M. Felix Freshwater papers

Dr. M. Felix Freshwater (1948-2016), a prominent plastic surgeon specializing in hand surgery and microsurgery, was in private practice from 1979 to 2016 at the Miami Institute of Hand and Microsurgery. He supplemented his private practice work with a voluntary Professor of Plastic Surgery appointment within the division of plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgery. Dr. Freshwater was certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and was a 1985 and 1988 recipient of the American Medical Association’s Physician’s Recognition Award. In 2016 the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) awarded Dr. Freshwater with an honorary membership. In 2017 the Yale School of Medicine honored Dr. Freshwater with the Distinguished Alumni Service Award.

Prior to his practice in Miami, Freshwater held several fellowships, first in Plastic Surgery (1976) and then in Burn Surgery (1977) at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and in Hand and Microsurgery at the University of Louisville/Jewish Hospital in Louisville, KY (1979). Freshwater completed residencies in Surgery at Yale New Haven Hospital (1974) and in Plastic Surgery at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center (1978). In Miami, Freshwater worked under the guidance of Dr. Ralph Millard, known for his cleft lip surgery work.

Freshwater attended Medical School at Yale University School of Medicine (1972), where his thesis "George David Pollock and the Development of Skin Grafting" helped cement a lifelong interest in the history of plastic surgery. Freshwater grew up in New York City, studying at Stuyvesant High School, and completed his undergraduate work at Brooklyn College where he received a Bachelor of Science degree.

Freshwater published over 100 articles and sat on editorial boards, such as the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) and the of Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery (JPRAS).

At the Miami Institute of Hand and Microsurgery Freshwater treated burn victims and completed complex re-attachments. Freshwater also specialized in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritis. He completed research into the modern use of leeches to treat patients with circulatory complications.