International Medical Graduates

Matching into plastic and reconstructive surgery as an international medical graduate (IMG) can be particularly challenging. We have gathered the following resources that may aid with the process. In addition, please find a list of IMG trainees in the United States who are willing to serve as mentors to any interested IMGs.

Resources

1. Jens Urs Berli, MD is an IMG from Switzerland, who trained at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore and is currently Associate Professor as well as Residency Program Director at Oregon Health & Science University. He has matched several IMGs into his program and explains his journey and how you can learn from it in this video.
2. The American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons invited several IMGs who are currently enrolled in a plastic surgery residency program (both integrated and independent) or have completed a program to answer questions from IMGs. This video is a helpful resource that answers general questions for both PRS tracks.
3. The OPEN ACCESS article "International Medical Graduates in the US Plastic Surgery Residency: Characteristics of Successful Applicants" by George Kokokis, MD; Angelo A. Leto Barone, MD; Michael J. Grzelak, BS; Sara Alfadil, MD; Edward H. Davidson, MBChB; Scott Lifchez, MD; and Amir H. Dorafshar, MBChB discusses what will make you a good candidate in the match.
4. The article "International Medical Graduates and the Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency Match" by Jorge Lujan-Hernandez, MD; Mohamed M. Ibrahim, MD; and Peter J. Taub, MD discusses existing beliefs about international medical graduates among plastic surgeons that will help you navigate the match.
5. The article "The Black Swans: Matching in Plastic Surgery as International Medical Graduates" by Angelo A. Leto Barone, MD and George Kokosis, MD discusses the challenges IMGs face in the US system.
6. The abstracts "The Integrated Plastic Surgery Match For International Medical Graduates" and "Impact of International Medical Graduates in Academic Plastic Surgery" give a good overview of the likelihood of matching into PRS programs in the US as an IMG.
7. ASPS offers membership to medical students for $50. This allows you to gain access to educational materials, as well as Plastic Surgery The Meeting.

IMG Mentors

Malke Asaad, MD
Residency: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Country: Syria
Email: asaad.malke@gmail.com

Dr. Asaad is an incoming plastic surgery resident at the University of Pittsburgh. He is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He graduated from Aleppo Medical School in Syria and pursued one year of research at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, before joining the world-renowned cancer center at MD Anderson. His research interests are reconstructive microsurgery and surgical education. Malke is passionate about surgical education and has written several papers related to the pathway to surgical residency in the United States for international medical graduates. His YouTube channel also provides information for future residency applicants.

Darius Balumuka, MBChB
Residency: Oregon Health Science University
Country: Uganda
Email: balumuka@ohsu.edu

Dr. Balumuka is a plastic surgery resident at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, OR. He attended medical school and received an MMed in plastic surgery from Mbarara University of Science and Technology in Mbarara, Uganda. He pursued fellowship training in pediatric plastic surgery at the University of British Columbia in British Columbia, Canada. Prior to his plastic surgery training, he worked at Bugando Medical Center in Mwanza, Tanzania and in Uganda. He is a co-founder and surgical director of Upasuaji Africa, a non-profit working to improve surgical services in East Africa. Dr. Balumuka's current interests include global surgery, craniomaxillofacial surgery and surgical education.

Mimi Borelli, MBBS, MSc, BSc
Residency: Brown University
Country: United Kingdom
Email: mimi.r.borrelli@gmail.com

Dr. Borrelli is currently a plastic surgery resident at the Department of Plastic Surgery, Brown University, Rhode Island Hospital. Before starting her residency in July 2020, she spent three years as a Postdoctoral Research Scholar in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Stanford University under the guidance of Dr. Michael T. Longaker. Mimi's academic career began with her undergraduate degree in Experimental Psychology, which she undertook at the University of Bristol; she graduated with a first-class honors degree and was awarded the Richard Gregory Prize for the most innovative final year research project and a letter of congratulations for Outstanding Success in Summer Examinations. She then completed a Masters in Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London, graduating with distinction and being awarded the Shallice Prize for the best annual performance. Her "Cortical Mechanisms of Mirror Therapy after Stroke" dissertation was published in Neural Rehabilitation and Neural Repair and awarded the Editor's Choice Article in June 2016. Mimi obtained her medical degree at King's College London, where she graduated with three distinctions, and also completed the 2-year Associate of King's College degree in religious studies. Mimi has a growing passion for academic plastic surgery and aspires to be a craniofacial plastic surgeon-scientist.

