Dr. Michael Davis

Hello, my name is Dr. Michael Davis. I am very happy to be a part of STARS Plastic Surgery and to discuss with you my background and professional experience so that we can get to know each other.

Since I was young my interest in the beauty of how life and the human body works has captured my imagination and interest and continues to this day. In essence I was a budding surgeon from a very young age.

Going back to my youth, I grew up in Southern California and went to college at the University of California, Santa Barbara. While there, my fascination with the science of life and medicine hit new heights while I studied biochemistry, physiology and cell biology.

Following graduation from undergraduate school, my interest in serving our nation and those in harm’s way lead me to enter medical school at our Nation’s medical school the Uniformed Service University in Washington D.C. (This is our only federal medical school and was founded to develop leaders in military medicine.) There I became a medical officer in the Air Force, embraced this mission and set out to be the most complete surgeon I could possibly be to serve both our military and civilian patients.

After medical school, I entered my surgical residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio (now UT Health, San Antonio) where I completed my surgical training under the great Dr. J. Bradley Aust as well as many other great surgeons including Dr. Basil Pruitt, Dr. Harlan Root, Dr. Anatolio Cruz, Dr. Ronnie Stewart, and many other highly regarded pillars of the San Antonio surgical community. During my general surgery residency I completed 2 years of a vascular surgery research fellowship beginning, in full force, my interest and drive to advance the field of surgery through both academic research and the practice of surgery.

Following my general surgery residency and board certification by the American Board of Surgery, I entered my residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham under the mentorship of the great Dr. Luis O. Vasconez. Dr. Vasconez was a pioneer (If not legend) in the fields of reconstructive surgery as well as cosmetic surgery. He developed and refined many of the now common plastic surgical procedures performed around the world and is regarded as one of the ‘greats’ by the plastic surgery community. Under his mentorship, as well as many others in the department of plastic surgery at UAB, I not only had a chance to learn and hone my skills in these procedures but also learned the disciplined yet artistic mindset of continuous improvement and refinement of plastic surgery.

Following my board certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery I became plastic surgery faculty within the Department of Defense. While serving at Wright-Patterson AFB I

was deployed with the military in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. I served as chief of reconstructive surgery at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. While supporting these operations, I was honored to care for many of our heroes as well as perform important humanitarian work.

Following deployment I was afforded a special authorization to return to San Antonio and continue caring for our combat wounded while also beginning a research program dedicated to advancing reconstructive surgery and restoring form and function to those injured in combat. This was called the RESTOR (Restorative Endeavor for Servicemembers through Optimization of Reconstruction) program. While building this program I was additionally honored to serve as the Deputy Commander at the US Army Institute of Surgical Research here in San Antonio at Ft Sam Houston helping to shape the research to advance the full spectrum of life-saving care through restorative care.

The final phase of my military career took me to Washington DC where I was promoted to Director of the US Combat Casualty Care Research Program (CCCRP). The CCCRP is the primary DoD program shaping our Nation’s planning, programming budgeting and execution of research dedicated to bettering outcomes following combat injuries. Additionally, this program acts to better the lives of civilians following trauma. While in Washington DC, I served also as attending plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and as Professor of Surgery.

It was truly an honor over the past 26 years to be able to serve in these roles and to have had a positive impact on so many.

I return to San Antonio now with the singular goal to impart all I have learned over my career to achieve the best aesthetic and reconstructive outcomes for my patients. My experience across the spectrum of reconstructive, cosmetic and aesthetic surgery is broad and deep. I always endeavor to perform the perfect surgery. While perfection is never attainable by anyone, this mindset is a driving force for continued excellence in surgery and one which I and my fellow surgeons believe in strongly here at STARS.

I love the people and the city of SA and have spent many years here already over my military career. I have returned for good now and it warms my heart to serve the wonderful people of San Antonio with the highest level of professionalism and to provide an unparalleled plastic surgery service here at STARS. The people of San Antonio deserve the very best.