Stephen Wilson, M.D., earns Claus D. Walter Award
for highest international score on 2024 IBCFPRS examination
“And from the day we decide to become surgeons, we are filled with expectation. Expectations of the trails we will blaze, the people we will help, the difference we will make.” Julia Southern
The IBCFPRS Board of Directors is delighted to announce that Dr. Stephen Wilson, a facial plastic surgeon from South Africa, earned the highest score on the 2024 IBCFPRS exam in Washington, D.C., this past June. Dr. Wilson will be honored with the Claus D. Walter Award for Academic Excellence at the AAFPRS Fall Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 25th.
Although mathematics, science and biology were academic calling cards for Dr. Wilson when he was young, he assumed that engineering would be his vocation. After sessions with a career guidance counselor and some time spent job shadowing, his future career path turned to medicine and became more focused. Dr. Wilson recalls, “I was blessed to attend the University of Cape Town to start my medical training. In the more clinical years, I became slightly disillusioned with the type of work I was being taught. Rote learning huge amounts of information and memorizing differential diagnoses and protocols just did not get me excited because there was so little room for creative expression and problem solving. That perspective changed after a short stint in plastic surgery at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital—I was blown away! Here was a field of medicine that gave you the tools and knowledge required to creatively solve a myriad of problems in the human body. All other specialty bets were off and I started my trajectory towards plastic and reconstructive surgery from that day forward,” Dr. Wilson emphasized.
Dr. Wilson hit bumps in the road trying to access his training, however. “It was not a smooth ride getting into a plastic surgery program. I spent three years in trauma and general surgery in a high-volume regional hospital in Durban, South Africa. That was extremely taxing and I had multiple disappointments being overlooked for plastic surgery residency posts. Eventually, the big opportunity was given to me and I started in a plastic surgery residency program at Sefako Makgatho University in Pretoria, South Africa, pulling along my reluctant but very gracious newlywed wife who knew the passion I had for this field.”
Dr. Wilson continues, “I was blessed to have many mentors along the way. Dr. Kenny Segwapa, Dr. Schalk Van Heerden, Dr. Vengal Medapati, and Professor Grysie Annandale are but a few that spring to mind who were amazing influences during my residency. I also had some fantastic fellow residents who were inspirational and taught me so much, especially Dr. Ben Moodie.”
Continuing the path for his training, Dr. Wilson came in contact with Dr. Cameron McIntosh during the COVID pandemic. “I first heard about Dr. McIntosh because he started a fantastic webinar series on rhinoplasty with the likes of Dr. Rod Rohrich, Dr. Abdulkadir Goksel, Dr. Dean Toriumi, and so many other heavyweights from around the world. This is where my passion for facial plastic surgery really came alive. I soon met Cameron, attended some of our local rhinoplasty conferences, and made my mind up that this is what I wanted to do. When he told me that he was starting the first South African Facial Plastic Surgery Fellowship and he wanted me to apply, I was ecstatic!”
Dr. Wilson continues, “I would like to say a special thank you to my fellowship directors, Dr. Cameron McIntosh and Dr. Marshall Murdoch. Dr. McIntosh is a force to be reckoned with whose charisma and dogged hard work has taken him to extraordinary heights. Without his tenacity, this fellowship would have never seen the light of day.”
Dr. Wilson also had high praise for Dr. Marshall Murdoch (the 2022 Claus E. Walter award winner). “Dr. Murdoch may be the smartest individual I have ever met in my life. He is a passionate and talented teacher (not to mention surgeon) who is able to take the most complicated of topics and teach it in a way that sparks interest and understanding like no one else I have ever met. It was a pleasure to be a sponge to soak in his wealth of knowledge in the time we spent together. He is the true definition of a ‘gentleman and a scholar’ with his intelligence only matched by his humility.”
Lastly, I would also like to thank Dr. Konrad Hoekstra, who although he was not officially a fellowship director, welcomed me with open arms and taught me a huge amount (many things which were completely out-of-the-box thinking that you would never find in a textbook). He is definitely an undercover facial plastic surgery savant, and has an amazing heart for his patients. I was blessed to be able to spend so much time with him.”
Dr. Wilson concludes, “This fellowship has meant so much more to me than just the acquisition of knowledge. It was the pushing of my own boundaries, the building of relationships, and the introduction to this amazing international family of colleagues that has really stood out. I am forever grateful to those who have helped make it so and I hope I have paved the way for many future African Facial Plastic Surgeons to benefit from this fellowship program. It would be wonderful if my career leads me to become a major player in the realm of rhinoplasty and facelifting in South Africa and perhaps even the world.”
Dr. Roxana Cobo, IBCFPRS President, adds, “The IBCFPRS examination and certification program represent the highest level that can be achieved by international surgeons who wish to let patients, peers, and the public know that they have achieved the gold standard in facial plastic surgery certification. Dr. Wilson not only passed the examination, but achieved the highest international score, which is a testament to his commitment to be the best that he can be. May Dr. Wilson serve as an inspiration to others as he continues to promote the advancement of our specialty and the IBCFPRS certification program. We will look forward to having him complete his IBCFPRS certification in the near future and welcoming him into IBCFPRS family.” concludes Dr. Cobo.
To apply for IBCFPRS certification, please go to www.iffpss.org or www.ibcfprs.org and click on IBCFPRS for additional details and to download an IBCFPRS application.
