Paces Plastic Surgery Joins Emory, Dr. Eaves Reunites with Dr. Hester and Dr. Nahai
APRIL 2013
"Dr. T. Roderick Hester and Dr. Foad Nahai were extremely significant mentors for me when I was an Emory plastic surgery trainee," says Dr. Felmont Eaves, III, who has rejoined the plastic surgery faculty of the Emory University School of Medicine after 15 years in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has been a partner at Charlotte Plastic Surgery and a clinical associate professor at the University of North Carolina, an appointment he will retain. "To have the opportunity to work with them again as we build Paces' new relationship with Emory is extremely exciting."
As of March 4, 2013, Paces Plastic Surgery became the Emory Aesthetic Center at Paces and Dr. Eaves was named its medical director. Originally founded by Dr. Hester in 1993, the former private practice aesthetics and reconstructive surgery center will now expand into a highly versatile, multidisciplinary operation under the Emory Healthcare umbrella. "This transition allows us to incorporate a variety of Emory talent from dermatology, otolaryngology, ophthalmology, and vascular surgery so that we can expand our services to include facial plastic surgery, oculoplastic surgery, aesthetic dermatology, and vein treatments. In short, it will allow the center to provide the entire spectrum of aesthetic surgical and non-surgical procedures," says Dr. Hester. "Frankly, I've wanted Paces to become part of Emory for some time, and circumstances finally lined up to make that a reality."
After leaving Emory in 1993 to found Paces, Dr. Hester returned to lead the division of plastic and reconstructive surgery in November 2001—he stepped down in January 2010 while remaining on the faculty. With the assistance of Dr. Nahai, who joined Paces in 1998 after 20 years with Emory, Dr. Hester maintained Paces' clinical activities throughout as well as its position as the primary aesthetic surgery training rotation for Emory's plastic surgery residency.
Dr. Eaves left Emory for Charlotte in 1997, temporarily suspending the day-to-day routines with Dr. Hester and Dr. Nahai that began during the years of his Emory-based 1992-1994 plastic surgery residency and 1994-1995 fellowship in aesthetic and minimally invasive plastic surgery—all three surgeons completed their plastic surgery training at Emory. Dr. Eaves went directly from his fellowship to joining the Emory plastic and reconstructive surgery faculty, and he and Dr. Nahai became colleagues at the forefront of the development of endoscopic techniques and instruments in plastic surgery. One of their most significant achievements was co-authoring Endoscopic Plastic Surgery with the late, great Dr. John Bostwick, chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Emory at the time. Published in 1995, it was the first textbook of its kind to describe the burgeoning field.
As Dr. Hester and Dr. Nahai continued developing and refining aesthetic-cosmetic and reconstructive procedures at Paces, Dr. Eaves populated his years in Charlotte with becoming a highly skilled practitioner of body contouring after massive weight loss in addition to his other specialties; making academic contributions in patient safety, system and process improvement and quality of care, and evidence based plastic surgery; and serving as president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery from 2010-2011 and president of Charlotte Plastic Surgery from 2010-2012.
"I am delighted with this sequence of events," says Dr. Nahai. "The wonderful symmetry of Dr. Eaves' return and of us all doing what we do best, together, in a familiar setting is an incredible opportunity to create a world-class multi-specialty aesthetic center." Coming from a seasoned and innovative physician and educator who is president-elect of the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgical Centers, served as director of the American Board of Plastic Surgery from 2001-2007, president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery from 2007-2008, and president of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery from 2008-2010, these words alone portend a bright future for this new consortium.
Dr. Hester plans on retiring from Emory and Paces in August 2013.
