership of Mutaz Habal (Florida) in 1985. With the encouragement of Judah Folkman, a pediatric surgeon who was a pioneer in angiogenesis research, plastic surgery became an independent section within the AAP during its national meeting in November 1987. The founding members of the AAP Section on Plastic Surgery (AAP-SOPS) were Mutaz Habal (Executive Director), Ken Salyer, Jeff Marsh, Bob Parsons, Michael Sadove, and Don LaRossa, along with two pediatricians: Lois Barness and Phil Adler. Since its inception, the AAP-SOPS has provided courses to pediatricians at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics on simple wound closure, initial management of complex wounds and burns.  The AAP-SOPS has also provided courses to pediatricians on the initial management of clefts, vascular malformations, and common problems of the head and neck in children since its inception.  The course “How to suture like a plastic surgeon” accommodates up to 100 pediatricians, and this course has been routinely sold out at the AAP National Meeting.

The textbook, “Principles and Practice of Pediatric Plastic Surgery,” started as an AAPPS organizational project involving our members.  This was edited by Drs. Michael Bentz, Bruce Bauer, and Ron Zucker and published initially in 2007.  The royalties were/are donated back to both the AAPPS and to the AAP-SOPS.

The AAPPS and the AAP-SOPS jointly host an annual breakfast meeting in which members are updated on the progress of both organizations.  A “Clinician of the Year” has been designated annually since 2007, who is asked to present a lecture at the annual breakfast meeting.  As of 2026, the Clinician of the Year award is redesignated as the “AAPPS Achievement Award” to broaden selection criteria for this award to include pediatric plastic surgeons who may have had an impact on the specialty through such areas as leadership, advocacy, and mentorship. The annual lecture by the Achievement Award recipient is named the “Judah Folkman Lectureship” in honor of the impact that Judah Folkman had in initiation of the AAP-SOPS as well as in shaping research and treatment in vascular anomalies.

Recent activities of the AAPPS have been to serve as a co-sponsor of the Journal FACE along with the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons (ASMS) and the American Society of Craniofacial Surgeons (ASCFS).  The AAPPS is also working with these organizations to develop a Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) in craniofacial and pediatric plastic surgery.

The AAPPS partners with the American Cleft Palate – Craniofacial Association for advocacy efforts on behalf of our patients.

Respectfully,

John Girotto and Arun Gosain