Fu-chan Wei

Biography

 The Chang Gung division of plastic and reconstructive surgery has become a world premier center in reconstructive microsurgery. Surgeons there have performed an unparalleled 17,519 free flaps and 4,031 replantations with a 97–98% success rate, and 2,132 brachial plexus reconstructions. How was this center established? Having the right men, the right vision, and the right facilities, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital was founded in 1976 by the Formosa Plastic Group. (See Fig. 1–3, Supplemental Digital Content 1, which displays a compilation of images and table from the Chang Gung Microsurgery Center, http://links.lww.com/PRSGO/A264.) (See video, Supplemental Digital Content 2, which features an interview with Dr. Fu Chan Wei. This video is available in the Related Videos section of the Full Text article on PRSGlobalOpen.com or available at http://links.lww.com/PRSGO/A263.) They invited Dr. Nordhoff, with his good reputation and love of the people, to become the first superintendent of the hospital. When Dr. Wei’s returned to Taiwan, Dr. Nordhoff supported Fu-Chan’s development of microsurgery at Chang Gung. He began with a heavy load of posttraumatic injuries and reconstructive deformities from head to toe. The volume load rapidly increased and Dr. Wei realized the need for extra hands. This led him to start training microsurgery fellows as early as 1984. He opened the door for younger fellows to go abroad for training and come back to join the ranks. With the training and return of Dr. Hung-Chi Chen and Dr. David Chwei-Chin Chuang, the driving force of microsurgery in Chang Gung tripled. Dr. Wei, Dr. Chen, and Dr. Chuang worked together for years and became friends forever with a harmony rarely seen elsewhere.c

Research Interest

 plastic and reconstructive surgery