For as long as I can remember, I had a desire to make a difference. As a professor and chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery, I seek to make a difference for those I treat and those I work with. I was drawn to plastic surgery because it allows me to treat patients with various conditions that affect function or appearance as a result of birth defects, trauma, illness and aging. I specialize in cosmetic surgical procedures, breast reconstruction and reduction and skin cancer. As a provider, I aim to provide care that is both compassionate and individualized to each patient.

I earned my medical degree from the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Thereafter, I completed a general surgery residency at the Medical College of Virginia (now the VCU Medical Center) in Richmond. Then, I completed a plastic and reconstructive surgery fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh and the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Previously, I have served as an assistant professor of surgery in the UF Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery from 1995 to 2000, followed by working in private practice in Gainesville for 10 years before returning to UF in 2010.

Since 1995, I have been practicing as a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. I am a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and serve in a variety of leadership roles in regional and national plastic surgery organizations. Additionally, I have lectured nationally and internationally on the topics of aesthetic surgery and breast surgery. Many instances, I have been recognized by various organizations as Top Doctor or among Top Plastic Surgeons.

When I am not practicing at UF Health Plastic Surgery and Aesthetics Center, I enjoy spending time with my family. Also, I enjoy staying active by backpacking, cycling and doing strength training.

I am an expert in upper and lower extremity limb salvage, brachial plexus and complex peripheral nerve reconstruction within the University of Florida Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. I am a board-certified plastic surgeon through the American Board of Plastic Surgery with a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Surgery of the Hand. Patients are referred to me on a routine basis from all over Florida and the Southeastern U.S. In 2018, I received the Gelberman Scholar Award from the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH). From there, I travelled around the world teaching and learning new surgical techniques as a representative of the ASSH and North American hand surgery. Recently, I served as a visiting professor for the ASSH, teaching peripheral nerve surgery to programs around the U.S.

I have authored more than 130 publications in peer-reviewed journals and serve as an associate editor for The Journal of Hand Surgery and the HAND journal. I am on the editorial board for the HAND, American Society for Surgery of the Hand and the Asian Pacific Journal of Hand Surgery. I also serve on the committee for the American Society for Surgery of the Hand and Plastic Surgery Research Council. Prior, I served as a scientific peer reviewer for the United States Department of Defense and received funding from The Plastic Surgery Foundation as well as the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons.

My plastic surgery residency was completed at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Following, I completed a fellowship in hand and microsurgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Other clinical areas of interest include vascularized bone grafts, endoscopic hand and plastic surgery and surgical treatment of migraine headaches.

I want to continually push frontiers by developing new techniques and methods to treat our patients. I am engaged in research, and dedicated to developing new surgical techniques and assess outcomes.

In my spare time, I enjoy reading, traveling and spending time with family.

Jessica A. Ching, MD, is an assistant professor in the division of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the UF College of Medicine.

Dr. Ching is the co-director of the University of Florida Craniofacial Center and leads a specialized velopharyngeal incompetence practice that evaluates children with speech problems caused when the velopharynx, located in the back of the mouth, does not work normally. She also works closely with Dr. Lance Governale, UF’s Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery, to provide individualized care for patients with craniosynostosis.

Dr. Ching earned her medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. She completed her plastic surgery residency at the University of South Florida and a craniofacial fellowship at The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto. 

Dr. Ching is trained in all aspects of plastic surgery, reconstructive and aesthetic. Her clinical focus will be general pediatric plastic surgery, cranial vault surgery, orthognathic surgery, cleft surgery and facial reconstruction. Her research interests are in craniosynostosis and psychosocial disabilities, as well as facial trauma.

She has authored several book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed medical journals, and she has presented her work at various professional conferences. She is also an invited expert for an international consensus panel on facial trauma in war and austere conditions.

Rachel Cohen-Shohet, MD, is a plastic surgeon who specializes in hand surgery, peripheral nerve and microsurgery. Dr. Cohen-Shohet earned her medical degree and pursued her plastic surgery residency at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, Florida. Thereafter, she completed a hand surgery fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, where she received training in common hand surgery pathologies such as arthritis, Dupuytren’s and nerve compression. She also received training in complex upper extremity trauma and reconstruction, brachial plexus and peripheral nerve injuries.

Dr. Cohen-Shohet has authored and contributed to a number of publications, and has participated in multiple scientific podium and poster presentations. Dr. Cohen-Shohet specializes in extremity salvage and reconstruction including microsurgical free flaps. In addition, Dr. Cohen-Shohet offers a procedure known as targeted muscle reinnervation, which aims to treat chronic pain in amputee patients.

Trajan Alistair Cuellar, MB, BCh is an assistant professor in the division of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the UF College of Medicine. He is double board-certified in general surgery and in plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Dr. Cuellar earned his medical degree from University College Cork – National University of Ireland in 2005 and then completed basic surgical training from the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland in 2008. He completed his general surgery residency at the University of Florida College of Medicine and a plastic and reconstructive surgery residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, followed by the Stepping Strong trauma and microsurgery fellowship from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 2018.

