Convocation
Barbara Lee Bass, MD, FACS, FRCS(Hon), the John F. and Carolyn Bookout Presidential Endowed Chair and chair, department of surgery, Houston Methodist Hospital, TX, and Past-Member, ACS Board of Regents, was installed as the 98th President of the ACS at the Convocation Ceremony October 22. Dr. Bass also is the executive director of the Houston Methodist Institute for Technology, Innovation and Education (MITIE); professor of surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY; and senior member of the Houston Methodist Hospital Research Institute. Dr. Bass delivered the Presidential Address, The Joy and Privilege of a Surgical Career, to nearly 900 of the College’s 1,827 Initiates—the largest Initiate class in ACS history.
Two Vice-Presidents also assumed office during the Convocation. The First Vice-President is Charles D. Mabry, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from Pine Bluff, AR, and Past-Regent of the ACS. Dr. Mabry is associate professor of surgery and practice management advisor to the chair, department of surgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, and medical director of physician practice management, Jefferson Regional Medical Center, Pine Bluff. The Second Vice-President is Basil A. Pruitt, Jr., MD, FACS, FCCM, MCCM, a Past-Governor of the ACS; the Dr. Ferdinand P. Herff Chair in Surgery, clinical professor of surgery, department of surgery, trauma division, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio; and professor of surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD.
In addition, 10 international surgeons were conferred Honorary Fellowship in the College: Patrick J. Broe, MCh, FRCSI, FRCSEd(Hon), Dublin, Ireland; Miguel A. Cainzos, MD, PhD, FACS, La Coruna, Spain; Francisco J. F. Castro Sousa, MD, FACS, Coimbra, Portugal; Renzo Dionigi, MD, FACS, FRCSEd(Hon), ASA(Hon), Milan, Italy; Juan Hepp, MD, FACS, Santiago, Chile; Valerie J. Lund, CBE, MB, BS, FRCS, FRCSEd, Wraybury, U.K.; Masatoshi Makuuchi, MD, PhD, Tokyo, Japan; Clare L. Marx, CBE, DL, MB, BS, FRCS, Woodbridge, U.K.; Orgoi Sergelen, MD, PhD, FACS, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; and Fu-Chan Wei, MD, Taipei, Taiwan.
Named Lectures
Clinical Congress featured 11 Named Lectures, starting with the Martin Memorial Lecture, which was presented immediately following the Opening Ceremony on October 23. David R. Williams, OC, OOnt, MSc, MD, CM, FRCS, a retired Canadian Space Agency astronaut and now president and chief executive officer, Southlake Regional Health Centre, Newmarket, ON, delivered the well-received lecture, Personal Best: Reflections of a Physician Astronaut on Leadership and Teamwork.
Other Named Lectures presented at Clinical Congress 2017 were as follows:
- Shaf Keshavjee, MD, MSc, FACS, FRCSC, surgeon-in-chief, Sprott Department of Surgery, University Health Network, University of Toronto, ON, delivered the John H. Gibbon, Jr., Lecture, The Future of Transplantation: Personalized Medicine for the Organ.
- John R. Potts, MD, FACS, senior vice-president of surgical accreditation, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Chicago, IL, presented the Charles G. Drake History of Surgery Lecture, The Shifting Sands of Surgical Education.
- John C. Alverdy, MD, FACS, the Sarah and Harold Lincoln Thompson Professor of Surgery and executive vice-chair of surgery, University of Chicago, presented the I.S. Ravdin Lecture in the Basic and Surgical Sciences, Microbiome Medicine: This Changes Everything.
- ACS Regent Steven D. Wexner, MD, MD, PhD(Hon), FACS, FRCS, FRCSEd, director of the Digestive Disease Center and chair, department of colorectal surgery, Cleveland Clinic, Weston, FL, delivered the Herand Abcarian Lecture, The Rational for and the Reality of the New ACS Commission on Cancer National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer.
- CAPT Eric A. Elster, MD, FACS, professor and chairman, department of surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, presented the Excelsior Surgical Society/Edward D. Churchill Lecture, Battlefield to Bedside: Bringing Precision Medicine to Surgical Care.
