Samuel J. Lin

Dr. Samuel J. Lin is board certified by both the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. He is Director of Aesthetic Surgery at the Beth Israel Deconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Chief of Plastic Surgery at  BID-Needham Hospital, and an Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. He is an attending Plastic Surgeon with Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at BIDMC and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston.

Dr. Lin is the Program Director of the Integrated BIDMC Harvard Plastic Surgery Residency Program and co-director of the Harvard Aesthetic and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery Fellowship at BIDMC, sponsored by the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).

Since January 2026, Dr. Lin has served as Editor-in-Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the flagship journal for plastic surgery. 

Dr. Lin graduated from medical school in 1998 and has been practicing plastic surgery in the Boston area since 2007.

Dr. Lin's research spans both basic and clinical research, with a particular interests in nerve rehabilitation, rhinoplasty, breast reconstruction, body contouring after weight loss, and general reconstruction. He collaborates with engineers, scientists, and other plastic surgeons at institutions across New England, the United States, and internationally.

He has published extensively in the plastic surgery adn otolaryngology literature and serves as a reviewer for multiple peer-reviewed journals. He is the editor of several medical textbooks, including, Aesthetic Head and Neck Surgery, Atlas of Body Contouring After Weight Loss, Neck Rejuvenation, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Pearls of Wisdom (First, Second, and Third Editions).

Dr. Lin was awarded the American Association of Plastic Surgeons (AAPS) Academic Scholar Award. Dr. Lin is deeply committed to mentoring medical students, residents, and fellows (national and international) who rotate in the Division of Plastic Surgery at BIDMC. In recognition of his efforts, Dr. Lin was awarded the Harvard Medical School Mentoring Award, through a special nomination process that is sent out to all Harvard faculty members, house officers, fellows, and students.

Dr. Lin is the past executive director of the Harvard Surgical Program in Innovation (SPIN) course for residents passionate about becoming a surgeon-innovator. Use this link to learn more: Harvard SPIN