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Surgeon Spotlight on Dr. Dfiza Kpodzo

It is with great pleasure that we feature Dr. Dzifa Kpodzo, Chief of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Albany Medical Center, as our next surgeon spotlight! Throughout our talk we discussed Dr. Kpodzo’s upbringing and path to plastic surgery, the important role mentorship plays in pursuing plastic surgery, and the elusive work/life balance.


Upbringing, Education, and Training


Dr. Kpodzo’s family is from Ghana, although she was born in Germany where her parents met. Her father, an electrical engineer, and her mother, an oral surgeon, initially moved the family back to Ghana, but a military coup forced the family to move back to Germany. From there, her upbringing included living in Ghana, the United Kingdom, Canada, and finally to the United States at the end of high school. She then completed her undergraduate studies at University of California, Berkeley. After graduating college, she taught high school for a year while applying to medical school. She was accepted to Harvard Medical School and subsequently completed a Master’s in Public Health the year after graduating.


She continued on at Harvard’s Integrated Plastic Surgery program, becoming the first African American female to graduate from the program. Mentorship played a crucial role throughout Dr. Kpodzo’s formative years. Her mother served as her very first mentor and an example of a strong woman of color in surgery, although she did not realize that until many years later when she became a surgeon herself. Despite there being only one female faculty during residency at Harvard, her training pathway was guided by many supportive and wonderful faculty and resident mentors whom she recalls fondly.


Surprisingly, she initially had no intention of pursuing surgery. Thinking back to the moment she first recalled wanting to become a surgeon, she remembers doing a complex case with a black female attending during her obstetrics and gynecology rotation in which she was able to touch the aorta for the first time.


After completing plastics residency, Dr. Kpodzo completed an oculoplastic fellowship at Paces Plastic Surgery in Atlanta, Georgia. Subsequently, she joined Morehouse School of Medicine where she stayed on as faculty for nine years. Most recently she was recruited to Albany Medical Center by Dr. Kmarie King, as the 1st woman African American Division Chief of the Department of Plastic Surgery. Dr. King herself is the first female African American department chair of surgery at Albany Medical Center.


Invaluable Advice for Those Seeking to Match Into Plastic Surgery


“It is important to network and that people know you, and that can be more challenging if you do not have a home institution.”

Dr. Kpodzo stresses the importance of reaching out beyond your home institution, particularly if your home institution does not have a plastic surgery training program. While obtaining her Master’s in Public Health at Harvard, she scrubbed with one of the plastic surgeons on a weekly basis, which was instrumental in gaining recognition and ultimately matching at Harvard for plastics residency. Joining professional organizations, which are usually heavily discounted for medical students, is a great way to learn how the application and interviewing processes take place.


Dr. Kpodzo also mentions that while it may be helpful to have plastic surgeons who are nationally and regionally recognized write your letters of recommendation, there needs to be “connection and substance to your letter.” You want to ensure that your letter writer will provide you with a supportive letter. Similarly, when seeking mentorship there are many ways to seek information through professional organizations such as the Garnes Society, Women of color in Plastic Surgery, and Times Up! PRS. Be enthusiastic and come prepared with your CV. Be consistent in keeping your mentors up to date after you’ve established a rapport with them. More importantly, seeking out individuals willing to act as a sponsor in addition to a mentor can make all the difference as you progress in your career or when you are looking for job and research opportunities. “If you find someone that will sponsor you, you should put that energy into that relationship.” Organizations are also starting to place more emphasis on recruitment and retention of under-represented minorities in plastic surgery training programs.


Additionally, she mentions applying broadly and not limiting yourself geographically which can unnecessarily narrow choices.


Dr. Kpodzo on Her Experience As the First Black Female Resident to Graduate From Her Program


“There were challenges. I think overall I had a really great experience. I think I had mostly faculty members who were engaged and wanted to see my success. I think that the relationship with my colleagues/co-residents was essential.”



“A lot of those micro-aggressions and those challenges that you face every day, no one was even talking about it, and those were things that I had to deal with on my own…and/or seeking out mentorship in other specialties was very helpful for me.”


“There are ways that I have shifted because of my experiences,” remarks Dr. Kpodzo as she recounts some of her experiences as a person of color learning to navigate, “the everyday assaults that tell you that you don’t belong there.”


Why Dr. Kpodzo Chose Plastic Surgery


“I love how personalized it is and how important it is to understand a patient’s expectations and what they desire…It gives me joy to try to get things exactly right.” At the end of the day, although there were many reasons for why she chose plastic surgery, there’s just that “je ne sais quoi.”


“I feel joy doing what I get to do. I make art with people’s bodies. Who gets to do that? People seek to capture it, but we make art…and it’s a privilege to get to do that.”


Life Outside of Plastic Surgery and the Elusive Work/Life Balance


Dr. Kpodzo is married to a wonderful husband with whom she has a three-year-old daughter. She enjoys spending time with her family, and “seeing things brand new,” through her daughter’s eyes. During our conversation, Dr. Kpodzo and I discussed the illusion of the work/life balance. “I think it’s juggling. Not balancing.” Scheduling time for family, for self, and outsourcing tasks that would otherwise take time away from family and friends have become important tenets of time management for Dr. Kpodzo. Apart from family and friends, she enjoys traveling, although COVID restrictions put a damper on that recently.


Dr. Kpodzo is a wealth of experience and knowledge, and it was my distinct pleasure and privilege to talk with her for this interview.

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