Fu-Chan WEI MD, FACS

Expert of reconstructive microsurgery field

Reconstructive microsurgery, vascularized composite allotransplantation

Specialty

Reconstructive microsurgery, vascularized composite allotransplantation

Profile

Professor Fu-Chan Wei is one of the pioneers in plastic surgery and microsurgery. He heads the world’s busiest microsurgery unit that has performed in excess of 26,000 microsurgical procedures. His main contributions include: toe-to-hand transfer, the osteoseptocutaneous fibula flap, perforators and free style free flaps.

Professor Wei became Chairman of the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 1994, vice superintendent in 1997 at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, and Chancellor of the College of Medicine in 2003 at Chang Gung University. During his tenure as the Chief of the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, through his efforts in leading and coordination, his institution developed into a world leading microsurgical center renowned for extensive cases with an unattested high level of quality in head and neck reconstruction, facial palsy, brachial plexus, upper and lower extremity, breast and lymphedema reconstructions.

He is past President of the World Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery, has published 468 research papers, 114 book chapters and 18 books. In 2012, he was elected to the Academia Sinica in Taiwan.

He remains clinically active and his current research interests are focused on developing hand and face vascular composite allotransplantation in Taiwan.

Success Cases

Transplanted 1,835 toes onto 1,600 patients.

Grafted thigh fibular flaps onto 1,600 patients.

Reconnected hands or feet back onto 3,000 patients.

Accumulated case volume is world’s No. 1 for: toe-to-hand transplantation, fibular flap to oral cancer defect transplantation, DIEP flap to defect site transplantation.

Education

Kaohsiung Medical College

 

Experiences

Aug 2003 - Jun 2011     Dean, Medical College, Chang Gung University, Taiwan

Jan 1994 - Dec 2000     Chairman, Department of Plastic Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

Feb 1997 - Feb 2003      Vice Superintendent, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

Dec 1992 - Dec 1994     President, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Association, R.O.C.

Feb 1996 - Jul 1999        Secretary, International Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery

May 1996 - May 1998   President, R.O.C. Society for Surgery of the Hand

Aug 1997 - Jul 1999        President, International Microsurgical Society

Nov 2001 - Jun 2003      President, World Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery

Jun 2007 - May 2011     Deputy General Secretary, International Confederation for Plastic  Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery

Jan 2011 - Oct 2014       International Associate Editor for the Journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

 

Current Appointments

Jul 1990 - Now       Professor in Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University, Taiwan

July 2011 - Now     Chairman of Center for Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

July 2012 - Now     Academician of Academia Sinica

Jan 2015 - Now      Regional Editor of Plastic Reconstructive Surgery Global Open

Nov 2021 - Now     Distinguished Chair Professor, National Taiwan University and Medical College

Honors

1989    Outstanding Award in Applied Science, Executive Yuan, Taiwan

1992, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002    Research Award by National Science Council, Taiwan

1995    Wang Min-Ning National Health Contribution Award by Wang Min-Ning Memorial Foundation

1996    Founder's lecturer by American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery

1996    Presidential lecturer by International Microsurgical Society

1996    Kao Ten Tseng lecturer by Formosan Medical Association

1999    Scientific Lecturer: First Combined American Association of Hand Surgery and American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery

1999    Outstanding Research Award by National Science Council, Taiwan

2000    First Tord Skoog lecturer by candinavian Society of Plastic Surgery

2001    Maniliac Lecturer by American Society of Plastic Surgery

2002    AW Farmer Lecturer by Canadian Society of Plastic Surgery

2006    Harry Buncke Lecturer by American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery

2006    Top 20 Plastic Surgery Innovator by American Society of Plastic Surgeons

2006    Gold Medal Prize by Chang Gung Board Chairman Mr. Y.C. Wang

2007    TienTe Lee Outstanding Award by TienTe Lee Biomedical Foundation

2007    A Life for Hand Surgery – 100 Life-Portrants (Ein Leben Für die Handchirurgie – 100 Lebensbilder)

2008    Outstanding Award in Applied Science by Executive Yuan, Taiwan.(secondary time)

2009    Outsanding Achievment Award by The Phi Tau Phi Scholastic Honor Society

2010    "Doctor Honoris Causa" by Gregore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Isai, Romania

2010    Honorary member awarded by American Society of Plastic Surgery

2010    National Biotechnology and medical care Quality Gold Awardm institute for Biotechnology and medicine industry, Taiwan. (For recognition as the best microsurgical center in the world)

2011    Outstanding Research Award, National Science Council (Second time)

2011    Gold Medal prize by Chang Gung board chairman Mr. Y.T. Wang

2012    Academian of Academia Sinica

2012    Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Research Award, Plastic Surgery Foundation, American Society of Plastic Surgery

2014    Norman Rowe Lecture by British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

2014    Selected as “A century of progress in head and neck cancer”, World congress of the International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies

2014    Selected as a most prestigious recognition as the number 3 out of 10 most influential reconstructive surgeons in 21 century both by the American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons and South Eastern Society of Plastic Surgeons (U.S.A.)

