Justin M. Sacks, MD, MBA
Director, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Sydney M. Jr. and Robert H. Shoenberg Endowed Chair in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Video Profile
- Phone: 314-362-7388
Specialties
- Head to toe reconstructive surgery following cancer surgery and trauma
- Reconstructive surgery of the body, including the head and neck, breast, chest, abdomen, pelvis, and extremities
- Breast reconstruction using autologous tissue and implants
- Extremity reconstruction
- Hand surgery
- Limb salvage
- Microvascular surgery
- Trunk reconstruction
- Vascularized composite allotransplantation
Call for patient appointments: 314-362-7388
Meet Dr. Sacks
Dr. Justin Sacks is a plastic surgeon specializing in head-to-toe trauma and oncologic reconstruction.
He has expertise in microvascular reconstructive surgery.
Dr. Sacks earned his medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, where he also completed his combined general surgery and plastic surgery residency training. Following residency training, he completed a two-year research fellowship in the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. While in Pittsburgh he also completed a one-year combined orthopedic/plastic surgery upper extremity fellowship. Further pursuing his clinical interests, he completed a one-year microvascular reconstructive surgery fellowship in the Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
After his microvascular reconstruction fellowship, Dr. Sacks was invited to join the faculty and remained at MD Anderson Cancer Center for three years. More recently, he was vice chair of clinical operations and director of oncological reconstruction at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. He has served as director of plastic surgery at WashU Medicine since 2020.
His research focuses on advancements in the field of vascularized composite allotransplantation, tissue engineering and vascular perfusion assessment. His clinical interests include the reconstruction of all forms of acquired, oncological and traumatic defects ranging from the head and neck to the breast, chest, abdomen, pelvis and extremities. In 2016 he earned a master of business administration in medical service management at the Carey Business School at Johns Hopkins University. He is the co-founder of the Johns Hopkins Biotech Startup Lifesprout. In addition, his team has developed a pressure sensing device to help mitigate pressure sore development in the inpatient setting.
Dr. Sacks maintains a robust clinical reconstructive practice while at the same time performing basic science, clinical outcomes and translational research. He has authored over 100 original publications in peer-reviewed journals and 20 textbook chapters on plastic surgery and reconstructive surgery. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery. He is fellow member of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery and Plastic Surgery Research Council. He is a founding member of the American Society of Reconstructive Transplantation. He is a past chair of the Plastic Surgery Research Council and current board vice president of finance and treasurer of the ASPS.
We push the boundaries of what is possible to achieve the best results for our patients. At WashU Medicine, you will receive compassionate, sophisticated care to help you achieve your goals.
Dr. Sacks
Degrees
Medical Degree
Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University, New York, NY
1998
Master of Business Administration
Carey School of Business, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
2016
Residency
Plastic Surgery Residency (Combined Program)
Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY
2004
Fellowship
Microsurgery Cancer Reconstruction Fellowship
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
2008
Hand, Upper Extremity and Microsurgery Fellowship
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
2007
Plastic Surgery/Microsurgery Research and Clinical Fellowship
Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
2006
Research interests
Advancements in the field of vascularized composite allotransplantation, tissue engineering and vascular perfusion assessment
Locations
Center for Advanced Medicine
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Center
4921 Parkview Place
St. Louis, MO 63110
Suite: 6G
314-362-7388
Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital
Medical Office Building 4
1044 North Mason Road
Creve Coeur, MO 63141
314-362-7388
Hospital affiliations
Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Board certifications
- Plastic Surgery
Dr. Sacks in the news
- Saving limbs takes teamwork, time and tenacity
- Top Doctors 2024
- Top Doctors 2023
- Top Doctors 2022
- What is microsurgery?
- 7 things to know about lymphedema
- Collaboration and innovation are on the horizon
- Sacks wins Big Ideas competition grant
- Lymphedema diagnosis and treatment
- Lymphedema symptoms and causes
- Chair installation of Justin Sacks
- Sacks receives 2020 Skandalaris LEAP Funding
- New director of plastic and reconstructive surgery
Professional Memberships
American College of Surgeons
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
American Society of Reconstruction Transplantation
American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery
European Plastic Surgery Research Council
Plastic Surgery Research Council
Awards and Honors
2019 Faculty Teaching Award, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Co-Founder LifeSprout
2019 The Core Surgery Clerkship Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Surgery
2018 Faculty Teaching Award, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
2018 The Core Surgery Clerkship Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Surgery
2018 Living the Hopkins Mission honoree, selected for 125th anniversary of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
2018 Top Doctor in Plastic Surgery: Reconstructive. Baltimore Magazine, The Maryland General Assembly
2017 Top Doctor in Plastic Surgery: Reconstructive. Baltimore Magazine, The Maryland General Assembly.
2017 The Core Surgery Clerkship Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award, The Johns Hopkins University, Department of Surgery
2017 Resident Research Award (Senior Author). 34th Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Society of Plastic Surgeons. Newport, RI.