Samyd Said Bustos, MD
Residency: Mayo Clinic
Country: Colombia
Email: sambuhe@gmail.com

Dr. Bustos was born in Barranquilla, Colombia. He earned his medical degree from the Pontifical Xavierian University, Faculty of Medicine, in Bogota, D.C., Colombia. During his last year of medical school, he rotated at the University of Miami and the Cleveland Clinic. Upon graduating, he pursued his interests in clinical and outcomes research of breast reconstruction, lymphedema and transgender surgery as a research fellow at the Mayo Clinic and at the University of Pittsburgh. To date, Dr. Bustos has co-authored more than 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and two book chapters and has shared his works in several meetings accounting for more than 60 presentations. Dr. Bustos' work has been recognized with two posters of distinction at the Mayo Clinic Balfour Surgery Symposium 2019, an award for publishing the top downloaded research publication in the Microsurgery Journal in 2019 and best poster at the Rita M. Patel Leadership Conference at UPMC in 2021. He is a member of several surgical societies, including the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), and a member of the PRS and PRS Global Open Residency Advisory Board. Dr. Bustos was recently matched to the Plastic Surgery-Integrated Program at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He continues to contribute to the field as a reviewer of several journals and is currently collaborating to develop a microsurgical training program in his hometown, Barranquilla, Colombia.

Liliana Camison Bravo, MD
Residency: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Country: Colombia
Email: camisonbravol@upmc.edu

Dr. Camison earned her MD from Universidad CES in her home city of Medellin, Colombia. Upon graduating, she accepted a position as a research fellow in the Craniofacial Laboratory of the Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh under the mentorship of Dr. Joseph Losee. During this time, she pursued her research interests in pediatric plastic surgery – including basic science and clinical projects in craniosynostosis, cleft lip and palate and traumatic cranial reconstruction. This was followed by an additional fellowship in the Adipose Stem Cell Center Laboratory at the same institution under the leadership of Dr. J. Peter Rubin. She has co-authored twenty peer-reviewed publications and has more than 50 presentations at regional, national and international meetings. She has continued her research endeavors as a resident, including the creation of a patent-pending process to develop cartilage-engineered implants in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University engineers (which was recently awarded first place of $100,000 in funding in the Pitt Innovation Challenge competition). Dr. Camison has a strong interest in international health and has been an active participant in surgical mission trips to Latin America and Vietnam. She began her surgical training in the Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh in July of 2017. She is married to another plastic surgeon who graduated in 2018 from the same program. They have two sweet rescued cats.

Armin Edalatpour, MD
Residency: University of Wisconsin
Country: Antigua and Barbuda
Email: aedalatpour@uwhealth.org

Dr. Edalatpour immigrated to Milwaukee, WI, from Shiraz, Iran when he was 13 years old. He went to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for his undergraduate degree and was a paramedic/EMT instructor before pursuing his medical degree from the American University of Antigua College of Medicine. After medical school, he spent a year as the first University of Wisconsin Division of Plastic Surgery research fellow. His interest in plastic surgery was initially piqued by the field's anatomic and demographic diversity, allowing for a breadth and depth of innovation. Outside the hospital, he enjoys scuba diving and fishing. After residency, he hopes to pursue a fellowship in aesthetic surgery.

Lisa Gfrerer, MD
Residency: Harvard Plastic Surgery (Mass General Brigham)
Country: Austria
Email: lgfrerer@partners.org

Dr. Gfrerer is completing her Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery training as part of the Mass General Brigham Harvard Plastic Surgery Program (Integrated Track) in 2021. She is the Resident Representative to the Board of the American Society of Plastic Surgery (ASPS) and The PSF (Plastic Surgery Foundation) and chair of the ASPS Resident and Fellows Council 2020-21. Born and raised in Carinthia, Austria, Dr. Gfrerer transitioned to Boston after graduating from the Medical University in Vienna in 2011. She completed her PhD in genetics and molecular signal transduction at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute/MUW (PI: Eric Liao, MD PhD). During residency, Dr. Gfrerer developed the Migraine Surgery Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and has built a research group with whom she conducts clinical and basic scientific projects and established research collaborations with national and international researchers. Recently, she became an affiliate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she has expanded her research focus to include peripheral nerve regeneration. Dr. Gfrerer is planning to complete a peripheral nerve fellowship next year. In the future, she is hoping to pursue an academic career in peripheral nerve surgery, research and innovation. Dr. Gfrerer has been an active and valued member of ASPS and the Migraine Surgery Society (MSS) for many years. She is passionate about promoting international exchange and diversity among plastic surgery trainees, surgeons and societies to build a global plastic surgery community in an effort to promote worldwide plastic surgery training, education, research and advocacy.

