This award celebrates the innovation and collaboration that are foundational to the success of UT Southwestern Medical Center. It recognizes a group of clinical faculty and staff who have partnered to create, develop, and sustain an innovative program that significantly advances our ability to improve patient care. 

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Burn Reconstruction Program

Samuel P. Mandell, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, FABA

Associate Professor of Surgery, Burn Section Chief at UT Southwestern
Medical Director of Parkland Burn Center

For more than six decades, the Parkland Burn Center has been a sanctuary of hope and healing. Its reputation has been shaped by the extraordinary faculty and staff who have delivered a unique combination of clinical excellence, academic integration, commitment to innovation, and historical legacy. In fact, one of the most widely recognized formulas for fluid resuscitation was developed at Parkland Memorial Hospital, and it revolutionized burn care worldwide.

As one of the largest civilian burn units in the United States, the Parkland Burn Center could focus primarily on treating its high volume of patients with complex injuries, ranging from major thermal burns and inhalation injuries to chemical and burn-related trauma. But the center, led by Dr. Samuel Mandell, has built on Parkland’s proud tradition by creating a world-class burn reconstruction and research program.

“Patients benefit from the latest advances in burn science, including novel therapies, clinical trials, and cutting-edge technologies in wound healing and pain management,” said the program’s nominator. “Dr. Mandell is advancing the mission of UT Southwestern while providing cutting-edge treatments to patients. He is literally leading our campus into a new era in burn care.”

Since joining the UTSW faculty in 2021, Dr. Mandell has transformed the burn program, which has increased reconstruction procedures by 200-300 cases annually. The burn teams at Parkland and UTSW perform over 600 procedures each year and treat more than 3,000 outpatients for burns.

Dr. Mandell championed the hiring of additional surgeons and staff; the addition of new burn clinics and facilities at UTSW, Children’s Health, and Parkland Health; and the adoption of innovative treatments. The program excels in providing comprehensive long-term care for pediatric and adult patients who need advanced reconstructive surgery, scar management, psychological support, and enduring rehabilitation.

Burn survivors can expect exemplary critical care from a multidisciplinary team of plastic and general surgeons, intensivists, therapists, psychologists, and nurses. Holistically, they not only address the immediate physical needs of patients and their families, but their emotional, functional, and psychosocial ones as well. The program prioritizes continuity of care, even post-acute recovery, to ensure patients have the best chance of successful rehabilitation.

Along with clinical advances, UTSW’s steadfast commitment to scholarship, service, and mentorship enhances the Burn Reconstruction Program’s legacy of excellence. UT Southwestern researchers have pioneered evidence-based advancements in burn immunology, pain mechanisms, metabolic regulation, scar modulation, and regenerative medicine. Faculty members also are dedicated to training future leaders in burn surgery and research, and many of their trainees have gone on to do just that.

In addition, the program has concentrated public health efforts to improve community outreach and education, burn prevention, and disaster response. Dr. Mandell has been generous with his time and knowledge, revising the UTSW curriculum for burn care and contributing to lectures, seminars, and conferences. He also founded and directs the annual Parkland Burn Symposium, an event that aims to educate physicians, nurses, prehospital providers, and patients.

“Parkland’s Burn Center is one of just two facilities in North Texas to be certified by the American Burn Association and the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma,” Dr. Mandell’s nominator wrote. “This level of care is only possible through collaborations with peers, staff, and specialists in other departments – relationships that Dr. Mandell has taken care to cultivate.”

In his words: “Receiving the Program Development Award for our Burn Reconstruction Program is a tremendous honor that reflects the dedication of our entire team. Burn reconstruction is about restoring function and quality of life for patients and families who have already endured so much. Severe burns are a chronic condition with impacts that extend long past the acute injury. Our services must continue to support patients with surgical care long after their initial hospitalization. This recognition not only affirms the importance of that mission, but also highlights the progress we have made in expanding access to advanced therapies such as laser treatment for burn scars and complex reconstructive surgery. It inspires us to continue pushing forward with innovation, research, and education so that every patient has access to the best possible care for their recovery and future.”