07/31/2020
⭐ 🎉 New Intern Spotlight!⠀⠀⠀
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Ryan DeCoster, PGY-1⠀⠀
Dr. DeCoster is originally from Maryland but spent most of his childhood growing up in Kentucky. He received his undergraduate, M.D., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.
He completed a Surgeon-Scientist post-doctoral fellowship through the National Cancer Institute under the mentorship of Henry Vasconez, MD, FACS, and Mark Evers, MD, FACS, where he investigated the molecular mechanisms of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma. His current research interests are focused on modulating the mechanical properties of irradiated soft tissue in experimental models, and his work is currently funded by the Plastic Surgery Foundation.
Dr. DeCoster is a peer reviewer for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery-Global Open, the Aesthetic Surgery Journal, and Annals of Plastic Surgery.
Before college, he served six years on active duty in the U.S. Navy, which included deployments to Hurricane Katrina, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Iraq, Saudi Arabi, Turkey, France, Greece, and Bahrain. His interest in plastic and reconstructive surgery stems from the exposure he had to the surgical reconstruction of devastating war injuries during his time in the military. His long-term plans include academic plastic surgery and a clinical practice at the VA focusing on complex reconstruction of war-related injuries.
Ryan is married to his lovely wife, Rachel, who is a nurse practitioner, and together they have two boys, Easton, and Darren. He loves to spend time with his family and enjoys hunting waterfowl and large North American wild game in his spare time.
Ryan says, “Without question, Stanford has the strongest plastic and reconstructive surgery training program in the world. If you want to change the world, this is the place you do it!”