2017 Outstanding Paper and Poster Presentation Award (Senior Author). PSTM 2017. Next- Generation Dermal Filler: Nanofiber- Hydrogel Composite. Orlando, FL.
2017 “Pitch and Play” – The Association of University Technology Managers. Venture Challenge. Business plan competition. Selected out of 43 national academic-based tech ventures.
2016, Mercury Patch: a low-cost, targeted monitoring system for the detection and prevention of pressure ulcers in hospitalized patients
2016 Second Place, Johns Hopkins University Design Day
2015 Best Resident Presentation (Principal Investigator), American Association of Plastic Surgery, Scottsdale, AZ 2016 The Core Surgery Clerkship Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award, The Johns Hopkins University, Department of Surgery
2015 Best Resident Presentation (Principal Investigator), American Association of Plastic Surgery, Scottsdale, AZ 2016 The Core Surgery Clerkship Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award, The Johns Hopkins University, Department of Surgery
2014 Clifford C. Snyder, MD Best Paper Award (Co-Author), Plastic Surgery Research Council, 59th Annual Meeting, New York, NY
2014 Best Clinical Research Project. Johns Hopkins/University of Maryland Resident Research Day, Baltimore, MD
2013 J.K. Hardesty, MD Best Poster Award (Co-Author), Plastic Surgery Research Council 58th Annual Meeting, Santa Monica, CA
2012 National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute Travel Award (Senior Author), 8th Annual Meeting of American Physician Scientists Association, Chicago, IL.
2012 Third Best Clinical Vignette (Senior Author), 97th American Medical Womens’ Association Annual Meeting, Miami, FL.
2012 J.K. Hardesty, MD Best Poster Award (Senior Author), Plastic Surgery Research Council 57th Annual Meeting, Ann Arbor, MI
2008 James Barrett Brown Manuscript Award Nomination, American Association of Plastic Surgeons, Boston, MA
2008 Joseph L. Posch, MD Award. Resident Scientific Paper Competition. Best Research Paper (Co-Author), The Annual Meeting of the American Association Hand Surgery (AAHS), Los Angeles, CA
2007 Best Poster Presentation (Co-Author), Department of Surgery Research Day, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
2007 Best Clinical Research Presentation, Plastic Surgery Resident Research Day, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
2007 Best Basic Science Research Paper (Co-Author), The Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Society of Plastic Surgeons, Bermuda
2007 First Place, Basic Science Paper (Co-Author), The Annual Meeting of Ohio Valley Society of Plastic Surgeons, Indianapolis, IN
2007 Second Place, Basic Science Paper (Co-Author), Robert H. Ivy Society and the John Staige Davis Society, Hershey, PA
2006 Joseph L. Posch, MD Award. Resident Scientific Paper Competition. Best Basic Research Paper, The Annual Meeting of the American Association Hand Surgery (AAHS), Tucson, AZ
2006 Best Poster Presentation (Co-Author), Department of Surgery Research Day, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
2006 American Society of Transplant Surgeons Abstract Travel Award, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, State of the Art Winter Symposium. Scottsdale, AZ
2005 Best Basic Science Paper (Co-author) – Second Place, The Annual Meeting of the Ohio Valley Society of Plastic Surgeons, Aurora, OH
2005 Best Basic Science Research Paper (Co-Author), The Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Society of Plastic Surgeons, Naples, FL
2005 Best Clinical Paper – Second Place (Co-Author), The Annual Meeting of the Ohio Valley Society of Plastic Surgeons, Aurora, OH
2000 Medical Student Teaching Award in Surgery for Outstanding Teaching by a Junior Resident, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY
1998 Outstanding Clinical Skills Award – 4th Year, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY
1997 Alpha Omega Alpha, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY
Innovations
Composite synthetic scaffold of soft tissue reconstruction
Biomedical device to reduce the incidence of pressure sores
Financial Disclosures
Sacks is the co-founder of Lifesprout.