Flavio Malcher, MD

My father is an obstetrician–gynecologist, but as a teenager I was more interested in mathematics and physics. I thought about pursuing those fields, but right before college graduation I chose to go to medical school. It was a last-minute decision, but after making it I knew I wanted to be a surgeon. When there’s a medical problem, I like to quickly see the results of a procedure to resolve it, and surgery lets me do that.

I arrived at NYU Langone in 2021 to create a center for abdominal core health. At the center, my colleagues and I focus on creating thorough treatment plans for people who have a hernia or problems of the abdominal wall. This means we not only perform surgery but prepare patients for the procedure and closely follow their recovery afterward.

To prepare for surgery, people may need to lose weight, receive treatment for another coexisting condition such as diabetes, or quit smoking with the assistance of a tobacco cessation program. After surgery, we see people at follow-up appointments to make sure they are healing properly. We also refer them to physical therapy to strengthen their core muscles.

Typically, surgeons performed open surgery to correct hernias, but minimally invasive approaches are increasingly being used. In the last few years, the vast majority of the people I have treated for a hernia have had robotic-assisted surgery. This approach results in smaller incisions, less bleeding, and faster recovery. Open surgery is still used when soft tissue reconstruction is necessary.

I partner with plastic and reconstructive surgeons to ensure that any concerns regarding the skin, muscles, and other tissue are thoroughly addressed during a hernia or abdominal wall procedure.

In addition to my work as a surgeon, I am active in clinical and quality improvement research. Doctors at our center closely track our surgical results to see how well we are adopting new technologies and to identify areas in which we can improve. We are always reassessing these results and are part of the Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative national database, which tracks the outcomes of abdominal surgery at medical institutions around the country.

I am also the treasurer of the American Hernia Society and have published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles. I have presented at national and international medical meetings on abdominal core health.