2014    Selected as 18th National Professorship by Ministry of Education, Taiwan

2015    Selected as “Honorary Chancellor” by Asia College of Knowledge Management, Open University. Hong Kong

2016    Honorary award by American Association of Plastic Surgeons

2016    Honorary Fellow, Edinburgh College of Surgeon

2016    Gold Medal Prize, Chang Gung Board Chairman, Z.H. Wang

2017    Honorary Fellows, American College of Surgeons

2017    Honorary Fellows, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow

2017    Edited Book “Flap and Reconstructive Surgery” 2nd edition, selected as the First Prize of BMA Medical Book Awards

2018    AAPS Research Achievement Award for clinical research and AAPS Visiting Professor, American Association of Plastic Surgeons

2018    Selected as “ICS Honorary Fellows”, International College of Surgeons.

2019    Selected as IFSSH Pioneer of Hand Surgery, the International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand

2019    Presidential Science Award, Taiwan

2019    Friend of Foreign Service Medal, Ministry of Foreign Affair, Taiwan

2022    AAPS 2022 Research Achievement Award for Innovation and AAPS Visiting Professor, American Association of Plastic Surgeons


Medical Contributions

Professor Fu-Chan Wei is one of the pioneers in plastic surgery and microsurgery.

He heads the world’s busiest microsurgery unit that has performed in excess of 26,000 microsurgical procedures.

His main contributions include: toe-to-hand transfer, the osteoseptocutaneous fibula flap, perforators and free style free flaps.

Total 500 articles published on SCI journal (Cited times: 16450, h-index: 66, updated to November, 2021)

Recently Publications

  1. Cardona E, Wang AYL, Loh CYY, Chuang SH, Lee CM, ALDeek N, Lin CH, Wei FC*. A New Face Subunit Transplant Model in Mice, Containing Skin, Mandible, and Oral Mucosa for Future Face Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation Studies. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2019 Jul;144(1):115-123. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000005774.
  2. Tsai TY, Fries CA, Hsiao JC, Hsu CC, Lin YT, Chen SH, Lin CH, Wei FC, *Lin CH. Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Toe-to-Hand Transfer: A Prospective Longitudinal Study. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2019 Apr;143(4):1122-1132. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000005422.
  3. Fries CA, Al Deek N, *Wei FC. Techniques and outcomes in microsurgical soft palate reconstruction. Head Neck. 2019 Jul;41(7):2085-2092. doi: 10.1002/hed.25662. Epub 2019 Jan 28.
  4. *Wang AYL, Loh CYY, Shen HH, Hsieh SY, Wang IK, Chuang SH, Wei FC. Topical Application of Human Wharton’s Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells Accelerates Mouse Sciatic Nerve Recovery and is Associated with Upregulated Neurotrophic Factor Expression. Cell Transplant. 2019 Dec;28(12):1560-1572. doi: 10.1177/0963689719880543. Epub 2019 Sep 30.
  5. Lin CH, Anggelia MR, Cheng HY, Wang AYL, Chuang WY, Lin CH, Lee WPA, *Wei FC, *Brandacher G. The intragraft vascularized bone marrow component plays a critical role in tolerance induction after reconstructive transplantation. Cell Mol Immunol. 2019 Nov 21. doi: 10.1038/s41423-019-0325-y. [Epub ahead of print]
  6. Cheng HY, Huang XT, Lin CF, Al Deek NF, Shih LY, Lin CH, Wei FC. Predicting Outcomes of Rat Vascularized Composite Allotransplants through Quantitative Measurement of Chimerism with PCR-Amplified Short Tandem Repeat. J Immunol Res. 2020 Feb 4;2020:9243531. doi: 10.1155/2020/9243531. eCollection 2020.
  7. Anggelia MR, Cheng HY, Chuang WY, Hsieh YH, Wang AYL, Lin CH, Wei FC, Brandacher G, *Lin CH. Unraveling the Crucial Roles of FoxP3+ Regulatory T Cells in Vascularized Composite Allograft Tolerance Induction and Maintenance. Transplantation. 2020 Oct 30. doi: 10.1097/TP.0000000000003509. Online ahead of print.
  8. Lin YC, Chuang WY, Wei FC, Yeh CH, Tinhofer I, Al Deek NF, Fu TC, Ng SC, Chang TC, Cheung YC, Ng SH, Juan YH. Peripheral arterial disease: the role of extracellular volume measurements in lower limb muscles with MRI. Eur Radiol. 2020 Jul;30(7):3943-3950. doi: 10.1007/s00330-020-06730-y. Epub 2020 Mar 12.
  9. Al Deek NF, *Wei FC. Recommendations to Safeguard Reconstructive Microsurgeons Performing High-risk Operations during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2020 Sep 29;8(9):e3215.doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000003215. eCollection 2020 Sep.
  10. Chang YM, *Wei FC. Fibula Jaw-in-a-Day with Minimal Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing: Maximizing Efficiency, Cost-Effectiveness, Intraoperative Flexibility, and Quality. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2021 Feb 1;147(2):476-479. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000007546.
  11. Hsu CC, Loh CYY, *Wei FC. The Anterolateral Thigh Perforator Flap: Its Expanding Role in Lower Extremity Reconstruction. Clin Plast Surg. 2021 Apr;48(2):235-248.doi: 10.1016/j.cps.2020.12.008. Epub 2021 Feb 5.

Prof. Wei, Academian, honored by Academia Sinica (2012)