ICoPRAS, the new body of Italian plastic surgery

Italian plastic surgery is in the midst of a cultural and professional transformation. Growing demand, aesthetics filtered through algorithms, and the spread of fragmented online information are altering the public perception of the discipline and changing how patients find their way. It is within this context that the Italian College of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (ICoPRAS) has emerged, the new scientific association founded in Rome and presented on December 12 at San Giovanni Addolorata Hospital, with the stated aim of bringing the specialty back onto firmer ground, based on education, clinical responsibility, and transparency.

The Executive Board brings together figures representing complementary areas of the discipline: Roy De Vita, Head of Plastic Surgery at the Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, has been appointed President; Diego Ribuffo, Full Professor at Sapienza University of Rome, Vice President; Mario Zama, Head of Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery at Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Secretary; and Gabriele Storti, researcher at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Treasurer.

In his introductory address, De Vita described the purpose of the initiative as follows: «ICoPRAS was born from the will of a substantial group of Italian academics and hospital department heads and aims to become the reference point for Italian plastic surgeons, pursuing a dual goal: on the one hand, to promote and support the growth of young surgeons who decide to embrace this specialty; on the other, to defend, protect, and enhance the prestige of plastic surgery at a time when, for countless reasons, foremost among them the communication revolution driven by social media, it is increasingly difficult for patients to orient themselves correctly». He then added a structural element of the newly formed association: «As proof of how concrete the intentions of the new association are, the bylaws provide that a seat on the Executive Board be guaranteed to surgeons under 40 – he continues – a seat that, in this first Board, is held by our Treasurer».

ICoPRAS: experience and innovation

The composition of the Executive Board reflects three key dimensions of contemporary plastic surgery. De Vita brings the perspective of oncologic reconstructive surgery, developed over more than forty years of clinical practice and research. Ribuffo represents a phase of technical innovation: from the introduction of the DIEP flap to the dissemination of advanced microsurgical protocols, his work has helped redefine the standards of breast reconstruction in Italy. Zama, at Bambino Gesù, works in the most specialized and least media-visible area of the discipline—pediatric craniofacial malformations—where reconstruction and development accompany patients over many years. Storti, finally, embodies what the new organisation intends to promote: the growth of a generation trained in hybrid techniques, digital imaging, 3D simulations, and an approach to information management entirely different from that of thirty years ago.

The mandatory presence of a member under 40, rare in Italian scientific associations, is therefore not a symbolic gesture, but an attempt to address one of the discipline’s critical issues: generational turnover. Plastic surgery is now a field in which the technological curve advances more rapidly than academic structures. Integrating a young professional into scientific governance means incorporating into standard-setting the sensibility of those who enter the operating room with entirely new tools, learning models, and expectations.

The 2026 initiatives: training, clinical cases, and direct dialogue

A substantial part of the ICoPRAS project concerns building a scientific calendar that encourages a more practical and participatory approach. De Vita outlined the framework of the first four events, all scheduled for the first half of 2026.

The program will begin with an event reserved exclusively for ICoPRAS resident members, dedicated to a topic that rarely finds space at scientific conferences but today more than any other shapes perceptions of surgery: communication in medicine. Organised by De Vita himself, the initiative aims to address how physicians communicate risks, limits, and expectations, as well as how they manage pressure from social media, images, and digital trends.

Next, on April 17–18, Turin will host a conference on breast reconstructive surgery coordinated by Professor Donato Casella. It will provide an opportunity to take stock of the role of microsurgery in oncologic pathways and the conditions under which reconstruction and therapy are integrated.

On May 21–22 in Ancona, Professor Giovanni Di Benedetto will organise a limited-enrollment course for fifty residents. The format is designed to foster direct interaction between trainees and faculty, with teaching focused on the technical steps of aesthetic breast surgery and on analysing the variables that determine outcomes.

In July, in Rome, Dr. Andrea Loreti will coordinate an event dedicated exclusively to residents, who will be called upon to present their own clinical experience, a reversal of the traditional format in which seniors speak and juniors listen. Here, the aim is to train critical case evaluation and strengthen scientific communication skills.

Taken together, the events define a clear cultural direction: fewer frontal conferences, more operational exchange; less theory, more real cases; less distance between generations, more vertical collaboration.

Navigating between social media and clinical practice

The establishment of ICoPRAS comes at a time when plastic surgery has become a communication product as well as a medical discipline. Patients often arrive in the clinic carrying a set of algorithm-generated images, expectations shaped by filters, and certainties built on social media. The new scientific association aims to intervene in this disconnect, restoring centrality to data, safety, and specialist training.