Dr. Christine Stewart has known that she wanted to be a physician since the first grade. While the rest of her classmates cringed and gasped during a video of an open-heart surgery during science class, she found herself transfixed and fascinated by how the heart works. Her weekly trip to the public library soon filled her bookbag with illustrated anatomy books instead of popular children’s books. Her mother soon found herself reading passages about the skeletal system aloud at bedtime instead of fairytales. This infatuation with the human body and how it functions quickly evolved into a passion which sharply steered the course of Christine’s life towards a career in medicine.

Background

While many aspiring physicians follow an undergraduate course of study that is biology focused, Dr. Stewart decided to major in engineering. She believed that understanding the technology behind the instrumentation she would be using in the operating room, and the mathematics behind our physiology would uniquely prepare her to be an innovative surgeon in the future. Dr. Stewart graduated on the Dean’s List from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor with a Bachelor of Science and Engineering in Biomedical Engineering and continued on at the university to also obtain her Masters of Science in Engineering with a Biomedical Engineering Concentration in Biofluid Mechanics.

Next, Dr. Stewart’s educational pathway took her to the University of Minnesota School of Medicine where she completed both her Doctor of Medicine and her residency in Integrated Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. During her time at the university, Dr. Stewart acted as the student representative for Women in Surgery and a resident representative on the Program Education Committee.

Dr. Stewart is fascinated with the complexity and challenges of how the field of plastic surgery blends mathematics, engineering, surgical skill, and artistry. But, her motivation to achieve exceptional results is purely patient-driven. She believes that plastic surgery can transform lives – that through the correction or enhancement of one’s features, hope and confidence are restored. In essence, that plastic surgery can enrich a patient’s quality of life.

Residency

• University of Minnesota
• Integrated Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery