In less than a decade Dr. Ron Israeli has become one of the New York area’s most sought-after plastic surgeons, an exacting professional who in many respects is perfectly suited to his craft. For starters, Dr. Israeli, who grew up in a family of physicians, conveys uncommon personal warmth, relating to his patients in the way primary-care physicians did a generation ago. Further, while he practices general cosmetic surgery, Dr. Israeli is well known for his work in post-mastectomy breast reconstruction surgery, a specialty that brings him a unique degree of emotional satisfaction – and which has put him at the forefront of the field. Still in his early 40s, Dr. Israeli – well liked and respected by his peers – is likely to emerge as an important professional voice in the years ahead.

Dr. Israeli attended the public schools of nearby Jericho, N.Y., “something of a nerd – I mean, in eighth grade it was me and the girls who were interested in art class. It was all art and science for me.” With his father an obstetrician and his mother a psychologist, Israeli knew early on what he wanted to be. He applied to Boston University’s unique six-year program for pre-med students (more than 1,000 applied; 45 were accepted), a launch pad to a medical career. His surgical residency and a research fellowship in microsurgery were at renowned Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. “General surgery was always the way to plastic surgery – that’s not always so today.” A residency in plastic surgery followed at Massachusetts General Hospital. “I was drawn (to plastic surgery) because it requires an aesthetic sense – it was a different kind of thinking, as much right brain as left.” Besides, he adds, “it was either that or be an artist, and I didn’t want to starve.”

He returned to Long Island – its affluence and sophistication make it the Plastic Surgery Capital of the World, all agree – where he joined an established practice on Northern Boulevard in Great Neck.

Dr. Israeli has built his reputation and practice in a relatively short time. He is already regarded as a leading specialist in so-called “microsurgical free flap” breast reconstruction, allowing transplantation of living tissue and minimizing “donor site morbidity”. It’s an intricate and powerfully effective specialty. Today Dr. Israeli will handle as many as 10 new operative cases each week, usually involving body contouring or breast reconstruction. Most recently he has pioneered the use of LifeCell’s AlloDerm®, an effective additional tool in reconstructive surgeries.

Away from his office Dr. Israeli enjoys art (he is creating a sculpture studio) and traveling with his family. His wife, Dr. Nancy Lippman, is a pediatrician. They have three young children and they live on Long Island’s North Shore.

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