Scott L. Hansen, MD, FACS, was born in Tacoma, Washington, and spent his childhood in various locations, including North Dakota, Chicago, Wisconsin, and Virginia. After completing high school, he initiated his college journey at Radford University and later transferred to George Mason University upon choosing a Pre-Med major. Dr. Hansen continued his education at Eastern Virginia Medical School.
For his General/Plastic Surgery Training, Dr. Hansen chose UCSF as his destination. During this period, he undertook a significant 3-year NIH sponsored research fellowship with David Young in the SFGH Surgical Laboratory, focusing on the study of wound healing. Following the completion of his Plastic Surgery training, Dr. Hansen pursued a Hand and Microsurgery Fellowship at UCLA.
In 2007, Dr. Hansen returned to UCSF, taking on the pivotal roles of Chief of Plastic Surgery at ZSFG and Chief of Hand Surgery at UCSF. His clinical interests encompass a wide range, including hand and wrist surgery, microsurgery, and the treatment of sports-related injuries. Notably, he serves as the Hand and Wrist Surgeon for the San Francisco Giants baseball team.
Beyond his professional achievements, Dr. Hansen is happily married to Christyna and is a proud parent to four children, consisting of two girls and two boys. During weekends, he can often be found on the sidelines of various sports events, including basketball games, water polo matches, soccer fields, or swim meets.
1. How did you get interested in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery? I became interested in Plastic Surgery during my first year at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS). I was interested in getting a research project and was paired up with a Plastic Surgeon doing wound healing and microsurgery research. I began shadowing him in the Operating Room and was immediately awestruck with Microsurgical Reconstruction. I was able to observe complex nerve reconstruction with Dr. Julia Terzis who was one of the worlds experts at that time. As it turns out EVMS had an incredibly prestigious Plastic Surgery program in the 90’s thus I was exposed to a wide breath of faculty and diverse cases. I knew then that I wanted to pursue plastic surgery.
2. How were you inspired to train at UCSF and now become the Chief of Plastic Surgery? Who was your primary mentor to achieve that position? When I was at EVMS, one of my mentors- Larry Colen, was a former UCSF Plastic Surgery resident and suggested that I do a Sub-I at UCSF. I came to UCSF in 1996 for a Sub-I and was extremely impressed with the training program. At that time Stephen Mathes was the Chief of Plastic Surgery and would become my mentor. Dr. Mathes was a giant in the field of Plastic Surgery and inspired me to become an academic Plastic Surgeon. I was the first resident at UCSF to match into Plastic Surgery as an intern. Up until me, UCSF only trained fellows who had completed General Surgery first. After return from my fellowship at UCLA in 2007, I was further mentored by Dr. William Hoffman who helped me rise to be the current Chief of Plastic Surgery as of 2/2/2024.
3. What are your current research interests and what are some topical areas future Plastic surgeons should be investigate? Me and my research team study disparities in health care, specifically the care of patients with hand infections who are marginally housed or homeless. We are doing a number of studies though our outpatient clinic at ZSFG (OASIS Clinic). Other areas of interest include sports-related injuries, upper extremity trauma, complex spine reconstruction, groin reconstruction and the surgical management of suppurative hidradenitis. Our team collaborates with faulty in Dermatology, Vascular Surgery and Orthopaedic/Neurosurgical Spine surgery. There many areas of Plastic Surgery to explore. These include global health initiatives, lymphatic surgery, robotic plastic surgery and gender-affirming surgery.