- ACS Past-President L. D. Britt, MD, MPH, DSc(Hon), FACS, FCCM, FRCSEng(Hon), FWACS(Hon), FRCSI(Hon), FCS(SA)(Hon), FRCSGlasg(Hon), the Henry Ford Professor and Edward J. Brickhouse Chairman of Surgery, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, presented the Scudder Oration on Trauma, Trauma: Still the Cornerstone of Acute Care Surgery.
- ACS Past-President Kathryn D. Anderson, MD, FACS, FRCS, a retired pediatric surgeon, presented the Olga M. Jonasson Lecture, A Quiet Pioneer Who Started a Revolution.
- Clare Marx, CBE, DL, MB, BS, FRCS, FACS(Hon), Immediate Past-President, Royal College of Surgeons of England, delivered the Distinguished Lecture of the International Society of Surgery, Right for the Patient, Right for the Citizen: Professionally Led Changes in Health Care.
- Peter Angelos, MD, PhD, FACS, the Linda Kohler Anderson Professor of Surgery and Surgical Ethics, chief of endocrine surgery, and associate director of the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, University of Chicago, IL, delivered the John J. Conley Ethics and Philosophy Lecture, What’s Different about Surgical Ethics and Why Does It Matter?
- Daniel G. Coit, MD, FACS, a surgical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and professor of surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, delivered the Commission on Cancer Oncology Lecture, The Evolving Enigma of Regional Lymph Nodes in Surgical Oncology.
Other notable sessions
For the second consecutive year, the Clinical Congress featured three Special Sessions, which were presented daily, Monday through Wednesday. Attendees were introduced to the new ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators during the first Special Session. The mission of the academy is “to continually advance the science of education across surgery through innovation and the promotion of the highest standard in surgical education.”
Attendees celebrated the 50th anniversary of Schwartz’s Principles of Surgery: First Edition at another Special Session. Panelists reviewed the most important advances in surgery since the landmark text was published and speculated on the exciting advances that loom on the horizon.
The final Special Session focused on the Comparison of Outcomes of Antibiotic Drugs and Appendectomy (CODA) Trial—the first large-scale pragmatic randomized trial of antibiotics and appendectomy.
College leaders also presented three Theatre Sessions on new College programs. One session focused on the newly reconstructed Surgeon Specific Registry, which has been approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) participation through registry-based reporting for the 2017 program year. Another session centered on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Safety Program for Improving Surgical Care and Recovery (ISCR). The ACS is leading this initiative in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Medicine Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, Baltimore, MD. The program is designed to support hospitals in implementing perioperative evidence-based pathways to improve clinical outcomes, reduce length of stay, and improve the patient experience. The final Theatre Session was on Optimal Resources for Surgical Quality and Safety—a manual (the “red book”) for surgical leaders seeking to improve patient care in their institutions, departments, and practices.
Awards and honors
Several surgeons were honored for their contributions to the ACS and to surgery. Richard J. Finley, MD, FACS, FRCSC, a general thoracic surgeon, Vancouver General and Surrey Memorial Hospitals, BC, and emeritus professor, department of surgery, University of British Columbia, received the 2017 Distinguished Service Award—the College’s highest honor—at Convocation. The Board of Regents presented the award to Dr. Finley, a Past First Vice-President of the ACS, in appreciation of his longstanding and devoted service to the College, his long-term commitment to improving graduate medical education, and his pioneering contributions in the area of health information technology.
The ACS presented the second Mary Edwards Walker Inspiring Women in Surgery Award to SreyRam Kuy, MD, MHS, FACS. This award was established by the ACS Women in Surgery Committee and is presented annually at the Clinical Congress in recognition of an individual’s significant contributions to the advancement of women in the field of surgery. As associate chief of staff, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Houston, TX, Dr. Kuy oversees 5,000 staff in a complex hospital with the busiest emergency department and operating rooms in the VA system. Dr. Kuy previously served as Chief Medical Officer for Medicaid in the Louisiana Department of Health, Baton Rouge.
The ACS Foundation Board of Directors presented the 2017 Distinguished Philanthropist Award to Prof. Mehmet Haberal, MD, FACS(Hon), FICS(Hon), FASA(Hon), at its annual Donor Recognition Luncheon. Professor Haberal was recognized for his generous contributions to the College, service to the larger philanthropic community, extensive record of volunteerism, and career-long dedication to innovation and quality surgical patient care.