Dominic Henn, MD
Residency: University of Texas Southwestern
Country: Germany
Email: dominichenn@me.com

Dr. Henn was born in Idar-Oberstein, Germany and attended medical school in Homburg/Saar and Freiburg, Germany. After four years of integrated Plastic Surgery residency at the University of Heidelberg, BG Trauma Center Ludwigshafen, he was fortunate to be awarded a scholarship from the German Science Foundation. This enabled him to engage in postdoctoral research at Dr. Geoffrey Gurtner's lab at Stanford for 2.5 years. He is excited to continue his journey as a resident at UT Southwestern in Dallas, TX, in 2021.

C.T. Tony Huang, MBBS, MSc
Residency: Mayo Clinic
Country: Taiwan, Canada
Email: huang.chieh-tingtony@mayo.edu

Dr. Huang was born in Taipei and grew up in Vancouver. He went to McGill University in Montreal, where he obtained his Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry with a Minor in Pharmacology and Therapeutics. He subsequently pursued a Master of Science Degree at McGill University in Pharmacology and Therapeutics, examining the role of epigenetic mechanisms in epileptogenesis. After graduation, Dr. Huang ventured to Peking University Health Science Center in Beijing, China, where he completed his medical degree. Dr. Huang developed an interest in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery when he met his mentor from China Medical University Hospital in Taichung, Taiwan. Through his mentor, he met his current mentor at Mayo Clinic, where he was a postdoctoral research scholar for three years, working in the field of regenerative medicine.

Angelo Leto Barone, MD
Residency: Johns Hopkins/University of Maryland
Country: Italy
Email: aletobarone@mac.com

A native of Sicily, Italy, Dr. Barone is currently a PGY7 resident at the Johns Hopkins/University of Maryland Plastic Surgery program. He completed medical school at the University of Palermo, then performed research at the University of Southern California, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and finally at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He mostly focused his research on Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation, transplant immunology, xenotransplantation for burn treatment and adipose-derived stem cell-based tissue engineering. He has been awarded multiple large governmental grants, including an RO1 equivalent from the Italian Ministry of Health, and has been a co-investigator on Department of Defense-sponsored grants. He has invented and patented a medical device for microtia repair and nose reconstruction and co-founded a startup (ReconstratA) and a not-for-profit (Reconstruct Together) to deliver or sponsor care to children in underprivileged countries. Upon graduation, he will be joining the Cincinnati Children's Hospital team for a pediatric plastic and craniofacial surgery fellowship. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, drone photography, cooking and bodybuilding.

Jorge Lujan, MD
Residency: University of Massachusetts
Country: Mexico
Email: jorge.lujan.hdz@gmail.com

Dr. Lujan was born and raised in the northwestern part of Mexico and attended medical school at Tecnologico de Monterrey. As a student, he spent clinical rotations in top institutions in Mexico, Barcelona and the United States, including MD Anderson, Baylor, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Washington University in St. Louis and Cleveland Clinic. Prior to matching into residency, he completed plastic surgery research fellowships at Harvard/Brigham and Women's Hospital and the University of Massachusetts. He has over 40 publications and podium presentations on the topics of wound healing, burns, external tissue expansion, fat grafting, adipose-derived stem cells and education. His involvement in community outreach, especially within the Hispanic population, led him to be named one of Boston's 30 under 30 most influential Latino leaders in 2017. Dr. Lujan also advocates for medical students, particularly international medical graduates. He has published in the Annals of Plastic Surgery on the topic and developed the PRS Resident Network, a platform for medical students to find the residency program that best fits their goals. Dr. Lujan is currently a plastic surgery resident at the University of Massachusetts, and his clinical areas of interest are facial reconstruction, complex wound and burn surgery, aesthetic surgery and global health.

