Ocean Drive Plastic Surgery is once again putting Vero Beach on the healthcare map, but this time it’s not for innovative research, clinical trials or groundbreaking facial plastic surgery practices. Instead, it’s because it has been selected as a graduate medical education site for Larkin Community Hospital’s Plastic Surgery (Integrated) Residency Program based out of the Palm Springs Campus located in Hialeah, Florida.
“We are the first and only one in Indian River County and one of only 12 private practices in the state of Florida that have ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) residents rotate with us,” said Dr. Alan Durkin, owner of Ocean Drive Plastic Surgery on the barrier island.
“I was approached by the hospital’s program director after Dr. [Dieter] Brummund (one of their residents) attended a national presentation in Miami where my colleague Dr. [Jimmy] Chim and I presented information on our Meso BioMatrix Biological facelift procedure. He was so impressed he rallied to have our practice be one of their rotation sites,” Dr. Durkin said.
“I was asked to write a prospectus about who we are, what we do and how we do it for their consideration. I went to college at the University of Miami, and I have a soft spot for South Florida, and Dr. Chim and I both have a deep desire to educate the next group of plastic surgeons, so we applied. Ultimately, we were chosen from a field of seven applicants.
“Ever since I was a medical student I’ve been involved in teaching. We have a sister company called Med Spa Network where we routinely train physicians from all over the country on safe aesthetic surgical and nonsurgical procedures, so the next natural progression for us was to welcome ACGME-accredited students,” Dr. Durkin said.
“I believe that our community … deserves to participate in the shaping of healthcare providers. It’s an honor to have Dr. Dieter Brummund, who graduated in the top 1 percent of every school he’s attended, be our first resident.”
Chief Resident Dr. Dieter Brummund said he is thrilled to be the first resident to rotate at Ocean Drive Plastic Surgery.
“Clients of Ocean Drive Plastic Surgery have the means to go anywhere in the world and they choose to come here,” he said. “I sought out this opportunity because Dr. Durkin and Dr. Chim are world renowned for facial aesthetic surgery. No one else is using biological matrix products for facelifts and even the way they do regular body contouring is different. Dr. Durkin has a unique rejuvenation approach where he’s able to improve the collagen in the skin with specific vitamins, lasers and injectables. He’s renowned for encouraging the body to heal itself.”
“Most surgical residency programs have very little aesthetic training,” Dr. Chim said. “In the hospital you are covering a lot of trauma. Plastic surgeons perform a lot of breast, trauma and cancer reconstruction, but very little facial aesthetics. Since we are primarily facial plastic surgeons, this is a unique opportunity to pass on our expertise to future generations.
I personally love to teach and love having residents who are eager to learn around me.”
Ocean Drive Plastic Surgery Center only hosts one resident at a time. Each resident stays for two months and then returns to Miami for further rotations. Residents are allowed to scrub in and observe, but do not touch patients – a prerequisite put in place before agreeing to be a part of the college’s rotation program.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to observe facelifts, advanced filler techniques, breast reconstruction and enhancements, and tummy tucks to name a few,” Dr. Brummund said.
“During the procedures, the doctors explain and demonstrate how to do the procedure safely and wisely. I often assist with holding the instruments and post-op care but I’m primarily trying to absorb and retain as much of their techniques as I can. Clients want the best possible outcome so that is what all this extra training will help me accomplish.”
Dr. Brummund said he loves Vero Beach and would like to eventually practice plastic surgery in a private or group practice as opposed to a hospital setting.
“For me Vero Beach is a godsend,” Dr. Durkin said. “People are young at heart even if they aren’t young in skin. They have the right mindset. This is an exciting opportunity for us and for Dr. Brummund. We are not paid for our mentorship and receive nothing other than the privilege of knowing that we can make a good doctor a little bit better.
“He’s seen stuff here that he hasn’t seen anywhere else since we are very much on the cutting edge. If we do a good job, then Vero Beach will reflect in his career every minute of every day. That is something that I want to exert effort to achieve. Who knows … maybe we’ll recruit an excellent plastic surgeon to join us here in Indian River County.”
In the future, Dr. Chim and Dr. Durkin might establish a residents’ clinic where residents would have their own patients and perform procedures under their direct supervision.
Clients would be offered discounted rates for professional services, while helping further the education of future plastic surgeons.
Dr. Alan Durkin is a board-certified plastic and reconstruction surgeon and owner of Ocean Drive Plastic Surgery. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgery and American Board of Surgery, and is chairman of the division of plastic surgery and vice chairman of department of surgery at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital. He graduated magna cum laude from University of Miami, then earned an M.S. from University of Chicago in Physics and an M.D. from University of South Florida.
Dr. Jimmy Chim is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He earned his medical degree at the University of Maryland and completed six years of general surgery training at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Ore. After choosing to specialize in plastic and reconstructive surgery, he trained an additional four years at McGill University in Montreal and the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial health systems.
To make an appointment or learn more about the services offered at Ocean Drive Plastic Surgery, located at 5070 Highway A1A, Suite A, Vero Beach, visit oceandriveplasticsurgery.com or call 772-234-3700.
