Merisa Piper, MD
Assistant Professor
Surgery
School of Medicine

Piper's research focuses on improving outcomes after breast reconstruction, particularly after microsurgery and oncoplastic surgery, which combines tumor removal with reconstruction. She is interested in how the timing of breast reconstruction and various interventions may affect the development or prevention of capsular contracture (the body naturally encapsulates a synthetic implant, and the capsule sometimes shrinks and causes discomfort). She also studies how to improve outcomes in patients who have had tumor removal in combination with breast reconstruction.

Piper earned her medical degree from the University of California, Irvine. She completed a combined general surgery and plastic surgery residency at UCSF. During her residency, she spent one year investigating breast reconstruction outcomes and developing a phase II clinical trial, a study that examines a treatment's efficacy and safety. She then completed a fellowship in microsurgery at the University of Pennsylvania.

Piper has authored more than 25 papers and presented her work nationally and internationally. She is a breast section editor for Annals of Plastic Surgery and a guest reviewer for four scientific journals.

In her free time, Piper enjoys running, swimming, baking and being with her husband and two kids.

• The impact of post-mastectomy radiation timing on overall outcomes of autologous free-flap breast reconstruction.
  Microsurgery 2023 Parmeshwar N, Barnes L, Martins D, Nicholas C, Piper M
• Reviewing the Impact of Topical and Intravenous Tranexamic Acid Use in Breast Plastic Surgery.
  Annals of plastic surgery 2023 Parmeshwar N, Mehta SR, Piper M
• Modifiable Post-Mastectomy Radiation Therapy Factors and Impact on Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction Outcomes.
  Plastic and reconstructive surgery 2023 Barnes LL, Chew J, Lem M, Park C, Yang JC, Prionas N, Piper M
• Evaluation of Microvascular Autologous Breast Reconstruction in Patients Older Than 60 Years.
  Annals of plastic surgery 2023 Parmeshwar N, Barnes LL, Dugan CL, Patterson AK, Lem M, Piper M
• Relationship between Body Mass Index and Outcomes in Microvascular Abdominally Based Autologous Breast Reconstruction.
  Plastic and reconstructive surgery 2023 Barnes LL, Lem M, Patterson A, Segal R, Holland MC, Lentz R, Sbitany H, Piper M
• Immediate Versus Delayed-Immediate Autologous Breast Reconstruction After Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy.
  Annals of plastic surgery 2023 Barnes LL, Patterson A, Lem M, Holland MC, Lentz R, Sbitany H, Piper ML
• Long-Term Outcomes in Prepectoral versus Subpectoral Two-Stage Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction after Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy.
  Plastic and reconstructive surgery 2023 Alcon A, Rosser M, Gedallovich J, Foster RD, Sbitany H, Piper ML
• Expanding Candidacy for Nipple-sparing Mastectomy in Women with Large or Ptotic Breasts: Staged Reconstruction Outcomes.
  Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open 2023 Barnes LL, Foster R, Mukhtar RA, Esserman LJ, Ewing C, Alvarado M, Wong J, Piper M
• Safety of Incision Placement with Nipple-sparing Mastectomy and Immediate Prepectoral Breast Reconstruction.
  Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open 2023 Holland M, Wallace A, Viner J, Sbitany H, Piper M
• Prepectoral Breast Reconstruction Reduces Opioid Consumption and Pain After Mastectomy: A Head-to-Head Comparison With Submuscular Reconstruction.
  Annals of plastic surgery 2022 Holland M, Su P, Piper M, Withers J, Harbell MW, Bokoch MP, Sbitany H
• Surgical Skills Coaches: Preparing for a peer-assisted learning model to train medical students in surgical skills.
  American journal of surgery 2022 Kim EK, Conroy PC, Johnson CL, Kelly Y, O'Sullivan PS, Chern H, Piper ML
• A novel microsurgical reconstruction technique in a living-related liver donor hepatic artery dissection using the native hepatic artery.
  American journal of transplantation : official journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons 2022 Sitta R, Roberts J, Gardner J, Ascher N, Piper M
• Direct-to-Implant Versus 2-Stage Breast Reconstruction: Which Technique Is Better? An Analysis of 104 Patients at a Single Institution.
  Annals of plastic surgery 2022 Piper ML, Rios-Diaz AJ, Kimia R, Cunning J, Broach R, Wu L, Serletti J, Fosnot J
• The Impact of a Single Dual-Trained Surgeon in the Management of Mastectomy and Reconstruction.
  Plastic and reconstructive surgery 2022 Piper ML, Nathan S, Henderson S, Lee A, Broach RB, Kozak G, Davis H, Wu LC
