Dr. Sam Fuller
Sam Fuller, MD, is a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon with additional Subspecialty Certification in Surgery of the Hand (SOTH).
Orthopedic Hand, Wrist & Elbow Surgeon/Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon at South Bend Orthopaedics
Profile
Specialties
Education
Appointment
Profile
Sam Fuller, MD, is a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon with additional Subspecialty Certification in Surgery of
the Hand (SOTH). He attended college at the University of Notre Dame and graduated Cum Laude with a double major in Spanish Languages and Literature and Pre-Professional Studies. He continued his education at the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago. He then completed a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Residency at the University of Chicago Medical Center. He went on to complete an Orthopaedic Upper Extremity Fellowship at The Curtis National Hand Center in Baltimore, Maryland.
Dr. Fuller won numerous awards throughout his training, including the 2016 Michael S. Murphy Research Award for his research, “Design and Use of a Novel Coupling Device for Tendon Repair and Reconstruction.” Dr. Fuller and his co-authors also won Best Hand Paper in 2014 from the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal for, “Fat Transfer to the Upper and Lower Extremity in Patients with Raynaud’s Phenomenon- A Novel Therapeutic Modality.” He has a US Patent for a novel tendon repair technique.
Dr. Fuller specializes in hand, wrist, and forearm surgery. His diverse training allows him to bring a very unique “hybrid” approach to the upper extremity. He is able to combine his plastic surgery knowledge of microvascular and soft tissue reconstruction with his orthopedic training to properly diagnose and treat bony and ligamentous injuries. This is particularly significant in the hand and wrist, which requires anatomic expertise to address skin, tendon, nerve, vascular, and bony problems as a functioning unit. Dr. Fuller enjoys meeting his patients and establishing goals together in order to reach a satisfying and successful outcome through non-operative and operative treatment options. This may include injections, therapy, surgery, and the latest advancements in the field, such as Wide Awake Local Anesthesia No Tourniquet (WALANT), endoscopy, and arthroscopy.
As a Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Fuller performs a variety of body contouring procedures, including breast augmentation, breast reduction, breast lift, and breast reconstruction after cancer. He also routinely performs “mommy makeovers,” including tummy tucks, abdominoplasty, rectus plication, liposuction, 360 lipo, torsoplasty, lower body lift, fat grafting, thigh lifts, and arm lifts (brachioplasty). He routinely performs surgery in patients who have lost weight, resulting in laxity and skin redundancy. He also offers in-office procedures for cellulite as well as treatment for wrinkles and volume loss of the face with Botox, Jeuveau, neurotoxins, and fillers.
Dr. Fuller participates in medical mission trips, leads regional cadaver dissection courses, and routinely gives lectures and presentations on his broad and rewarding practice.
MISC
Dr. Fuller attended University of Notre Dame with double major in Spanish Languages and Literature and Pre-Professional Studies
As a native of Chicago, Dr. Fuller enjoys living in the Michiana area. His family spends their free time cheering for Notre Dame and Chicago sports teams, cooking, traveling, and enjoying Midwest life with family and friends.
University of Notre Dame
- Consulting Physician
Research Interests
- Tendon Repair and Reconstruction
- Carpal Tunnel Surgery Outcomes
Peer-Reviewed Publications
- Meals C, Osterman M. The Hand Surgery Fellowship Application Process: Expectations, Logistics, and Costs. J Hand Surg Am. 2015 Feb 24. (Acknowledgement).
- Fuller SM, Butz D, Vevang C, Makhlouf VM. Application of 3D Printing in Hand Surgery: Innovations in Technology. Abstract, Huggins Research Symposium, March 12, 2014.
- Fuller SM, Butz D, Vevang C, Makhlouf VM. Application of 3-Dimensional Printing in Hand Surgery for Production of a Novel Bone Reduction Clamp. J Hand Surg Am. 2014 Sep;39(9):1840-5.
- Bank J, Fuller SM, Henry G, Zachary LS. Fat Transfer to the Upper and Lower Extremity in Patients with Raynaud’s Phenomenon- A Novel Therapeutic Modality. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2014 May; 133(5):1109-18.
- Fuller SM, Bindra RR. Response to “Image-Guided Distal Radius Osteotomy Using Patient-Specific Instrument Guides.” J Hand Surg Am. 2014 Jan;39(1):174.
- Fuller S, Kleiber G. Soft Tissue Coverage of the Hand and Upper Extremity. In Janis JE, ed. Essentials of Plastic Surgery. 2nded. Missouri: Quality Medical Pub; 2014.
- Butz DR, Fuller S, Crosby MA. Genitourinary Reconstruction. In Janis JE, ed. Essentials of Plastic Surgery. 2nded. Missouri: Quality Medical Pub; 2014.
- Fuller SM, Bindra RR. Ulnar Head Implant Arthroplasty. In Weisel SW, ed. Operative Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery. Volume 4. Pennsylvania: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2015 (Expected year of publication).
- Fuller SM, Roughton MC, Gottlieb LJ. The Inner Prepuce Flap for Penile Scald Burns. J Burn Care Res. 2014 Jul-Aug;35(4):e250-7.
