Acute Burn Care Medical Team for All Americans
MARTIN C. ROBSON, MD
FACS, HON. FRCS, HON. FRACS
In Memoriam
Dr. Robson passed away in April 2023 and he will be greatly missed. He was a pioneer in the field of burn surgery and was the lynchpin responsible for helping Sons of the Flag develop one of our flagship programs, Mission: Reconstruct Freedom. Dr. Robson helped us identify a stellar team of surgeons to reconstruct one burn survivor at a time to live their best life!
MARTIN C. ROBSON, MD
FACS, HON. FRCS, HON. FRACS
Martin C. Robson, MD, received his MD from the Johns Hopkins University. He completed his general surgery residency at the Brooke Army Medical Center and his plastic surgery residency at Yale.
He has served as Chief of Plastic Surgery at the University of Chicago, Wayne State University, and the University of Texas Medical Branch. He is presently an Emeritus Professor at the University of South Florida.
He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and holds Honorary Fellowships from the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
He has served as President of the American Burn Association and received its Distinguished Service Award. He has been President of the Wound Healing Society and is a recipient of its Lifetime Scientific Achievement Award. He has also received Lifetime Scientific Achievement Awards from the Association of Advanced Wound Care and the World Union of Wound Healing Societies.
He has been Chairman of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Chairman of the Residency Review Committee for Plastic Surgery, Chairman of the Plastic Surgery Research Council, and President of the Association of Academic Chairmen of Plastic Surgery.
He has authored over 650 publications mostly devoted to wound healing, wound infection, burns, and proliferative scarring.
JAKE C. LAUN, MD
Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery
Dr. Jake C. Laun is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Tampa, Florida and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute and Tampa General Hospital. He received his medical degree from University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and has been in practice for 10 years.
JAKE C. LAUN, MD
Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery
Dr. Jake C. Laun is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Tampa, Florida and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute and Tampa General Hospital. He received his medical degree from University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and has been in practice for 10 years.
JARED S. TROY, MD
Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery
Dr. Jared S. Troy is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Tampa, Florida and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Brandon Regional Hospital and Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. He received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 12 years.
JARED S. TROY, MD
Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery
Dr. Jared S. Troy is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Tampa, Florida and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Brandon Regional Hospital and Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. He received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 12 years.
WYATT G PAYNE, MD, FACS
Wyatt G Payne, MD, FACS, has been a Plastic Surgeon/Surgeon for 25 years.
Education: BS (Chemistry) and MS (Chemistry) from Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas; MD degree from Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas; General Surgery Residency – University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Plastic Surgery Residency – University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.
Research interests: wounds and wound healing; scar treatment; reconstructive plastic surgery.
Clinical interests: Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, Hand Surgery, Scar Treatment, Wound Healing, Veteran Healthcare related to Plastic Surgical problems.
Accomplishments include 40 grants; 95 peer-reviewed publications.
Surgical societies: American Association of Plastic Surgeons, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons.
Current position: Chief, Plastic Surgery, Bay Pines VA Health Care System; Professor of Surgery, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Associate Program Director, USF Plastic Surgery Residency Program, Tampa, Florida.
Have practiced exclusively at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System for 20 years. Member of the National VA Advisory Committee for Plastic Surgery.
WYATT G PAYNE, MD, FACS
Wyatt G Payne, MD, FACS, has been a Plastic Surgeon/Surgeon for 25 years.
Education: BS (Chemistry) and MS (Chemistry) from Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas; MD degree from Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas; General Surgery Residency – University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Plastic Surgery Residency – University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.
Research interests: wounds and wound healing; scar treatment; reconstructive plastic surgery.
Clinical interests: Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, Hand Surgery, Scar Treatment, Wound Healing, Veteran Healthcare related to Plastic Surgical problems.
Accomplishments include 40 grants; 95 peer-reviewed publications.
Surgical societies: American Association of Plastic Surgeons, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons.
Current position: Chief, Plastic Surgery, Bay Pines VA Health Care System; Professor of Surgery, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Associate Program Director, USF Plastic Surgery Residency Program, Tampa, Florida.
Have practiced exclusively at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System for 20 years. Member of the National VA Advisory Committee for Plastic Surgery.
