Jessica I. Billig

Jessica I. Billig, M.D., M.S., is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Plastic Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center, appointed in 2023. She is a dual-trained hand and upper-extremity surgeon and microsurgeon whose clinical and research efforts center on improving the delivery, affordability, and outcomes of hand care.

Education & Training

• M.D., New York University
• Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency, University of Michigan Hospital (Administrative Chief Resident)
• Fellowship in Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery, Barnes-Jewish Hospital & Washington University in St. Louis
• National Clinician Scholars Program Fellowship in Health Services Research, University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation
• M.S. in Health & Health Care Research, University of Michigan

Research Interests

Dr. Billig’s scholarly work bridges surgical subspecialty care and health-services science. She investigates how health-system factors influence patient experiences, costs, and outcomes in hand and upper-extremity surgery. Core themes include:

• Financial toxicity and catastrophic health expenditures related to surgical care
• Comparative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of operative vs. non-operative interventions
• Opioid stewardship and evidence-based prescribing patterns after common hand procedures
• Disparities in access, treatment, and outcomes across racial and socioeconomic groups
• Quality-improvement collaboratives and implementation of best-practice guidelines

Publication Trends

Across >25 peer-reviewed publications since 2021, Dr. Billig has consistently focused on real-world evidence, large-database analyses, and multi-institutional cohort studies. Her work spans high-impact journals in plastic surgery, orthopaedics, pain medicine, and health-policy, with a clear trajectory toward translational health-services research that directly informs policy and practice.

Professional Memberships & Awards

• American College of Surgeons
• American Society of Plastic Surgeons
• American Society for Surgery of the Hand
• American Association for Hand Surgery

Grants & Collaborative Networks

Dr. Billig actively collaborates within the Michigan Collaborative Hand Initiative for Quality in Surgery and similar multi-center consortia. These partnerships support her ongoing federally and institutionally funded projects aimed at reducing unwarranted variation and improving value in hand surgical care.

Laboratory & Clinical Teams

She operates within the integrated clinical and research environments of the Departments of Plastic Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery at UT Southwestern, leveraging institutional resources in health-services research, biostatistics, and quality improvement to advance her investigative agenda.