Peter Rubin

Dr. Rubin is Founding Chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery, the UPMC Endowed Professor of Plastic Surgery, Director of UPMC Wound Healing Services, and Professor of Bioengineering and Business Administration at the University of Pittsburgh.  He is the current President of the International Society of Plastic Regenerative Surgeons (ISPRES).  

A native of Long Island, New York, Dr. Rubin received his undergraduate degree form Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa. He earned his MD degree at Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts. He completed a 5-year general surgery residency at Boston University, a two-year surgical basic science research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and then finished his surgery residency at Harvard Medical School. He joined the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 2002. He was appointed Chief of Plastic Surgery in 2011 and founded the Department of Plastic Surgery in 2012. While an active faculty member at Pitt, he earned his MBA degree from the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Rubin is the Founder and Director of the surgical Body Contouring Program at UPMC and is internationally recognized for his clinical innovations.  He also Co-Directs the UPMC Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Center.  

Dr. Rubin is a leader in adipose stem cell biology, fat grafting, and regenerative medicine.  He co-founded and co-directs the Adipose Stem Cell Center at the University of Pittsburgh.  He Co-founded and is past President of the International Society of Adipose Therapeutics and Science (IFATS), and Board Chair of IFATS. Dr. Rubin served as President of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), which represents 94% of board-certified plastic surgeons in the USA. Other plastic surgery professional leadership positions include past Director of the American Board of Plastic Surgery and past Chairman of the Plastic Surgery Research Council.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Plastic Surgeons.  

Dr. Rubin is recognized as a Castle-Connolly “Top Doctor” in the United States for more than 5 continuous years and has been voted to Pittsburgh Magazine’s “Top Doctors” list continually since 2012.  He is also the team plastic surgeon for the Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Hockey team. 

During his academic career, his research has been heavily funded by grants from the NIH, The United States Department of Defense, National Science Foundation, Plastic Surgery Foundation, and other sources. At the White House, he was presented the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2007.  He has made significant contributions to medical science in the areas of adipose biology, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, wound healing, composite tissue allograft, and safety and techniques in post-bariatric plastic surgery. He has published over 240 peer-reviewed manuscripts, holds two patents, edited 7 textbooks, published 71 book chapters, and has been on the speaking podium as an invited speaker, moderator, or panelist over 600 times. 

In addition to his PECASE award, he has numerous other prestigious professional awards including the American Association of Plastic Surgeons Academic Scholar Award, the American Association of Plastic Surgeons Award for Outstanding Achievement in Basic Science Research, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons President’s Award, and the Plastic Surgery Foundation Career Achievement Award in Research. 

Committed to medical education, Dr. Rubin founded a unique clinical fellowship training in plastic surgery after weight loss in 2004, and trains outstanding plastic surgeons in this special program for an additional year after they complete their standard plastic surgery training.  He is also very proud of the fact that the University of Pittsburgh/UPMC Plastic Surgery Residency was ranked #1 or #2 in the United States every year for the past 4 years . Dr. Rubin believes strongly in training the next generation of leaders in plastic surgery.