Plastic Surgery Residency Program
The OHSU Plastic Surgery residency program is an ACGME-accredited six-year integrated Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery training program. We take pride in having the full breadth of plastic surgery procedures at our main site at Oregon Health & Science University with the integrated Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and attached Veterans Affair Hospital. During the earlier years of residency, our residents also spend time rotating on different General Surgery subspecialties at other city-wide hospitals. Plastic Surgery rotations include:
- Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery (including peripheral nerve and replantation)
- Pediatric Plastic & Craniofacial Surgery
- Gender Surgery
- “Head to Toe” Microsurgery including Lymphatic Surgery
- General Plastic Surgery
- Aesthetic Surgery
Junior residents complete a total of 70 weeks in General Surgery and also spend 1-month rotations with Orthopedic Surgery and the Burn Unit. In the senior years rotations with ENT, Dermatology, and Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) are embedded to provide a broad to related specialties. In the last two years training is supplemented with elective and cosmetic surgery rotations, as well as time spent at Kaiser.
Our residents graduate with a strong foundation and exceptional technical skills in all aspects of plastic surgery allowing for the pursuit of any fellowships and/or career options allowing them to be successful in the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery.
The Department of Surgery is committed to providing the highest quality of surgical care to all patients, regardless of background or circumstance, and to fostering an environment where all staff, learners, and faculty can thrive.
Program Director | Lori Howell, M.D.
Dr. Lori Howell is the Program Director for the Plastic Surgery Residency Program. She is an associate professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery and pediatric plastic surgery at OHSU and a member of the cleft and craniofacial team at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. She received an undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Texas Austin and a medical degree with honors from the University of Texas Health Science Center Houston. Dr. Howell completed a residency in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the University of Illinois Chicago followed by a second residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Fellowships were completed in craniofacial surgery at Stanford University in 2013 and, most recently, in craniofacial and pediatric plastic surgery at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in 2014.
Dr. Howell’s areas of interest include cleft lip and palate surgery, facial paralysis and reanimation, pediatric microvascular surgery, vascular anomalies, congenital nevi and adult craniofacial and lower extremity reconstructive surgery. Having spent the first five years of her career from 2014 to 2019 at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles building a robust facial reanimation and pediatric microsurgery program, she is excited about continuing those efforts at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.
With board certification in both Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Dr. Howell is a strong believer in the power of a multidisciplinary approach to patient care. In addition to her passion for medical student and resident education, her research interests also include access to care in underserved communities and facial paralysis outcomes. Dr. Howell is committed to helping children live full and rewarding lives who have been afflicted by congenital or traumatic deformities and is excited to join the OHSU staff and faculty serving the community in Portland and the Pacific Northwest.
Associate Program Director | Monica Llado-Farrulla, M.D.
Dr. Monica Llado-Farrulla is a double-board certified Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon. She is also the Associate Program Director for the Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Residency Program. Dr. Llado-Farrulla joined OHSU as assistant professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery in 2023, following completion of OHSU's affirming surgery fellowship. Dr. Farrulla completed undergraduate studies at Boston College with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry. She returned to her native Puerto Rico where she obtained her medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, graduating as magna cum laude and Alpha Omega Alpha. She moved to New Orleans to complete a residency in General Surgery, where she discovered her passion for plastic surgery. She proceeded to complete a second residency in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania and a subsequent fellowship at OHSU.
Dr. Farrulla’s areas of clinical interest include affirming surgeries of the face and trunk, microvascular reconstruction for cancer and trauma, and pelvic reconstruction. Her approach to patients is always centered on achieving improvements in quality of life. She finds passion in creating innovative ways of treating complex injuries and surgical issues, teaching residents, students, and other providers, and contributing to the residency program.