Establishing a Dedicated Body Contouring Fellowship: Rationale, Structure, and a Framework for Subspecialty Training

Body contouring surgery has evolved into a complex area of plastic surgery that integrates aesthetic judgment, reconstructive planning, post-bariatric patient optimization, staged operative decision making, and long-term complication management. Despite increasing demand for post-massive weight loss and aesthetic body contouring procedures, dedicated fellowship pathways remain limited internationally, with most training embedded within broader aesthetic surgery fellowships. We describe the establishment of the Aesthetic and Reconstructive/Post-Massive Weight Loss Body Contouring Surgery Fellowship at Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar, a structured 2 years program designed for graduates of plastic surgery residency programs seeking advanced clinical, operative, academic, and leadership experience in body contouring surgery. The fellowship includes progressive operative responsibility, multidisciplinary exposure, formal didactics, journal clubs, morbidity and mortality review, research, clinical audit, workplace-based assessment, and competency-based promotion. By comparing this model with existing international programs, particularly the University of Pittsburgh body contouring fellowship, we propose a practical framework for institutions seeking to develop dedicated body contouring training pathways. This model may be particularly relevant for regions where obesity, bariatric surgery, and post-weight-loss deformities are increasingly encountered but where formalized subspecialty training opportunities remain limited. Level of Evidence: 5 (Therapeutic).