• Diagnosis and Treatment of Lymphatic Complications of the Groin Following Open Lower Extremity Revascularization with Plastic Surgery Closure.
  Annals of vascular surgery 2021 Wallace AB, Kim EA, Holland M, Lee S, Orringer M, Piper ML, Hansen SL
• Prophylactic Muscle Flaps in Primary Vascular Procedures of the Groin.
  Annals of vascular surgery 2021 Wallace AB, Piper ML, Holland M, Lee S, Orringer M, Eichler C, Kim EA, Hansen SL
• Evaluation of Dual-port versus Single-port Tissue Expanders in Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction.
  Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open 2021 Parmeshwar N, Piper M, Viner J, Foster R, Kim EA
• Positive margins after mastectomy in patients with invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast: Incidence and management strategies.
  American journal of surgery 2021 Hewitt KC, Miller P, Piper M, Prionas N, Son JD, Alvarado M, Esserman LJ, Wong JM, Ewing C, Mukhtar RA
• A Systematic Review of the Utility of Indocyanine Angiography in Autologous Breast Reconstruction.
  Annals of plastic surgery 2021 Parmeshwar N, Sultan SM, Kim EA, Piper ML
• Quantifying the Psychosocial Benefits of Masculinizing Mastectomy in Trans Male Patients with Patient-Reported Outcomes: The University of California, San Francisco, Gender Quality of Life Survey.
  Plastic and reconstructive surgery 2021 Alcon A, Kennedy A, Wang E, Piper M, Loeliger K, Admassu N, Lentz R, Kim EA
• Assessment of Arm Volume Using a Tape Measure Versus a 3D Optical Scanner in Survivors with Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema.
  Lymphatic research and biology 2021 Mastick J, Smoot BJ, Paul SM, Kober KM, Cooper BA, Madden LK, Conley YP, Dixit N, Hammer MJ, Fu MR, Piper M, Cate SP, Shepherd J, Miaskowski C
• A world-wide survey on kidney transplantation practices in breast cancer survivors: The need for new management guidelines.
  American journal of transplantation : official journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons 2021 Hansen KS, Ghersin H, Piper M, Tavakol M, Lee B, Esserman LJ, Roberts JP, Freise C, Ascher NL, Mukhtar RA
• Laparoscopy allows the harvest of the DIEP flap with shorter fascial incisions as compared to endoscopic harvest: A single surgeon retrospective cohort study.
  Journal of plastic, reconstructive & aesthetic surgery : JPRAS 2020 Shakir S, Spencer AB, Piper M, Kozak GM, Soriano IS, Kanchwala SK
• Developing Human Skin Contains Lymphocytes Demonstrating a Memory Signature.
  Cell reports. Medicine 2020 Dhariwala MO, Karthikeyan D, Vasquez KS, Farhat S, Weckel A, Taravati K, Leitner EG, Clancy S, Pauli M, Piper ML, Cohen JN, Ashouri JF, Lowe MM, Rosenblum MD, Scharschmidt TC
• Oncological Outcomes of Total Skin-Sparing Mastectomy for Invasive Lobular Carcinoma of the Breast: A 20-Year Institutional Experience.
  Annals of surgical oncology 2020 Son JD, Piper M, Hewitt K, Alvarado M, Esserman LJ, Ewing C, Wong JM, Mukhtar RA
• Minimally invasive robotic-assisted harvest of the deep inferior epigastric perforator flap for autologous breast reconstruction.
  Journal of plastic, reconstructive & aesthetic surgery : JPRAS 2020 Piper M, Ligh CA, Shakir S, Messa C, Soriano I, Kanchwala S
• A Bipedicled Flap for Closure of the Anterolateral Thigh Flap Donor Site.
  Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open 2020 Piper ML, Stranix JT, Bast JH, Kovach SJ
• A Critical Analysis of Prosthetic Augmentation of Autologous Microvascular Breast Reconstruction.
  Annals of plastic surgery 2020 Piper ML, Lentz R, Gomez-Sanchez C, Withers J, Hu A, Sbitany H
• Attributes of Perforator Flaps for Prophylatic Soft Tissue Augmentation Prior to Definitive Total Knee Arthroplasty.
  Journal of reconstructive microsurgery 2019 Azoury SC, Stranix JT, Piper M, Kovach SJ, Hallock GG
• Medial Femoral Condyle Free Flap Reconstruction of Complex Foot and Ankle Pathology.
  Foot & ankle orthopaedics 2019 Stranix JT, Piper ML, Azoury SC, Kozak G, Ben-Amotz O, Wapner KL, Levin LS
• Success rates of re-excision after positive margins for invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast.
  NPJ breast cancer 2019 Piper ML, Wong J, Fahrner-Scott K, Ewing C, Alvarado M, Esserman LJ, Mukhtar RA
• Development and Validation of a Nipple-Specific Scale for the BREAST-Q to Assess Patient-Reported Outcomes following Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy.
  Plastic and reconstructive surgery 2019 Peled AW, Amara D, Piper ML, Klassen AF, Tsangaris E, Pusic AL
• The "Dual-Plane" DIEP Flap: Measuring the Effects of Superficial Arterial and Venous Flow Augmentation on Clinical Outcomes.
  Journal of reconstructive microsurgery 2019 Sbitany H, Lentz R, Piper M
