The American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery (ASRM) has selected Andrei Odobescu, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery, as its 2025 Godina Traveling Fellow – a first for a UT Southwestern faculty member.

Established in memory of Marko Godina, M.D., a pioneer in reconstructive microsurgery, the Godina Traveling Fellowship is awarded annually to a physician who demonstrates clinical excellence and academic leadership in microsurgery. It is considered one of the most prestigious international honors in reconstructive microsurgery, with past recipients hailing from academic powerhouses around the world.

“The American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery knows no better way to honor the memory of Marko Godina than to encourage promising young surgeons to continue to expand the horizons of our field,” wrote Bauback Safa, M.D., a member of the 2024 Godina Traveling Fellow Selection Committee, in his letter to Dr. Odobescu.

As part of the fellowship, Dr. Odobescu will travel to renowned microsurgical centers across the globe as an ASRM ambassador. The award includes a $15,000 stipend to support these international visits. He will deliver the Godina Lecture at the 2026 ASRM Annual Meeting in January, sharing insights from his travels and the global collaborations he has cultivated.

“The greatest honor we receive as microsurgeons is that patients have faith in us and put their health in our hands. Second to that, the Godina Fellowship ranks highest to many microsurgeons in the United States and around the world,” said Dr. Odobescu, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, whose clinical expertise includes microsurgical burn reconstruction, breast reconstruction, replantation, and limb salvage.

Internationally recognized for his work in burn microsurgery, Dr. Odobescu has been demonstrating the promise of microsurgical technique in both acute burns and the treatment of chronic burn contractures – helping to shift the narrative and redefine the role of microsurgery within burn care. Through the Godina Fellowship, he is presenting his research, engaging with global leaders in microsurgery, and teaching the next generation of reconstructive surgeons. His recent engagements include presentations at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the World Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery 2025 Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Among the 14 work-related trips as an ASRM Traveling Fellow he has planned this year, stops include the University of Chicago, Mayo Clinic, Duke, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, and Stanford.

After earning his medical degree at McGill University in Montreal, Dr. Odobescu completed a residency in plastic surgery and a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences at the University of Montreal, followed by advanced training in hand and microsurgery at the Buncke Clinic in San Francisco. His research spans the full spectrum of plastic and reconstructive surgery – including innovations in microsurgery.

He joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2022, drawn by the national reputation of its Department of Plastic Surgery and the world-renowned Parkland Burn Center.

“We have developed a very strong connection between plastic surgery and burn surgery,” Dr. Odobescu said. “Our multidisciplinary unit evaluates possible candidates for microsurgical reconstruction, and over the past two-plus years, the patient population we have offered microsurgical reconstruction to has been steadily increasing.”

He described being selected as a Godina Traveling Fellow as a career-defining milestone: “I was honored and humbled to have received this fellowship,” Dr. Odobescu said. “I hope to serve as an ambassador for the specialty and for the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery around the world.”