Prioritizing Mental Health in Medicine: A Message for Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month: a time to center the often-overlooked truth that mental well-being is essential, not optional, especially for those in medicine.

At the Arthur L. Garnes Society (ALGS), we support students, residents, and physicians from historically underrepresented backgrounds in plastic and reconstructive surgery. We know that becoming a doctor is demanding—intellectually, physically, and emotionally.

But for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and other minority groups in medicine, the path can be even more isolating. The weight of expectations, systemic inequities, cultural barriers, and internalized pressure can silently erode mental health.

And too often, the culture of medicine treats burnout, anxiety, or imposter syndrome as individual shortcomings — instead of signs that the system itself must do better.

You Are Not Alone

If you are navigating long hours, internal doubt, or the exhaustion of being “the only one,” know this:

You are not alone.

You are not invisible.

And you are not weak for needing rest, help, or space.

Mental wellness is not separate from professional success—it’s foundational to it. Prioritizing your mental health is how we lead, how we heal, and how we ensure this field remains diverse, excellent, and sustainable.

How ALGS Supports Mental Health Through Community and Mentorship

At ALGS, our mission is rooted in mentorship, opportunity, and community—three powerful buffers against the mental toll of exclusion and overextension. Through initiatives like our PREPPED Program, mentorship networks, lectureship endowments, and pipeline support for URiM students, we create spaces of belonging. And belonging is protective.

These programs, highlighted on our Impact and Resources pages, are designed not only to build careers—but to support the whole person behind the white coat. Whether it’s the confidence gained from a supportive mentor, the validation found in shared stories, or the courage sparked at a community event, ALGS programs actively uplift the mental health of our members.

We’re Committed to Breaking the Stigma

This Mental Health Awareness Month, we reaffirm our commitment to:

• Destigmatizing conversations about stress, burnout, and emotional health

• Creating a mentorship culture that encourages vulnerability, not just performance

• Designing programs that address well-being alongside academic and clinical success

• Sharing accessible tools for navigating mental health challenges in medicine

Your brilliance, your background, and your being all matter.

This May—and every month—let’s build a culture of medicine where no one has to choose between professional excellence and mental well-being.

At the Garnes Society, we believe you deserve both. Support our mission, become a member today!