The STS Looking to the Future Scholarship program is a best-in-class education and workforce development program that helps general surgery residents and medical students pursue careers in cardiothoracic surgery. STS works directly with the country’s most talented residents and students from diverse backgrounds and provides education and mentorship to help them navigate this exciting and complex medical specialty. 

The primary goal of the scholarship is to provide mentorship for the best and brightest medical students or general surgery residents in hopes of encouraging them to pursue careers in cardiothoracic surgery.

Since 2006, 845 aspiring cardiothoracic surgeons have received LTTF scholarships.

2024 LTTF Medical Student Recipients

Oluwamuyiwa Adebayo, Rush University - Rush Medical College 

Anderson Amador Corea, Drexel University College of Medicine - Philadelphia 

Grace Patrice Anyetei-Anum, Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine (Minnesota) 

Batool Barodi, Central Michigan University 

Parnia Behinaein, Wayne State University School of Medicine 

Meredith Brown, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University 

Jessica Carducci, University of Michigan 

Samantha Colon, CUNY School of Medicine 

Michael Denning, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University 

Augustine Kang, Stanford University School of Medicine 

Shineui Kim, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA 

Joiliana Lecointe, Meharry Medical College 

Renxi Li, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences 

Cassidy Lounsbury, University of Tennessee Health Science Center 

Jean-Luc Maigrot, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine 

Arian Mansur, Harvard Medical School 

Crystal McLeod, University of British Columbia 

Meagan McNicholas, Carle Illinois College of Medicine 

Ekene Nwajei, University of Toronto 

Hecong Qin, The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine 

Kavya Rajesh, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons 

Siddhartha Sahai, Albany Medical College 

Shane Scott, The Ohio State University College of Medicine 

Maximilian Selbst, McGovern Medical School at University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston). 

Betemariam Sharew, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine 

Catherine Stauber, Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin 

Ali Syed, Medical College of Wisconsin - Milwaukee 

Lauren Tatina, University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine 

Andrew Vogel, Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine 

Tarik Whitham, Northeast Ohio Medical University 

2024 LTTF General Surgery Resident Recipients

Adeel Ahmad, MD, Sparrow/Michigan State University 

Raza Ahmad, MD, Atrium Health/Carolinas Medical Center 

Debolina Banerjee, MD, Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital 

Alison Baskin, MD, University of California San Francisco 

Christina Boutros, DO, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center/Case Western Reserve University 

Blake Bulard, MD, University of South Florida 

Rolando Calderon, MD, Mayo Clinic Rochester 

Philip Coffey, MD, Augusta University Medical College of Georgia 

Kelly Drozdowicz, MD, New York University Grossman School of Medicine - Manhattan Campus 

Madison Grasty, MD, MS, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania 

Tyler Holm, MD, University of Mississippi Medical Center 

Bright Huo, MD, McMaster University 

Marie Jacobs, MD, University of Rochester 

John (Asher) Jenkins, MD, Mayo Clinic-Arizona 

Phillip Jenkins, MD, Oregon Health Sciences University 

Bayley Jones, MD, University of Texas Southwestern 

SunYoung Kim, MD, New York Medical College - Metropolitan Hospital Center 

Katherine Lin, MD, Mayo Clinic Rochester 

Odelle Ma, MD, University of Alberta 

Uzoma Okere, MD, MPH, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center 

Dominic Recco, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center 

Shanique Ries, MD, Howard University Hospital 

Yaiel G. Rodríguez-Avilés, MD, Hospital Episcopal San Lucas/Ponce School of Medicine 

Daniel Romary, MD, MSBME, Swedish First Hill, Seattle, WA 

Justin Smith, MD, Summa Health 

Haley Tupper, MD, MS, MPH, UCLA 

Alyssa Tutunjian, MD, MS, MPH, University at Buffalo 

Isaac Wenger, MD, MM, South Shore University Hospital 

Amelia Wong, DO, University of Hawaii 

Emily June Zolfaghari, MD, MS, Yale New Haven Hospital 

2024 LTTF Mentors

Mara B. Antonoff, MD, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Ian Bostock Rosenzweig, MD, Medical University of South Carolina
Alejandro Bribriesco, MD, Cleveland VA Medical Center
Joanna Chikwe, MD, FRCS, Cedars-Sinai
David Tom Cooke, MD, University of California, Davis Medical Center
Robert J. Dabal, MD, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Elisabeth U. Dexter, MD, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Aaron W. Eckhauser, MD, University of Utah and Primary Children's Hospital
Amy G. Fiedler, MD, University of California San Francisco
Erin A. Gillaspie, MD, MPH, Creighton University Medical Center
Lawrence E. Greiten, MD, Arkansas Children's Hospital
Tara B. Karamlou, MD, MSc, The Cleveland Clinic
Nahush Mokadam, MD, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Tom C. Nguyen, MD, Miami Cardiac and Vascular Institute
David D. Odell, MD, MMSc, University of Michigan
Sara Jane Pereira, MD, University of Utah
Joseph D. Phillips, MD, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Michael F. Reed, MD, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Scott I. Reznik, MD, UT Southwestern Medical Center
Derek Ray Serna-Gallegos, MD, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Matthew Allen Steliga, MD, University of Arkansas
Ram Kumar Subramanyan, MD, PhD, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Nicholas R. Teman, MD, University of Virginia
Elaine E. Tseng, MD, University of California San Francisco/San Francisco VA
Robert M. Van Haren, MD, MSPH, University of Cincinnati
Panayotis Vardas, MD, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Jeffrey B. Velotta, MD, Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center
Stephanie G. Worrell, MD, University of Arizona
Stephen C. Yang, MD, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Pyongsoo D. Yoon, MD, University of Pittsburgh

2025 STS LTTF Scholarship Benefits

  • One-on-one mentorship with a seasoned cardiothoracic surgeon and STS member
  • Interactive, collaborative learning 
  • Opportunities to expand your professional network through engagement with other general surgery residents and medical students  
  • Complimentary registration for the 2025 STS Annual Meeting, January 25-27, 2025, in Los Angeles, CA
    • A 3-night stay at an STS-designated hotel (check-in January 24; departure January 27) 
    • Participation in exclusive events with the Society's luminary members
    • Reimbursement of up to $550 in related travel expenses 
       

Eligibility

  • Medical students training at an institution in the United States or Canada
  • Clinical PGY1, PGY2, or PGY3 general surgery residents training at an institution in the United States or Canada
  • General surgery residents on dedicated research time who have not started their PGY4 clinical year training at an institution in the United States or Canada 

Priority is given to applicants who have not attended a national cardiothoracic surgery meeting or received another CT surgery meeting scholarship (such as AATS Member for a Day Scholarship, STSA Brooks Scholarship, or WTS Scholarship).
 

Application Requirements 

Applications for the 2025 LTTF Scholarship will open in August 2024. 

Questions?
Email Maureen Ewing.