DAVID J. SMITH, JR., MD
Retired December 2022
Many Thanks to our Former Mission: Reconstruct Freedom Burn Surgeons
David J. Smith, Jr., M.D. is the Chief Medical Officer for Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS), and Director of the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine. He is recognized nationally and internationally for his contributions to pathophysiology of wounds. He is also a leader in plastic surgery education and has made major contributions to the educational process as well as its credentialing and certification.
Dr. Smith grew up in Indianapolis, attended Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, and Indiana University School of Medicine.
After a residency in general surgery at Emory University, he did his residency in plastic surgery at Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis. This was followed by a Kleinert Fellowship in Hand Surgery in Louisville, Kentucky. After early academic positions at Indiana and Wayne State University he served as Chief of Plastic Surgery at the University of Michigan between 1987 and 2001. In 2004, he moved to Tampa, Florida to assume his current position in Plastic Surgery. He is also a Visiting Faculty Member at St. Bart’s Medical School, University of London.
Dr. Smith’s research deals with wound pathophysiology particularly as it relates to burn injury. He has helped elucidate the effect of the inflammatory cascades on healing and how they interact with infection and scar formation. In later years he has investigated the effects of various wound coverings on prevalence of infection as well as the resulting healing and scar formation. His research has been funded by the NIH and various corporations. Dr. Smith has authored or co-authored 135 peer-reviewed publications and numerous books, book chapters, editorials and review articles.
Dr. Smith has also been recognized for his contributions to education and organized plastic surgery. He has been honored with numerous leadership positions in plastic surgery. These include President of the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation, Chairman of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Chairman of the Residency Review Committee for Plastic Surgery, President of the American Association for Hand Surgery and President of the American Association of Academic Chairman of Plastic Surgery. As the Director of the Plastic Surgery Training Programs at the University of Michigan and the University of South Florida, Dr. Smith has trained a large number of outstanding plastic surgeons.
DAVID J. SMITH, JR., MD
Retired December 2022
Many Thanks to our Former Mission: Reconstruct Freedom Burn Surgeons
David J. Smith, Jr., M.D. is the Chief Medical Officer for Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS), and Director of the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine. He is recognized nationally and internationally for his contributions to pathophysiology of wounds. He is also a leader in plastic surgery education and has made major contributions to the educational process as well as its credentialing and certification.
Dr. Smith grew up in Indianapolis, attended Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, and Indiana University School of Medicine.
After a residency in general surgery at Emory University, he did his residency in plastic surgery at Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis. This was followed by a Kleinert Fellowship in Hand Surgery in Louisville, Kentucky. After early academic positions at Indiana and Wayne State University he served as Chief of Plastic Surgery at the University of Michigan between 1987 and 2001. In 2004, he moved to Tampa, Florida to assume his current position in Plastic Surgery. He is also a Visiting Faculty Member at St. Bart’s Medical School, University of London.
Dr. Smith’s research deals with wound pathophysiology particularly as it relates to burn injury. He has helped elucidate the effect of the inflammatory cascades on healing and how they interact with infection and scar formation. In later years he has investigated the effects of various wound coverings on prevalence of infection as well as the resulting healing and scar formation. His research has been funded by the NIH and various corporations. Dr. Smith has authored or co-authored 135 peer-reviewed publications and numerous books, book chapters, editorials and review articles.
Dr. Smith has also been recognized for his contributions to education and organized plastic surgery. He has been honored with numerous leadership positions in plastic surgery. These include President of the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation, Chairman of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Chairman of the Residency Review Committee for Plastic Surgery, President of the American Association for Hand Surgery and President of the American Association of Academic Chairman of Plastic Surgery. As the Director of the Plastic Surgery Training Programs at the University of Michigan and the University of South Florida, Dr. Smith has trained a large number of outstanding plastic surgeons.
JULIAN J. PRIBAZ, MD
Retired June 2023
Many Thanks to our Former Mission: Reconstruct Freedom Burn Surgeons
Julian J. Pribaz, MD was born in Trieste, Italy but was raised and educated in Australia. His undergraduate medical degrees were from the University of Melbourne and St. Vincent’s Hospital Medical School, graduating in 1972.
He then trained in General Surgery at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne and completed this training in Salisbury, England where he was a General Surgery Registrar and obtained his FRCS from Edinburgh University in 1978.
He then returned to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne where he did his Plastic Surgical Training. After completing this he came to the United States, via Pisa, Italy, and then spent 2 years in the United States, where he did a second residency in Plastic Surgery at Southern Illinois University in Springfield, Illinois.
