Garnes Society Announces 2025 PSTM Travel Scholarship Recipients

The Arthur L. Garnes Society has announced the recipients of its 2025 PSTM Travel Scholarships, awarding support to seven medical students and one resident in what leaders describe as a record-breaking year of applications. The awards will allow these young surgeons-in-training to attend Plastic Surgery The Meeting 2025, the largest gathering in the specialty, set for Oct. 9–12 in New Orleans.

The 2025 recipients are:

• Kassandra Carrion – SUNY Downstate College of Medicine, MS3. Carrion is interested in general cosmetic surgery, microsurgery, craniofacial surgery, and breast reconstruction.

• Aniekanabasi Ime Ufot, MS – University of Wisconsin–School of Medicine and Public Health, MS4. Ufot’s interests span general cosmetic surgery, microsurgery, lower extremity reconstruction, hand surgery, craniofacial surgery, and breast reconstruction.

• Jordan Johnson – Meharry Medical College, Research Fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Johnson is pursuing interests in general cosmetic surgery and breast reconstruction.

• Alexander Argame – Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, UCLA Research Fellow. Argame is focused on microsurgery and craniofacial surgery.

• Claudy Sarpong – Loma Linda University School of Medicine, MS3. Sarpong is interested in general cosmetic surgery, microsurgery, lower extremity reconstruction, hand surgery, craniofacial surgery, and breast reconstruction.

• Briana Griffin – Meharry Medical College, Johns Hopkins Research Fellow. Griffin’s primary focus is breast reconstruction.

• Dr. Juan Medina Morell – Centro Médico Episcopal San Lucas, General Surgery, PGY-4. Dr. Medina Morell is interested in general cosmetic surgery, microsurgery, and breast reconstruction.

• Michael Hernandez – University of Minnesota Medical School, University of Pittsburgh Research Fellow. Hernandez is focused on craniofacial surgery.

The Society, founded to increase representation and opportunity in plastic and reconstructive surgery, says the scholarships are about more than covering the costs of travel and registration. They are about opening doors at a critical moment in a student or resident’s career — making it possible to present research, meet mentors, and begin building the professional networks that shape a future in medicine.

“Supporting these scholars is not just about funding travel—it’s about opening doors, building networks, and shaping a more inclusive future for plastic surgery,” said Dr. Derek Banyard, Executive Director of the Arthur L. Garnes Society.

In New Orleans, the Garnes Society will be highly visible. On Oct. 11, it will host its annual networking reception, bringing together members, donors, and this year’s scholarship class.

Earlier that same evening, in collaboration with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Society will present the Ferdinand Ofodile Diversity Lecture, “Uncommon Journeys in Plastic Surgery: Senior Perspectives,” featuring Dr. Armstrong and Dr. Phillips. The lecture has become a highlight of the meeting, underscoring the importance of resilience and representation in the specialty.

The Society is also raising $100,000 to endow the lecture permanently, ensuring its place at PSTM for years to come. It is a step that reflects ALGS’s conviction that diversity and equity are not side notes to excellence in surgery but essential to it.

For the eight recipients traveling to New Orleans, the scholarships are both recognition and responsibility: a chance to step into the nation’s biggest stage for their field, and to carry forward the Society’s mission of expanding access, mentorship, and opportunity—one student, one mentor, one match at a time.