Research Fellow in Plastic Craniofacial Surgery and Surgical Innovations
Date available: Available Now (Updated Sept 2024)
Location: LIN Lab – UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
How to apply: Please submit a CV and cover letter outlining your research interests and relevant experience to [email protected]
The LIN Lab – Learning Innovation Network Lab – is a Craniofacial and Surgical Innovations lab dedicated to improving children and their families through innovative technologies and processes.
We are seeking a highly motivated and organized research fellow interested in clinical innovation to join our team in clinical, translational, and innovation research in Plastic surgery, Craniomaxillofacial surgery, medical devices, and digital health.
This fellowship and research opportunity is at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, MLK Research Building, and collaborations with UC Berkeley and other UCSF locations in the San Francisco Bay Area. This includes participating in educational curriculum at UCSF Surgical Innovations, UC Berkeley / UCSF Master of Translational Medicine program, and others.
Research Fellows will have the opportunity to learn and collaborate in 4 key areas, with examples in each area:
1. Translational Applications of 3D Printing: We utilize applied 3D-printing and advanced visualization to increase efficiency and accuracy of surgery and interventions, including in-house printing of sterilized guides for use during surgery. Our lab continues to develop and design translational applications, including novel guides and tools, and scaffolding for biologic tissues.
2. Plastic Surgery Outcomes: Plastic Surgery outcomes research is essential to understanding long-term outcomes of pediatric interventions, especially in cleft lip-nose-palate, craniofacial, and maxillofacial conditions. Our approach is determining relevant clinical questions, literature reviews and design of studies, collaboration with other teams, collecting and analyzing data using comparative statistics focused on clinically useful applications of the data.
3. Digital Health: We are in testing phases for mobile app-based artificial intelligence for timely speech evaluation of patients with cleft palate. We have expanded the AI speech analysis to detect additional health conditions beyond cleft lip-palate, integrating clinical correlation for accurate early disease screening to reduce costs and improve outcomes. These are collaborative multi-institutional projects.
4. Medical Device Development: Our team is currently in the prototype testing phase of wireless devices that utilize advanced algorithms to provide real-time estimation of blood loss during surgery. This device aims to reduce the risks associated with both underestimated and overestimated blood loss, ultimately saving lives and healthcare resources.
We welcome all applications, especially with these attributes:
- Excellent organizational and project management skills.
- Proficiency in written communication, especially in scientific discourse and public outreach.
- Effective communication and collaboration skills, both written and spoken
- Currently enrolled in, or completion of masters, M.D., or Ph.D.
- Competencies in data analysis, spreadsheet management, and statistical software.
- Prior experiences in surgical outcomes research, or 3D printing, or digital health, or medical device development.
- Other experiences in research, including basic science and animal models.
The Research Fellowship duration is 1-2 years. We also have other Research Opportunities including summer-only programs, or virtual programs.
How to apply: Please submit a CV and cover letter outlining your research interests and relevant experience to [email protected]
Contact:
Alexander Y. Lin, MD, MBA, FACS
Professor and Director of Surgical Innovations, UCSF Plastic Surgery
Co-Director, Craniofacial Center at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals
Co-Director, Center for Advanced 3D+ Technologies at UCSF Health
Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco (UCSF)