{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]],"date-time":"2026-06-03T14:44:10Z","timestamp":1780497850153,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":9,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,7,17]],"date-time":"2019-07-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1563321600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["The Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2019,10]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>In the United States, plastic surgery continues to be one of the most competitive fields to match into for medical graduates. However, the process is even more difficult for international medical graduates (IMGs) mostly due to their unknown academic backgrounds and unfamiliarity with US health-care system. While many IMGs pursue of research to publish articles in peer-reviewed journals and obtain letters of recommendations as a means to prove one\u2019s potential, networking with well-known plastic surgeons in US plastic surgery programs via national meetings is of utmost importance. These conferences provide the perfect opportunity to learn about the multidisciplinary US health-care system, expand one\u2019s network of mentors and colleagues, and demonstrate one\u2019s research experience. This article describes my experience as a first-time attendee in the American Cleft-Palate Craniofacial Association 76th Annual Meeting, with the aim to encourage other IMGs interested in applying to plastic surgery residency programs to actively pursue and attend national plastic surgery society meetings.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/1055665619864008","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,7,18]],"date-time":"2019-07-18T00:47:12Z","timestamp":1563410832000},"page":"1264-1265","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["American Cleft-Palate Craniofacial Association Annual Meeting: International Medical Graduate\u2019s Perspective as a First-Time Attendee"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"56","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9660-0697","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amjed","family":"Abu-Ghname","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Plastic Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9683-7726","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Renata S.","family":"Maricevich","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Plastic Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,7,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-1055665619864008","volume-title":"The Role of International Medical Graduates in the U.S. Physician Workforce","author":"American College of Physicians","year":"2005"},{"key":"bibr2-1055665619864008","first-page":"e33","volume":"18","author":"Kokosis G","year":"2018","journal-title":"Eplasty"},{"key":"bibr3-1055665619864008","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/SAP.0000000000001715"},{"key":"bibr4-1055665619864008","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/107755879705400401"},{"key":"bibr5-1055665619864008","unstructured":"National Resident Matching Program. Results and Data: 2017 Main Residency Match. Washington, DC: National Resident Matching Program; 2017. http:\/\/www.nrmp.org. Accessed May 15, 2018."},{"key":"bibr6-1055665619864008","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1353\/hpu.0.0015"},{"key":"bibr7-1055665619864008","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1377\/hlthaff.2009.0222"},{"key":"bibr8-1055665619864008","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7326\/M17-0505"},{"key":"bibr9-1055665619864008","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jsurg.2008.05.002"}],"container-title":["The Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/1055665619864008","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/1055665619864008","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/1055665619864008","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,28]],"date-time":"2026-04-28T16:19:58Z","timestamp":1777393198000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/1055665619864008"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2019,7,17]]},"references-count":9,"journal-issue":{"issue":"9","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2019,10]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/1055665619864008"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1055665619864008","relation":{},"ISSN":["1055-6656","1545-1569"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1055-6656","type":"print"},{"value":"1545-1569","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2019,7,17]]}}}