While serving as a surgical resident at Cornell Medical Center, in New York, Dr. Gary Hitzig was already suffering from a significant amount of hair loss. He had previously spent most of his summer earnings trying every hair regrowth remedy on the market. In 1974 he underwent his first hair transplant surgery. The results from these early hair transplant techniques were less than successful. In late 1975, Dr. Hitzig learned of new techniques for hair transplant surgery from an attending physician at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Institute and had his hair transplant redone successfully. Thrilled and fascinated by the possibilities of hair transplantation surgery, Dr. Hitzig committed his professional time and practice to hair restoration in 1976. For the next three years, while still a resident in pediatric reconstructive urology, Dr. Hitzig was also an associate attending in Plastic Surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York responsible for training Plastic Surgery residents in hair transplant surgery. During the mid 1980's Dr. Hitzig ran a training program for Dermatology residents at New York Hospital in hair restoration surgery.

- Rome, Italy, 5/27/03