Board-certified plastic surgeon Allan Parungao, MD, was among 1,291 initiates from around the world who became Fellows of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) during convocation ceremonies at the College's 93rd annual Clinical Congress in New Orleans last month.
Dr. Parungao has been in private practice in Oak Park, Ill. since 2001. He is author of A Woman's Guide to Cosmetic Breast Surgery and Body Contouring (Addicus Books, 2006), and wrote the chapter on plastic, reconstructive and hand surgery in "Boards Review Series: Surgery."
He has done research on skin cancer and wound healing, and his work has been presented to the Illinois Chapter of the American College of Surgeons and the Midwest Association of Plastic Surgeons. He has also spoken on breast surgery in the U.S. and abroad.
Dr. Parungao received his medical degree from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, where he served as chief resident in the third year of his plastic surgery residency. He also completed a three-year residency in general surgery. Dr. Parungao holds a master's degree in physiology from the Chicago Medical School and a bachelor of arts degree from Washington University in St. Louis.
He is a Member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, a Fellow of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, and a Member of the American Academy of Facial, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the Chicago Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Dr. Parungao has a strong interest in philanthropy. In 2001, he was the sole plastic surgeon on a medical mission to Dumaguette City in the Philippines. He operated on patients of all ages who suffered from cleft lip, burn contractures and skin cancer. On the mission, he worked side-by-side with his father, a general surgeon, and his mother, an anesthesiologist.
By meeting ACS's stringent membership requirements, Dr. Parungao has earned the right to use the designation "FACS" (Fellow, American College of Surgeons) after his name.
An applicant for ACS Fellowship must be a graduate of an approved medical school, must have completed advanced training in one of the 14 surgical specialties recognized by the College, possess certification by an American surgical specialty board, and must have been in practice in the same geographic location for at least one year at the time of designation.
Before admission into Fellowship, a surgeon must further demonstrate ethical fitness and professional proficiency, and his acceptance as a Fellow of the College must be approved by three-fourths of its Board of Regents.
The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have established ACS as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 72,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.