Dr. Berish Strauch ’55, VPS’59, Pioneer in Reconstructive Surgery and Microsurgery

Dr. Berish “Bob” Strauch ’55, VPS’59, a forefather of microsurgery who developed procedures and devices to reattach or replace vital body parts, died on December 24, 2023, in Greenwich, Conn. He was 90.

Beginning in the 1970s, Strauch was at the forefront of a revolution in plastic surgery and in particular microsurgery, in which doctors use microscopes and precision instruments to sew together tiny blood vessels, nerves and ligaments. He was perhaps best known for conducting one of the first toe-to-thumb transplants and creating a procedure to reverse vasectomies that included the first inflatable prosthetic penis.

As the head of reconstructive surgery for three decades at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, he devised many surgical procedures and technologies that are now considered commonplace.

Born on September 19, 1933, Strauch grew up in the South Bronx, graduated from Bronx Science and sold encyclopedias door to door to support his undergraduate and medical education. After fellowships at Roosevelt Hospital in New York and Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif., and service in the Army, he returned to the Bronx to join the staff at Montefiore and became chief of plastic surgery in 1978. When Montefiore elevated the plastic and reconstructive surgery division into a full-fledged department in 1987, Strauch became its chair, a position he held until retiring in 2007.

Strauch spearheaded research and advancements in microsurgery and peripheral nerve surgery. After a New York City firefighter lost his thumb in 1976 and doctors were unable to reattach it, Strauch suggested something more radical: taking one of the man’s big toes and sewing it in place of the severed thumb. The surgery worked and within a few months, the firefighter was back on the job.

Strauch left an especially deep mark on the field of urology. He patented the Strauch Clamp, a device used to assist in reversing vasectomies, and invented the first inflatable penile prosthesis. He also developed techniques to remove excess skin from patients who had lost significant amounts of weight after bariatric surgery.

Strauch founded the Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery in 1982 and was its editor-in-chief for 25 years. He published numerous books and articles, including The Encyclopedia of Flaps, The Atlas of Microvascular Surgery, The Atlas of Hand Anatomy and Clinical Implications and The Encyclopedia of Body Sculpting After Massive Weight Loss.

Strauch was the first president of the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery, president and a founding member of the American Society for Peripheral Nerve, president of the International Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery and president of the New York Society for Surgery of the Hand.

Among his many professional accolades, Strauch received the New York Society of Hand Surgery Lifetime Achievement Award and the American Association of Plastic Surgeons Distinguished Fellow Award. In addition, Life magazine ran a cover story about his groundbreaking microsurgical achievements in 1979.

“Dr. Strauch was a legend in the field of microsurgery well before I trained with him in the Bronx,” said Dr. Bernard T. Lee, past president of the Plastic Surgery Foundation. “He had high expectations of his residents and always pushed us to be better. As a mentor, he influenced every important decision that I’ve made in my career and life.”

Strauch’s son, Robert J. Strauch ’82, VPS’86, a noted orthopedist, said his father never tried to influence his children’s career paths.

“He was happy if we were happy,” he said. “I can remember he had a model of a hand that came apart on his desk at home, and that’s probably what captured my imagination and steered me toward orthopedics. I’m not as artistic as he was, but it was a treat to be able to discuss cases with him. You know the saying, ‘If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life’? That was him. He loved going in and he loved doing what he did.”

Strauch was predeceased by two months by his wife of 68 years, Rena. In addition to Robert (Laura), he is survived by his daughter, Laurie (David), and seven grandchildren.

— Alex Sachare ’71