Zeeshan Maan, MBBS, MSc, MRCS
Residency: Stanford University
Country: United Kingdom
Email: maan@stanford.com

Dr. Maan was born in Texas but moved to California with his family at the age of five and grew up in the Bay Area. After graduating from Bellarmine College Preparatory, he moved to the United Kingdom to attend Guy's, King's and St Thomas's (GKT) School of Medicine at King's College London. After medical school, he completed his Core Surgical Training, with his final year at St Andrew's Centre for Plastic Surgery & Burns, getting a master's degree in Surgical Technology from Imperial College London, and was inducted as a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons. He then moved with his wife to California and joined the Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine as a postdoctoral research fellow under the mentorship of Dr. Geoffrey Gurtner and Dr. Michael Longaker. He investigated cellular and molecular mechanisms of regeneration and fibrosis, supported in part by the PSF Research Fellowship award. More recently, he returned to the Hagey Lab for his professional development year and launched a collaboration with the School of Engineering to develop a nanofabricated, biomimetic peripheral nerve interface capable of scar-free integration and high-resolution two-way communication between the nervous system and next-generation neuroprostheses. In the future, he hopes to work as a hand surgeon/scientist and translate this work into treatment options for his patients. In his free time, Dr. Maan enjoys spending time with his family, including his son, hiking, archery, investing and learning golf.

Alireza Najafian, MD
Residency: Oregon Health Science University
Country: Iran
Email: alirezanajafian@gmail.com

Born and raised in Isfahan, Iran, Dr. Najafian graduated from Isfahan School of Medicine and worked as a general physician for two years. He then moved to the United States in 2013 and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in the Johns Hopkins Department of Surgery. He started his general surgery residency at Johns Hopkins in 2016 and then transferred to Oregon Health Science University to continue training in plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Nelson Rodriguez-Unda, MD
Residency: Baylor Scott & White (Texas A&M)
Country: Ecuador
Email: nelson.rodriguezunda@bswhealth.org

Dr. Rodriguez-Unda has two last names, one from each parent, as is done in the Hispanic tradition. He was born in southern Ecuador in the small town of Loja. Early exposure to the European culture as an exchange student in high school in Germany increased his curiosity to understand people from around the globe. As he moved to a new country for medical school in Santiago de Chile, Chile, he kept in touch with the IFMSA group. Dr. Rodriguez-Unda moved to the United States for residency training and has lived in Houston, Baltimore, Philadelphia and, more recently, Temple, TX.

Charalampos "Harry" Siotos, MD, PhD
Residency: Rush University Medical Center
Country: Greece
Email: charalampos_siotos@rush.edu

Dr. Siotos is the chief resident of the integrated plastic and reconstructive surgery program at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Born and raised in Athens, Greece, he attended the prestigious medical school of the University of Athens, where he completed his MD and PhD and graduated with honors. He subsequently pursued a post-doctoral research fellowship at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore before joining the residency program at Rush University. He continued his research endeavors during residency and is consistently recognized as one of the most published and cited authors in plastic surgery on Doximity. Dr. Siotos has been awarded multiple recognitions and grants, including the Johns Hopkins Diversity Leadership Award, The Plastic Surgery Foundation (The PSF) Clinical Research Award and The PSF Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Research Grant. He is a valued member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and has contributed to the society, serving on committees and via the Residents and Fellows Forum (RFF). More recently, he was appointed resident delegate of the RFF to ASPS. He has also served as resident editor of the Plastic Surgery Resident journal. Dr. Siotos is committed to plastic surgery diversity and education and is invested in the mentorship of junior colleagues and medical students.

Ruth Tevlin, MB BAO BCh, MRCSI, MD
Residency: Stanford University
Country: Ireland
Email: rtevlin@stanford.edu

Dr. Tevlin was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. She attended medical school at University College Dublin and completed Basic Surgical Training with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. She was awarded a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Longaker at Stanford University. There, she investigated skeletal stem and progenitor cell characterization and their activation in the setting of injury and disease. During her research fellowship, Dr. Tevlin developed a passion for academic plastic surgery and the ability to improve patient care through research and innovation. Her research led to funding from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons and an Excellence in Research Award from the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Tevlin commenced plastic surgery residency training with Stanford Plastic Surgery in 2017 and continues to enjoy excellent education in all facets of plastic surgery. During her professional development year, she was awarded a Resident Research Fellowship from ASPS to support her research on reconstructive surgery. She looks forward to a future career in academic surgery and would love to engage with medical graduates from diverse backgrounds to help them on their plastic surgery career path.