Albany Med Names Dzifa S. Kpodzo, MD, MPH, FACS Chief of its Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dzifa S. Kpodzo, MD, MPH, FACS, has been named chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Albany Med. She will begin her appointment June 1.
Dr. Kpodzo joins Albany Med from Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, where she was section chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and associate clinical professor.
“Throughout her career, Dr. Kpodzo has demonstrated a commitment to education, research and service,” said KMarie King, MD, chief of Surgery and Henry and Sally Schaffer Chair of the Department of Surgery at Albany Med. “I am confident that the breadth of her training, experience, and vision for our program will serve us well as she leads our Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Program.”
Dr. Kpodzo’s surgical interests include oculoplastic (eyelid), aesthetic, and gender affirming surgeries. She completed a fellowship in Aesthetic and Oculoplastic Surgery at Paces Plastic Surgery in Atlanta. She was the first African American woman to graduate from Harvard’s Combined Plastic Surgery Residency Program, where she was chief resident and participated in three cutting-edge face transplants. She received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and a Master of Public Health, Health Policy Management from Harvard School of Public Health.
A fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Kpodzo serves on the editorial board of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal and is a member of several professional societies, including the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. She has published numerous journal articles and book chapters. Her research interests include breast reconstruction, health care disparities, patient reported outcomes and surgical education.
She looks forward to working with medical students and residents to expand their exposure to the most complex plastic and reconstructive surgical techniques as well as aesthetic surgeries.
A native of Ghana, West Africa, Dr. Kpodzo also has lived in Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom. She has participated in medical missions to Ghana and Ethiopia. She can speak French and German.
Albany Med plastic surgeons also care for patients at the Albany Med Health System’s Saratoga Hospital campus. The integration of Plastic Surgery services between Albany Med and Saratoga Hospital makes services more accessible to patients closer to where they live and complements the full scope of plastic surgery services offered by each System hospital.