• Prepectoral Breast Reconstruction in the Setting of Postmastectomy Radiation Therapy: An Assessment of Clinical Outcomes and Benefits.
  Plastic and reconstructive surgery 2019 Sbitany H, Gomez-Sanchez C, Piper M, Lentz R
• Breast Conservation and Negative Margins in Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: The Impact of Oncoplastic Surgery and Shave Margins in 358 Patients.
  Annals of surgical oncology 2018 Mukhtar RA, Wong J, Piper M, Zhu Z, Fahrner-Scott K, Mamounas M, Sbitany H, Alvarado M, Foster R, Ewing C, Esserman L
• Commentary on: The Nasal Ligaments and Tip Support in Rhinoplasty: An Anatomical Study.
  Aesthetic surgery journal 2018 Gruber RP, Piper M, Chang J
• Commentary on: Medial Osteoectomy as a Routine Procedure in Rhinoplasty: Six-Year Experience with an Innovative Technique.
  Aesthetic plastic surgery 2018 Gruber RP, Chang J, Piper M
• Correction of Breast Animation Deformity following Prosthetic Breast Reconstruction.
  Plastic and reconstructive surgery 2017 Lentz RB, Piper ML, Gomez-Sanchez C, Sbitany H
• Autologous Fat Grafting as a Novel Antiestrogen Vehicle for the Treatment of Breast Cancer.
  Plastic and reconstructive surgery 2017 Thomas S, Chen S, Sbitany H, Kwon E, Piper M, Park J, Terranova Barberio M, Pawlowska N, Munster PN
• Prepectoral Breast Reconstruction: A Safe Alternative to Submuscular Prosthetic Reconstruction following Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy.
  Plastic and reconstructive surgery 2017 Sbitany H, Piper M, Lentz R
• Characterizing infections in prosthetic breast reconstruction: A validity assessment of national health databases.
  Journal of plastic, reconstructive & aesthetic surgery : JPRAS 2017 Piper ML, Roussel LO, Koltz PF, Wang F, Singh K, Chin R, Sbitany H, Langstein HN
• Immediate Reconstruction for Plantar Melanoma: A Paradigm Shift.
  Annals of plastic surgery 2017 Oliver-Allen H, Piper M, Vaughn C, Sbitany H
• An Innovative Risk-Reducing Approach to Postmastectomy Radiation Delivery after Autologous Breast Reconstruction.
  Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open 2017 Piper ML, Evangelista M, Amara D, Daar D, Foster RD, Fowble B, Sbitany H
• Do Prolonged Prophylactic Antibiotics Reduce the Incidence of Surgical-Site Infections in Immediate Prosthetic Breast Reconstruction?
  Plastic and reconstructive surgery 2016 Wang F, Chin R, Piper M, Esserman L, Sbitany H
• The Novel Application of Genomic Profiling Assays to Shorten Inactive Status for Potential Kidney Transplant Recipients With Breast Cancer.
  American journal of transplantation : official journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons 2016 Mukhtar RA, Piper ML, Freise C, Van't Veer LJ, Baehner FL, Esserman LJ
• Axillary Web Syndrome: Current Understanding and New Directions for Treatment.
  Annals of plastic surgery 2016 Piper M, Guajardo I, Denkler K, Sbitany H
• Outcomes Following Oncoplastic Reduction Mammoplasty: A Systematic Review.
  Annals of plastic surgery 2016 Piper ML, Esserman LJ, Sbitany H, Peled AW
• Distraction Osteogenesis of Multiple Ribs for the Treatment of Acquired Thoracic Dystrophy.
  Pediatrics 2016 Piper ML, Delrosario L, Hoffman WY
• Pediatric lower extremity sarcoma reconstruction: A review of limb salvage procedures and outcomes.
  Journal of plastic, reconstructive & aesthetic surgery : JPRAS 2015 Piper M, Irwin C, Sbitany H
• Comparison of Mammographic Findings Following Oncoplastic Mammoplasty and Lumpectomy Without Reconstruction.
  Annals of surgical oncology 2015 Piper M, Peled AW, Sbitany H, Foster RD, Esserman LJ, Price ER
• Oncoplastic breast surgery: current strategies.
  Gland surgery 2015 Piper M, Peled AW, Sbitany H
• Total skin-sparing mastectomy: a systematic review of oncologic outcomes and postoperative complications.
  Annals of plastic surgery 2013 Piper M, Peled AW, Foster RD, Moore DH, Esserman LJ
• Impairment of central leptin-mediated PI3K signaling manifested as hepatic steatosis independent of hyperphagia and obesity.
  Cell metabolism 2011 Warne JP, Alemi F, Reed AS, Varonin JM, Chan H, Piper ML, Mullin ME, Myers MG, Corvera CU, Xu AW
• Functional role of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 upregulation in hypothalamic leptin resistance and long-term energy homeostasis.
  Diabetes 2010 Reed AS, Unger EK, Olofsson LE, Piper ML, Myers MG, Xu AW
• Functional role of c-Jun-N-terminal kinase in feeding regulation.
  Endocrinology 2009 Unger EK, Piper ML, Olofsson LE, Xu AW
• Specific physiological roles for signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 in leptin receptor-expressing neurons.
  Molecular endocrinology (Baltimore, Md.) 2007 Piper ML, Unger EK, Myers MG, Xu AW