About Frederic J. Kolb, MD
Frederic Kolb, MD, MS, MRes, is an internationally recognized board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in oncologic reconstruction, correcting defects following breast, head and neck, skin, and soft tissue and sarcoma resections. He performs breast oncologic surgery and reconstruction with autologous perforator flaps, in addition to head and reconstruction with all variety of chimeric flaps. Dr. Kolb's expertise includes supramicrosurgery, a field of plastic surgery performed on vessels smaller than 0.5 mm in diameter. This can be an option for patients with lymphedema (extreme swelling in arms or legs). This is especially important for women after breast cancer treatment, but also with other cancers treated with lymph node dissection and radiotherapy. These procedures sometimes lead to lymphedema. This surgery is done through LVA (lymphatico-venous anastomosis) or lymph node transfer. He also performs vascularized nerve grafts to treat patients with nerve injuries. Dr. Kolb developed this technique for reanimation in facial palsy. As a clinician, Dr. Kolb stands at the forefront of reconstructive surgery. He is a leading expert in reconstructive microsurgery of the head, neck and breast. Beginning in 2000, Dr. Kolb built a world-renowned plastic surgery department at the Institut Gustave Roussy and served as chief and professor of the department from 2011-2019. Dr. Kolb's research focuses on composite bioengineered tracheal reconstruction. He has published over 90 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals, including the Annals of Surgical Oncology, the Journal of Plastic Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, The European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology, and The Laryngoscope. His groundbreaking clinical research was the subject of a case report published in The New England Journal of Medicine detailing the novel surgical technique of total autologous tracheal replacement in a pediatric patient (2018). He received the 2010 Award for Best Paper and Presentation at the 55th French Society of Plastics, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery Meeting. Dr. Kolb completed his residency at Xavier Bichat School of Medicine in Paris, France, where he also earned his medical degree. He holds four master degrees – in surgical science, biological and medical science, immunology and immunopathology, and biochemistry and molecular biology, also from Paris Diderot University, Xavier Bichat School of Medicine. Dr. Kolb is a member of the World Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery, the American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery, the European Association of Plastic Surgery, the European Sarcoma Study Group and the International Society of Pediatric Oncology. In his free time, Dr. Kolb enjoys cycling and wood working. He is married with three children.
