For more than three decades, Dr Gregory Rauscher has been one of the leading cosmetic and reconstructive surgeons in the region - indeed, in the nation. Wise and generous, Dr. Rauscher possesses all the best traits of a leader in his field. Steadiness, restraint and a commitment to constant improvement are his greatest goals, peers say.

Now in his 60s, the Englewood native's own career has evolved with the fast-changing field itself. Today he is widely regarded as an authority on plastic surgery techniques and is well known in the national community of surgeons.

A philosophy and biology major in college, and competitive in ways few can imagine, Dr. Rauscher scored the second-highest medical-school entrance exam score in the nation in 1968 ("I was annoyed I didn't get the highest"). Medical accomplishment was in his family: His uncle, a Rockefeller Institute researcher, isolated a leukemia strain now known as the Rauscher Virus ("Thank God it's found only in mice").

Rauscher excelled in medical school, accelerating straight into a residency in surgery. He performed major surgeries, including open-heart operations, but was drawn to plastic surgery in no small part for the aesthetic satisfaction. In 1979, he performed one of the first successful reattachments of a thumb. He later founded the region's first special replantation surgical unit at Hackensack University Medical Center, and founded a second at University Hospital in Newark.

Over the years Rauscher has performed all types of cosmetic and reconstructive procedures on thousands of patients. Many of his patients regard their surgeries as turning points in their lives; he receives dozens of testimonials from patients each month. (One thank-you note: "You are amazing at what you do and you have the most genuine, kind nature.")

Dr. Rauscher's well appointed office is located in Hackensack Medical Center's medical building. When he has the time, Dr. Rauscher enjoys tennis and skiing. He lives with his wife, Irene, in Park Ridge, New Jersey. They have four sons.