Back in the First and Second World Wars, the advancement of medical care and antibiotics coincided with the increased use of advanced weaponry. The result? While many wounded soldiers were surviving, they often experienced significant and disfiguring injuries.
The need to treat these injuries gave rise to the field of plastic surgery 鈥 鈥減lastic鈥 from the Greek word 鈥減lastikos,鈥 meaning to shape or mould, explains Dr. Kevin Calder, a plastic surgeon who joined the team at 91原创 Memorial Hospital in December.
As a medical student, the specialized field wasn鈥檛 even on his radar until a training rotation that included a hand surgery and a breast reduction surgery.
Today, his practice is among the most diverse at the hospital, ranging from reconstruction following a traumatic facial injury to assisting his fellow surgeons in the case of tricky wound or surgical closings.
鈥淧lastic surgery really is whole body surgery 鈥 we operate from the head to the toe,鈥 says the UBC medical school graduate, originally from Alberta. After spending time teaching in Illinois, Dr. Calder was keen to return to the West Coast.
He enjoys the diversity of his work, but also the ability to help such a wide range of patients.
In addition to reconstruction surgery 鈥 after an accident or mastectomy, for example 鈥 Dr. Calder鈥檚 work also includes skin cancer removal, hand surgeries, breast reductions and tricky wound closures. He鈥檒l assist with skin grafts and moving muscles from one area to another, and undertakes a lot of carpal tunnel and nerve work 鈥 essentially, anything that involves soft tissue, skin and bone work in the delicate areas of the face and hands.
Specialized pediatrics training also allows Dr. Calder to volunteer internationally, providing life-changing repairs of children鈥檚 cleft lips and palates. To date, he鈥檚 undertaken thousands of surgeries in more than 30 countries!
Bringing treatment home to 91原创
The 91原创 community has been underserved in the plastic surgery field, with no full-service plastic surgeon on staff for about a decade. That meant that patients who arrived at the emergency department with face or hand injuries or needing skin cancer surgeries were often sent to Surrey or Burnaby to receive treatment.
Dr. Calder鈥檚 program today supports the ER teams and other surgeons, and helps patients find care in their own community 鈥 currently about 200 patients each month.
In addition to operating room surgeries, 鈥渨e also do a lot of minor surgeries in the hospital鈥檚 Ambulatory Care Department,鈥 Dr. Calder notes.
Adding plastic surgery to the hospital is just one way 91原创 Memorial is working to support patient care close to home. Helping in those efforts is the 91原创 Memorial Hospital Foundation, which 鈥 with community support 鈥 has helped fund the recently expanded ER, new MRI suite and the annual equipment needs of every medical department. To learn more about the Foundation鈥檚 work, or to , visit