LEWISTON - A Lewiston plastic surgeon recently presented the results of a study he conducted to a national medical organization.

Dr. Steven C. Bonawitz of Central Maine Plastic Surgery presented a paper titled "Free Tissue Transfer In Private Practice: Experience With 100 Patients" at the annual meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons held recently in Baltimore.

The study reviewed his work in performing microsurgical tissue reconstruction using skin taken from "donor sites" on the patient's own body. The technique has many applications including breast reconstruction after mastectomy, closure of wounds in trauma patients and management of chronic wounds resistant to other treatments. All the 100 patients and 107 procedures were done in local medical centers.

A member of the Lewiston-Auburn medical community since 1994, Bonawitz completed a fellowship in craniofacial surgery with the Department of Plastic Surgery at Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the State University of New York in Albany, N.Y., he was awarded his medical degree from the State University of New York Health Science Center at Syracuse College of Medicine in Syracuse, N.Y. He served a general surgery residency with the Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh, where he was presented the Dunmire Award for being the outstanding surgery resident. He completed a two-year plastic surgery residency with the University of Rochester Medical Center Department of Plastic Surgery in Rochester, N.Y. Bonawitz is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

He practices in association with Dr. Neysan Bayat at Central Maine Plastic Surgery at 287 Main St., Suite 302, in Lewiston. The office may be reached at 795-6543.