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Jorge de la Torre, M.D., professor and director of the UAB Division of Plastic Surgery, will serve a one-year term as president of the Southeastern Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
(Photography: Nik Layman)Professor and director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Plastic Surgery Jorge de la Torre, M.D.,will serve as president of the Southeastern Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
The SESPRS was established in 1958 by pioneers of plastic surgery and is widely viewed as one of the preeminent plastic surgery societies.
The society has a long history of affiliation with UAB. In fact, the SESPRS Historical Archives are held at UAB’s Reynolds Historical Library.
As president, de la Torre will serve a one-year term. He has been a member of SESPRS since 2002, has served on numerous committees and has served on the executive board since 2010.
“I am looking forward to the upcoming year,” de la Torre said. “The Southeastern is a world-class organization, and it is a tremendous honor to carry on the UAB tradition of service to its membership.”
Samuel Upchurch, M.D., who was appointed chief of Plastic Surgery at UAB in 1947, was president of the SESPRS in 1964. The Upchurch Fund was established in his honor and helps support the educational initiatives of the society. Francis Marzoni, M.D., Upchurch’s successor as chief of Plastic Surgery, served as SESPRS president in 1967. More recently, James Grotting, M.D., who is a volunteer clinical professor with the Division of Plastic Surgery, served as the SESPRS president in 2011.