Program Overview
About the Program
This fellowship program is non-ACGME and non-accredited. Clinical and operative activities are comprised of a wide variety of referred cases from within the WWAMI region. The program was created in 2009 and graduated its first fellow in 2010. The fellowship educational experience is intrinsically linked to the UW Medicine Center for Reconstructive Surgery, a multi-disciplinary team with coordinated clinical and academic activities.
This is a fellowship in elective microsurgery and replants are not included in the curriculum.
Graduates of the program will have been exposed to diagnosing and peri-operative care of a large clinical volume of both pediatric and adult reconstructive cases. The goal of the program is to train individuals to be competent in all aspects of microsurgery. The fellowship experience is approximately 95% adult and 5% pediatric.
Historical fellowship case exposure includes:
- Free flaps >150
- Complex non-microsurgical reconstruction 50
- Sarcoma reconstruction
- Nerve repairs 10
- Head and neck 10
- Autologous tissue breast reconstruction 100
- Facial reanimation 5
- Functioning muscle transfer for facial re-animation 5
- Clinical research (1 submission for the year either a paper or book chapter)
- Lymphatico-venular anastomosis 50
Number of attending surgeons the fellow will operate with at least every two weeks: 7
Number of hospital sites where this position performs elective cases: 5
Average number of OR days per week: 3
Average number of clinics that the fellow will attend per week: 1.5
Program Length:
Program is a one-year appointment, July 1st - June 30th.
Number of Fellows Accepted Per Year: 1
Salary:
The salary for this position is commensurate with institutional guidelines relative to the educational level of the individual involved.
Didactic Components:
Fellows participate in CME-accredited national and regional plastic surgery conferences. All trainees are expected attend the UW Plastic Surgery Divisional Rounds.
Program Leadership
Shannon Colohan, MD, MSc
scolohan@uw.edu
Craig Birgfeld, MD
birgfeld@uw.edu
Clinical Training
Clinical Experience
Clinical activity is on a supervised basis. Candidates for the fellowship must be eligible for a full Washington state license and will have privileges at the University of Washington Medical Center Montlake and Northwest campuses, Harborview Medical Center, and Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Training Sites
Although over 90% of fellows’ time is spent at the Montlake campus of the University of Washington Medical Center within CEGS and WLMC, our fellows are also able to gain experience at the UWMC Northwest campus within SSHC.
As the No. 1 hospital in Seattle and Washington State (U.S. News & World Report), UW Medical Center-Montlake is one of the world's foremost tertiary referral academic health centers, delivering exceptional, multidisciplinary care to patients who come to us from across the globe. 
One hospital, 2 campuses; UW Medical Center-Northwest is a community-based center about 20 minutes north of Montlake. 
As the only designated Level I adult and pediatric trauma and regional burn center in the state of Washington, Harborview Medical Center (HMC) serves as the regional trauma and burn referral center for Alaska, Montana and Idaho and the disaster preparedness and disaster control hospital for Seattle and King County. This 413-bed world-class teaching and research hospital is owned by the county and managed by the University of Washington. It is the home of Airlift Northwest. Harborview provides specialized care for a broad spectrum of patients from throughout the Pacific Northwest, including the most vulnerable residents of King County. 
Seattle Children’s is the only regional pediatric referral center devoted to the needs of children ages birth to 21 in the four-state area of Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho – the largest referral region of any children’s hospital in the country. Professional Development & Research
Active participation in ongoing clinical outcome studies and case series analysis is expected. Presentation of original clinical research at national meetings is supported and expected.
Living in Seattle
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Current Trainees
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. In felis mauris, feugiat et convallis vitae, congue eu nisi. Ut vitae orci sit amet purus consectetur condimentum. Ut accumsan tellus quis faucibus rutrum. In laoreet orci non egestas pulvinar. Nunc nec faucibus tortor, et lobortis mauris. Meet our current trainees >>
Alumni
2026 Emily Zurbuchen
In Process
2024 Japjit Kaur Green
Swedish Medical Center, Seattle
2023 Mustafa Chopan
Oroville Hospital, California
2022 Thomas Wright
Logan Health, Kalispell
2021 Ping Song
Virginia Hospital Center, Arlington
2020 Stephen Viviano
Livingston, New Jersey
2019 Rana Farhadi
University of Edinburgh Medical School
2018 Minh Bao Mundschenk
Kaiser, Sacramento
2017 William Schmitt
Virginia Mason Hospital, Seattle
2016 Theodore A. Kung
University of Michigan
2015 Marie-Pascale Tremblay-Champagne
Université de Montréal, Canada
2014 Manish Champaneria
Scripps, San Diego
2013 Alex Gougoutas
University of Washington
2012 Julie Holding
University of Kansas
2011 Ethan Larson
University of Arizona
2010 James Edwards
Providence Health System-Mill Creek Washington
2009 Kah Woon Leo
Singapore General Hospital
How To Apply
Eligibility
Participant's Supervisory Patient Care Responsibilities:
Participants will have acting instructor responsibilities at the University of Washington. This position will be involved in the clinical supervision and teaching of medical students and plastic surgery residents. The fellowship program is unable to sponsor J-1 or H1B visas for the coming year.
Prerequisite Training/Selection Criteria:
Individuals applying for this program must have the following:
- A completed ACGME or LMCC accredited residency
- Board certification or be ABPS board eligible in Plastic Surgery
- Well-developed plastic surgery skills and have familiarity with the full range of plastic surgery procedures
- Eligibility for Washington State licensure
All applicants should review Washington state licensing requirements to ensure eligibility. Please visit Washington State Department of Health Licensing Requirements for more information.
Positions in this program are filled through the Microsurgery Match Program.
Program Certifications: No additional certifications.
Additional Information for International Applicants:
Due to the structure of fellow appointments, the program is unable to consider applicants requiring H-1B or J-1 visa sponsorship.
Application Process:
Only complete applications will be considered for this fellowship. Use the Central Application Service (www.sfmatch.org/) application form to apply. For further details of the application requirements and process can be found at www.sfmatch.org.
Mailed copies will not be retained.
Deadline for Central Application:
March 30, 2026
Interview Date:
April 3 and April 4, 2026
The University of Washington is committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful and welcoming community for all. As an equal opportunity employer, the University considers applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship, sex, pregnancy, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, or veteran status consistent with UW Executive Order No. 81.
Contact Us
| Director: Dr. Duane Wang Plastic Surgery – UW Medical Center |
Program Administrator: Heather Hartman hhartman@uw.edu |
Mailing Address 1959 NE Pacific Street Box 356410 Seattle, WA 98195 |