- Fuller SM, Foley RT, Siu B, Glick DB. Utilizing Recorded Commands for a Bilingual Patient During Emergence From Anesthesia. Anesthesia & Analgesia. Feb 2007, Vol 104, 2S
Common Winter Injuries to the Hand & Wrist
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Specialties
Special Procedures
- Soft tissue reconstruction including skin grafts, flaps, and tissue rearrangement
- Nerve repair and decompression
- Abdominal Wall Reconstruction
- Aesthetic Surgery
- Body Lift
- Burn Reconstruction
- Cancerous Tumor Removal Of The Hand
- Correction Of Syndactyly and Polydactyly
- Cyst Removal
- Digital Nerve Repair
- Excisional Biopsy
- Fasciotomy Of Hand
- Flap Surgery
- Ganglion Cyst Removal
- Independent Medical Examination (IME)
- Lip Augmentation
- Liposuction
- Metacarpal Sequestrectomy
- Mini Abdominoplasty
- Nail Bed Surgery
- Oncologic Reconstruction
- Peripheral Nerve Surgery
- Reconstruction Of Ear
- Reconstruction Of Thumb
- Reconstructive Surgery Of The Hand
- Rejuvenation
- Skin Cancer Reconstruction
- Skin Graft
- Skin Tag Removal
- Surgery For Hidradenitis Suppurativa
- Tendon Pulley Reconstruction
- Tenolysis
- Thigh Lift Surgery
- Ulnar Nerve Surgery
- Vacuum Assisted Wound Closure
- Nerve decompression and Repair
- Plastic Surgery
- Abdominoplasty
- Amputation Of Finger
- Arm Lift
- Arthroplasty Wrist
- Body Contouring
- Breast Reduction
- Bursectomy Of Hand
- Carpal Sequestrectomy
- Cmc Thumb Arthroplasty
- Cubital Tunnel Surgery
- Dermal Fillers
- Fat Grafting
- Gynecomastia Surgery
- Hand Tendon Transfer
- Latissimus Flap
- Lipectomy
- Male Breast Reduction
- Metacarpophalangeal Fusion
- Musculocutaneous Flap
- Nerve Reconstruction
- Percutaneous Pinning
- Radial Forearm Flap
- Reconstruction Of Nose
- Reconstructive Plastic Surgery
- Rectus Flap Reconstruction
- Release Scar Contracture
- Repair Trigger Finger
- Scar Revision
- Skin Cancer Surgery
- Skin Rejuvenation
- Surgery For De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis
- Tenoplasty Of Hand
- Vacuum Assisted Closure Therapy
- Vertical Rectus Abdominis Muscle Flap
- Wound Care
Upper Extremity Procedures
- Fractures of the hand, wrist, forearm, and elbow
- Amputation Of Thumb
- Arthrodesis Of Wrist
- Arthroscopy Of Wrist
- Benign Tumor Removal Of The Hand
- Cancerous Tumor Removal Of The Hand
- Carpal Tunnel Surgery
- Fasciotomy Of Hand
- Finger Injection
- Flap Surgery
- Hand Fracture Surgery
- Hand Tendon Repair
- Joint Surgery Of The Wrist
- Minimally Invasive Surgery Of The Wrist
- Reconstruction Of Thumb
- Reconstructive Surgery Of The Hand
- Repair Mallet Finger
- Repair Trigger Thumb
- Vacuum Assisted Wound Closure
- Worker’s Compensation
- Wrist Fracture Surgery
- Wrist Reconstruction
- Nerve decompression and Repair
- Tendon Repair and Reconstruction
- Amputation Of Finger
- Arthroplasty Wrist
- Basal Joint Arthritis Surgery
- Bursectomy Of Hand
- Carpal Sequestrectomy
- Cmc Thumb Arthroplasty
- Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release
- Extensor Tendon Repair
- Fingertip Repair
- Hand Steroid Injection
- Hand Tendon Transfer
- Joint Surgery Of Hand
- Minimally Invasive Surgery Of The Hand
- Release Scar Contracture
- Repair Trigger Finger
- Synovectomy Of Wrist
- Tendon Repair Surgery
- Tenoplasty Of Hand
- Wrist Fusion
- Wrist Surgery
Education
Board Certification
- Diplomate of American Board of Plastic Surgery
Fellowship
- Hand, Upper Extremity, and Microvascular Surgery
- The Curtis National Hand Center, Baltimore, MD
Residency
- University of Chicago Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Medical School
- University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
Undergraduate
- University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN
Medical Society Memberships
- American Society for Surgery of the Hand, Active Member (ASSH)
- ASSH Young Members Steering Committee Member
- ASSH International Relations Committee Member
- Notre Dame Orthopaedic Society
Miscellaneous
- Serves on the Board of Directors for Aging Connections of Michiana
Appointment
Practice Locations
Hospital & Surgery Center Locations
- Memorial Hospital of South Bend
- Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center – Mishawaka Campus
- Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center – Plymouth Campus
- Allied Physicians Surgery Center, South Bend
- Unity Medical & Surgical Hospital – Mishawaka
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