The division of plastic and reconstructive surgery established an annual lectureship to honor the contributions of an esteemed emeritus faculty member and former division chief. The Henry Vasconez, MD Lectureship held its inaugural presentation in April 2023.

Dr. Vasconez joined the UK Plastic Surgery faculty in 1987. He served as its division chief for over 25 years and also led the Plastic Surgery integrated residency program. During that time, he co-founded Medical Missions Ecuador with his brother, Dr. Luiz Vasconez, chief of plastic surgery at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. The mission program serves the needs of impoverished families in Ecuador.

Following a year in which he pursued a Fulbright Research Scholarship that supported several months of dedicated research into the incidence of Microtia in the Andean region of Ecuador, Dr. Vasconez accepted an offer to return to his home country and serve as the Dean of the School of Medicine at Universidad San Francisco de Quito.

Dr. Henry Vasconez with medical students and the faculty and residents of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery