(R to L) Research fellow Elizabeth Tadevosyan, Drs. Jackie Tsai, Irene Wapnir, Dung Nguyen, and Stanford microsurgery alum Irene Ma.

Stanford Breast Surgery Program Goes Global

October 20, 2025

The Stanford Breast Surgery Team gave the world’s first live demonstration of Omental Breast Reconstruction with Nipple Neurotization at the 2025 Chang Gung Microsurgery Conference in Taiwan last week. The conference gathered renowned microsurgeons from across the United States, Europe, and Asia to exchange innovative, cutting-edge techniques that advance patient care worldwide.

The Omental-Fat Augmented Free Flap and Targeted Nipple Neurotization are techniques for breast reconstruction developed at Stanford that offer patients sensate and aesthetic breasts with minimal donor-site morbidity, reduced scarring, and faster recovery.

The Stanford team also shared their experiences treating lymphedema, integrating augmented reality and novel surgical strategies to minimize ischemia following mastectomy.

"We learned valuable insights into robotic mastectomy from international colleagues," said Nguyen. "This event was a truly inspiring example of global collaboration in surgical innovation."

In addition to the scientific exchange, the team celebrated the 80th birthday of Professor Fu-Chan Wei, who founded a microsurgery training program at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in 1984 and was a mentor of Nguyen's.

Talks:

Alternatives in Breast Reconstruction Beyond Abdominal-Based Flaps presented by Dr. Dung Nguyen

Application of Augmented Reality in Breast Surgery presented by Dr. Jacqueline Tsai

Preventing Ischemic Complication: Two-Stage Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy presented by Dr. Irene Wapnir

Technique, Tips & Tricks of Laparoscopic Harvest of the Omentum presented by Dr. Monica Dua

Analysis of Different Models of Breast Reconstruction: How Does the Omentum Compare? presented by Research Fellow Elizabeth Tadevosyan

Progress, Innovation, and the Future of Lymphatic Surgery presented by Dr. Dung Nguyen

Media Contact

Director of Communications

(650) 723-2301

rebaker@stanford.edu

Bio

As the Director of Communications for Stanford Surgery, Rachel Baker tells the stories of her department's faculty, staff, and trainees. With the help of an amazing team of content creators, she produces and curates original articles, photos, videos, graphics, and even podcasts.She works personally with each division, center, program, and lab within her purview to define their audience and reach their goals while maintaining a consistent brand voice. She hosts quarterly professional development workshops open to all AEM web authors--please email her if you'd like to join! She also offers both 1:1 and group education to faculty and residents on a variety of topics including media training, using social media to advantage, and presentation refinement. Rachel holds a Bachelor's degree in journalism with a focus on photography from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. A transplant from the DC-area, she still misses foliage and argyle but has happily adopted the official NorCal hobbies of visiting wineries, hiking local trails, and eating avocado.

About Stanford Surgery

The Stanford University Department of Surgery is dedicated to inventing the future of surgical care through:

• pioneering cutting-edge research,
• developing the next generation of leaders, and
• healing through incomparable surgical skills and compassion.

To learn more, please visit surgery.stanford.edu

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