He subsequently returned to Australia where he became a Clinical Instructor in Plastic Surgery at St. Vincent’s Hospital at Melbourne University. He developed a very busy clinical practice and also worked with the many international research fellows who rotated through the unit.
He obtained his FRACS (Australian Boards) in Plastic Surgery in 1982, and in 1986 went on to complete his American Boards in Plastic Surgery.
After 5 years as a consultant at St. Vincent’s Hospital, he was recruited to Harvard Medical School in 1987, and ascended through the ranks, and was promoted full Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School in 2002. He was also responsible for combining the 3 plastic surgery programs at Harvard and served as program director for 13 years.
After 29 years at Harvard, Dr Pribaz resigned his position in 2016 and was recruited to the University of South Florida where he continues to teach and perform clinical work in reconstructive surgery.
Dr. Pribaz’s research and clinical interests are primarily in the area of general reconstructive and microvascular surgery focusing on the head and neck, breast, as well as, extremity reconstruction and more recently face and hand allotransplantation.
Dr. Pribaz has been the author of over 140 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, over 60 book chapters and 140 other reviews, discussions and publications. He has served on the editorial board of 5 major plastic surgery journals. He is a member of numerous national/ international surgical and plastic surgical societies, and has served on multiple committees.
Dr. Pribaz has been the recipient of multiple teaching awards, the Clinician of the Year award from the AAPS, Robert Goldwyn Mentorship award from ACAPS, and Distinguished Fellow award from the AAPS. He has delivered 38 Named lectureships and Keynote addresses, and has been a visiting professor/invited lecturer at over 170 national/ international institutions and conferences. He has been course director and invited lecturer at many institutions, and has given over 790 presentations nationally/ internationally.
Dr. Pribaz and his wife, Judy, have 5 children and 7 grandchildren.
JULIAN J. PRIBAZ, MD
Retired June 2023
Many Thanks to our Former Mission: Reconstruct Freedom Burn Surgeons
Julian J. Pribaz, MD was born in Trieste, Italy but was raised and educated in Australia. His undergraduate medical degrees were from the University of Melbourne and St. Vincent’s Hospital Medical School, graduating in 1972.
He then trained in General Surgery at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne and completed this training in Salisbury, England where he was a General Surgery Registrar and obtained his FRCS from Edinburgh University in 1978.
He then returned to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne where he did his Plastic Surgical Training. After completing this he came to the United States, via Pisa, Italy, and then spent 2 years in the United States, where he did a second residency in Plastic Surgery at Southern Illinois University in Springfield, Illinois.
He subsequently returned to Australia where he became a Clinical Instructor in Plastic Surgery at St. Vincent’s Hospital at Melbourne University. He developed a very busy clinical practice and also worked with the many international research fellows who rotated through the unit.
He obtained his FRACS (Australian Boards) in Plastic Surgery in 1982, and in 1986 went on to complete his American Boards in Plastic Surgery.
After 5 years as a consultant at St. Vincent’s Hospital, he was recruited to Harvard Medical School in 1987, and ascended through the ranks, and was promoted full Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School in 2002. He was also responsible for combining the 3 plastic surgery programs at Harvard and served as program director for 13 years.
After 29 years at Harvard, Dr Pribaz resigned his position in 2016 and was recruited to the University of South Florida where he continues to teach and perform clinical work in reconstructive surgery.
Dr. Pribaz’s research and clinical interests are primarily in the area of general reconstructive and microvascular surgery focusing on the head and neck, breast, as well as, extremity reconstruction and more recently face and hand allotransplantation.
Dr. Pribaz has been the author of over 140 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, over 60 book chapters and 140 other reviews, discussions and publications. He has served on the editorial board of 5 major plastic surgery journals. He is a member of numerous national/ international surgical and plastic surgical societies, and has served on multiple committees.
Dr. Pribaz has been the recipient of multiple teaching awards, the Clinician of the Year award from the AAPS, Robert Goldwyn Mentorship award from ACAPS, and Distinguished Fellow award from the AAPS. He has delivered 38 Named lectureships and Keynote addresses, and has been a visiting professor/invited lecturer at over 170 national/ international institutions and conferences. He has been course director and invited lecturer at many institutions, and has given over 790 presentations nationally/ internationally.
Dr. Pribaz and his wife, Judy, have 5 children and 7 grandchildren.
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