David B. Drake, MD, named Division Chief of UK Plastic Surgery
The UK Department of Surgery is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. David B. Drake as the new Division Chief of Plastic Surgery, effective April 1, 2020. The Department would like to thank Dr. Kant Lin for his service; at the end of May, Dr. Lin will be moving on to the Medical College of Wisconsin to pursue another opportunity.
A central Kentucky native, Dr. Drake earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Kentucky. He completed his general surgery residency at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. At the University of Virginia, Dr. Drake completed a Plastic Surgery residency as well as a Burn fellowship as well as a second fellowship in Hand and Microvascular Surgery which included a special rotation in hand and microsurgery at the Christine M. Kleinert Institute at the University of Louisville.
He joined the faculty at the University of Virginia and enjoyed a 22 year career as a Professor of Plastic Surgery and Orthopedic Surgery. He served as Program Director of the Hand Fellowship and was Medical Director of the UVA Burn Center. Since returning to Kentucky in 2018, Dr. Drake successfully launched a Hand Fellowship program at UK, which has become highly competitive in a short amount of time. In addition to his responsibilities as Division Chief, Dr. Drake has excelled on the national stage; beginning in June 2020, he will serve as President of the Southeastern Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (SESPRS).
Commenting on Dr. Drake’s new appointment, Dr. Inabnet stated “we are thrilled to have Dr. Drake assume a well-deserved leadership opportunity in the Department of Surgery at a time of unprecedented change and growth”.
Dr. Drake said that he looks forward to completion of the new ambulatory clinical space at UK HealthCare - Turfland in 2021. The clinic will feature dedicated space for Aesthetic (cosmetic) surgery, Plastic Surgery, and a comprehensive Hand Center among other services. The division also plans to welcome several new faculty to UK Plastic Surgery in the coming months, he said.
