Faculty from Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Surgery hosted the 5th annual Yale Approaches to Facial Trauma Course on Jan. 31, bringing together residents and faculty from six Yale, University of Connecticut, and University of Massachusetts training programs across multiple disciplines, including otolaryngology, plastic surgery, and oral and maxillofacial surgery.
The course was developed and is led by Associate Program Director for the Yale Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Residency Program, Yan Lee, MD, and offers hands-on training in soft tissue dissection, fracture plating, and other reconstructive techniques, including free flap dissection and orthognathic procedures.
“The benefit of this course is that it’s truly multidisciplinary,” Lee says. “Residents have the opportunity to learn from one other and gain perspectives from different specialties, which mirrors the collaborative environment they’ll encounter in practice.”
Several Yale faculty educators contributed to the 2026 event, including Suresh Mohan, MD, from the Division of Otolaryngology; and Michael Alperovich, MD, and Kerry Morrison, MD, from the Division of Plastic Surgery. Yale oral and maxillofacial surgeons Leonard W. Skope, DDS, and Mary Jane Anderson, MD, also helped teach the course.
Since its inception, the course has grown each year and is now embedded in the resident training curricula, offering a comprehensive and practical approach to facial trauma care.