ANNOUNCEMENT

MICROSURGERY

23:286

2003

THE STEPHEN S. KROLL SCHOLARSHIP

On November 19, 2000, Dr. Stephen S. Kroll passed away in the bloom of his career. The loss of our friend and fellow clinician came as a shock to family, colleagues, and friends. Many years before, Dr. Kroll had made a career change in order to specialize in academic plastic and reconstructive surgery, despite a very successful private 1 practice as an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeon in Florida. Dr. Krolls main interests were reconstruction of the mandible and the breast. The use of autologous tissue and the application of microsurgery were undoubtedly his preferences and interests. Dr. Kroll was a great teacher, a superb surgeon, and an excellent friend and mentor; he also stressed the importance of plastic surgery as both art and science. Many parameters in our profession cannot be described or calculated, but they are nevertheless important. Achieving these aesthetic parameters is the true art of plastic surgery. It is my opinion that Dr. Kroll should be remembered for all his benefits and contributions to the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery. The surgeons in our department are convinced that autologous reconstructions provide a superior result and outcome, despite lower reimbursements by insurance companies, and we wish to encourage young plastic surgeons to pursue the same thoughts, passions, and convictions that were shared not only by Dr. Stephen Kroll and myself, but also by the Departments of Plastic Surgery at the University of Texas and the University Hospital of Gent.

The Stephan S. Kroll Scholarship will consist of a grant of 3,000, offered by Ethicon and by the Department of Plastic Surgery of the University Hospital of Gent, to an international candidate plastic surgeon no older than 40 years of age or in the last year of resident training in plastic and reconstructive surgery. The purpose of the scholarship will be to improve the selected candidates knowledge and clinical expertise in the field of microsurgical breast reconstruction and perforator flaps. The scholarship will be granted yearly. The selected scholar will take part in daily clinical and research activities within the department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University Hospital Gent for a period of 3 months, starting April 1st. The grant can only be used for housing, boarding, and educational purposes. Candidates should send their applications with curricula vitae and picture before December 1, 2003, to the following address:

Prof. Dr. Phillip Blondeel Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery University Hospital Gent De Pintelaan 185 B-9000 Gent, Belgium E-mail: phillip.blondeel@ugent.be

Dr. Phillip Blondeel Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery University Hospital Gent Gent, Belgium

Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/micr.10160 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.