It was my privilege to attend the ACS Wisconsin Chapter meeting at the America Club in Kohler Wisconsin.
The primary sense that was evident to me was the tremendous pride in the organization and the impact that it can have on both the academic and community surgical practice within the state. There was a huge component of attendance by the surgical residents from each of the academic programs, as well as the corresponding medical student from each of the parent organizations.
The day kicked off with a set of insightful presentations by the participating medical students and surgery residents. The quality of the presentations was truly outstanding and the work by the presenters and their sponsors should be recognized for its high quality. The subsequent panel on abdominal wall reconstruction and hernia management was insightful. The enthusiasm of all the presenters, particularly that of Wendy Liu, MD, FACS, was notable. To me this represented the type of real-world topic from which everyone in the audience would benefit.
The ACS update was well received, and the subsequent questions appeared to address the concerns of the local surgical community. The afternoon featured a surgical skills contest for the residents and highlighted a good-natured rivalry between the four competing programs. The presidential address by Benjamin T. Jarman, MD, FACS, "What Do I Get for That?,” highlighted his approach to professionalism in surgery and many of the challenges, both positive and negative, as we see new generations of surgeons replace the old guard. It was a highly emotional presentation which represented Dr. Jarman's approach to patient care, teaching, professionalism, and mentorship.
The evening at the Kohler Design Center was a rewarding social and professional event with completion of the resident competition with the crowning of the MCW resident cohort as the Top Gun recipients. The food and the comradery were superb and made for a truly outstanding evening.
The second day featured a resident panel on the challenges of communication between community and academic surgeons with the impact that it has on both populations of patients and the opportunity to improve communications with improved outcomes for patients. The final lecture featured a good-natured debate on the robotic versus laparoscopic approaches to the abdomen which underscored the value of each surgical approach.
In closing, the 2-day event was a rousing success and underscores the value that the Wisconsin state ACS chapter provides to the House of Surgery.
Dennis H. Kraus, MD, FACS
Second Vice-President