Prior to joining UF Health, Dr. Cuellar was an instructor of surgery at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Dr. Cuellar is a member of professional associations, including the American Board of Surgery, the Irish Medical Council, the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom and the Royal Society of Medicine. He has won several awards including the James Harvey Hendrix Jr. Award

Dr. Cuellar has presented several times at professional meetings and has numerous publications, including acknowledgements in the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine 5th (ed), and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

I joined the University of Florida Department of Surgery as an assistant professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery in 2007. I currently practice at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville. I strive to provide the highest level of care for the veteran population. My patients are like my family members as I treat them like one of mine.

Prior to joining the department of surgery, I completed a fellowship in plastic surgery at UF and a fellowship in hand surgery at the Hand Center of Western New York in Buffalo. I attended medical school at SUNY Health Science Center in Brooklyn, New York, then completed a surgery internship and surgery residency at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York.

My clinical interests are in breast reconstruction and hand surgery. I treat patients for various conditions, including breast reconstruction (natural tissue and microvascular surgery for breast reconstruction), skin cancer, nerve compressions (carpal tunnel, ulnar tunnel and cubital tunnel syndromes), Dupuytren’s contracture, basilar joint arthritis, replantation of digits and webbing of the fingers of toes.

In addition to treating patients, I contribute to resident education and improving the surgical standards of care. When not treating patients, I enjoy staying active by running and biking. You can also find me at Busch Gardens riding the fastest roller coasters.

Watching my father, who is a general surgeon, take care of patients from remote and underserved areas growing up inspired my direction to become a doctor. After my general surgery residency, I recognized my strengths of being meticulous and problem solving. The rest is history, and now I am an Assistant professor with the University of Florida Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. My treatment philosophy is simple: I listen to my patients to understand their needs and strive to deliver the best personalized treatment plan that is achievable.

I am a skilled plastic surgeon with five years of active practice. My training started in India, where I received my bachelor’s degrees for surgery and medicine at NDMVP Samaj Medical College (now Dr. Vasantrao Pawar Medical College, Hospital & Research Centre). I also achieved a Master of Surgery in Genral surgery at Mahadevappa Rampure Medical College and a Master of Chirurgiae in Plastic and Reconstructive surgery at the Sri Ramachandra Medical College. Thereafter, I completed three plastic surgery fellowships in burn surgery, microsurgery and pediatric craniofacial surgery at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.

In India, I am also board certified in general surgery, in addition to plastic and reconstructive surgery. Prior to arriving at UF, I was at the University of Tennessee as a plastic surgeon and faculty member for five years. In addition to my several research publications, I am a member of various organizations domestically and globally, such as the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Association of Plastic Surgeons of India, Indian Society for Surgery of the Hand, American Burn Association and Indian Medical Association.

As a plastic surgeon at UF Health and Halifax Health, I have profound passion for restoring the function and natural beauty that every patient deserves. I am a board-certified plastic surgeon by the American Board of Plastic Surgery with over 7,000 completed surgical procedures, including cosmetic, craniofacial, hand, breast reconstruction, lower extremity reconstruction, microsurgery and complex wound care. I specialize in aesthetic and reconstructive surgery.

I underwent post-baccalaureate training at Harvard University and earned my doctor of medicine degree from Tufts University. I was then recruited by the renowned University of Florida Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Residency Program, where I demonstrated exemplary clinical care and technical skills. There, I was selected as chief resident and served as a resident liaison to the American Society for Plastic Surgeons.

Over the course of my career, I have presented at several society meetings and authored numerous articles, manuscripts and textbook chapters on a range of topics, including surgical site complications, anesthesia, calvarial reconstruction and plastic surgery resident selection. My expertise as a plastic surgeon brought me to Honduras, where I got the gift to provide care for children with cleft deformities and illnesses.

As a physician, I am dedicated to bringing care to those in need. I volunteered on ambulances as an EMT and National Registry licensed paramedic both locally at Narberth Ambulance and across the east coast for nearly a decade. I also serve as a leader for the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization committed to scholarship, research and safety on college and university campuses.

My name is Dr. Satteson, and I am an assistant professor and plastic surgeon in the University of Florida Department of Surgery. The intricate anatomy of the hand drew my pursuit in hand surgery, in addition to getting patients back to their normal activities. As a physician, my goal is to provide quality, compassionate, patient-centered and customizable care for each of my patients.

My journey started at Georgetown University School of Medicine where I earned my medical degree. Shortly after, I completed my integrated plastic surgery residency at Wake Forest School of Medicine, where I have been a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society since 2011. During my residency, I was awarded the Wake Forest Plastic Surgery Resident Research Award and won the American Society for Surgery of the Hand Annual Meeting Scholarship. Finally, I completed a hand and upper limb fellowship at Stanford University.

In 2022, I was selected as a Young Leader for the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Prior, I completed multiple medical mission trips in Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Moldova and most recently in Zimbabwe. Additionally, my publications have been in the top of hand and plastic surgery journals and I have been asked to speak at national conferences. I am a member of the Southeastern Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons, among several other affiliations

In my leisure time, I enjoy staying active by hiking, running, and reading fiction. I also enjoy traveling around the world. Some of my most favorite trips were visiting the Galapagos Islands, Iceland, New Zealand and Thailand.

Sarah Sorice-Virk, MD, is an assistant professor and plastic surgeon in the University of Florida Department of Surgery. Dr. Virk earned her medical degree from New York University School of Medicine and completed her residencies (plastic surgery) and fellowships (advanced wound care, laub international surgery) at Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California. She also completed a microsurgery fellowship at University of Pennsylvania.