The Board of Governors awarded two Surgical Humanitarian Awards and three Surgical Volunteerism Awards at this year’s Clinical Congress. Robert E. Cropsey, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from Ypsilanti, MI, received a Surgical Humanitarian Award for his work in Togo, including his efforts to help establish the Karolyn Kempton Memorial Christian Hospital and the Hospital of Hope in Mango. Francis Robicsek, MD, PhD, FACS, received a Surgical Humanitarian Award for his efforts to expand access to care for surgical patients in Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Eastern Europe, including the establishment of Heineman Medical Outreach, Inc.
Sherry M. Wren, MD, FACS, FCS(ECSA), a general surgeon in Palo Alto, CA, and professor of surgery and director of global surgery, Center for Innovation and Global Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, CA, received the International Surgical Volunteerism Award. She was recognized for her clinical work and short-term assignments in Africa with Médecins Sans Frontières, as well as her efforts to spearhead long-term surgical research and training programs. CAPT Zsolt T. Stockinger, MD, FACS, a U.S. Navy general surgeon, Fort Sam Houston, TX, received the Military Surgical Volunteerism Award for the medical care he provided during the U.S. military mission to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and for his volunteerism in Pakistan, Ukraine, Mauritius, Ghana, and Southeast Asia. Yihan Lin, MD, a fourth-year general surgery resident at the University of Colorado Hospital, Denver, received the Surgical Resident Volunteerism Award for her contributions to developing surgical capacity, infrastructure, and research capability in Zambia and Rwanda.
The 2017 Owen H. Wangensteen Scientific Forum was dedicated to Diana L. Farmer, MD, FACS, FRCS, the Pearl Stamps Stewart Professor of Surgery and chair, department of surgery, University of California, Davis, Health System, Sacramento, in recognition of her extraordinary contributions as a surgeon-scientist and exemplary role modeling for young investigators.
Practicing surgeons, residents, and medical students were recognized at Clinical Congress 2017 for their contributions to advancing the art and science of surgery. The following individuals were honored recipients of the 2017 Owen H. Wangensteen Scientific Forum Excellence in Research Award: Rishi Batra, MD; Nicholas Clarke, MD; Rose Fu, MD; Faiz Gani, MB, BS; Evan F. Garner, MD; Cyrus Johansouz, MD; Elizabeth J. Lilley, MD; Shanglei Liu, MD; Lathan W. McCall, MD; Sanjay Mohanty, MD; Parth Patel; Kaitlin A. Ritter, MD; Claire S. Smith, MD; Austin D. Williams, MD; and Ava Yap.
The Best 2017 Scientific Forum e-Poster of Exceptional Merit was awarded to Cameron Schlegel, MD; Victoria G. Weis, PhD; Joshua Bauer, PhD; Hernan Correa, MD; Xianlin Han, PhD; Miao Wang, PhD; James R. Goldenring, MD, PhD; and Sari Acra, MD, MPH, for the pediatric surgery e-Poster titled Reversible Deficits in Apical Transporters Associated with DGAT1 Deficiency. The Best International e-Poster of Exceptional Merit was presented to Taisuke Imamura, MD; Shuhei Komatsu, MD, PhD, FACS; Daisuke Ichikawa, MD; Wataru Okajima, MD, PhD; Takuma Ohashi; Jun Kiuchi, MD; Keiji Nishibeppu; Hisashi Ikoma; Hiroki Taniguchi, MD, PhD; and Eigo Otsuji for Depleted Tumor Suppressor miR-107 in Plasma Relates to Tumor Progression and Is a Novel Therapeutic Target in Pancreatic Cancer.
In addition, the following medical students were honored for their Basic Science Research posters:
- First place: Leila Musavi, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD: A Modified Approach to Induce Differentiation of Muscle-Derived Stem Cells into Schwann Cell-Like Cells: Implications for Remyelination Therapy
- Second place: Aaron R. Lim, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN: Renal Cell Carcinoma Exosomes Contain Immunosuppressive Cargo
The following medical students were recognized for their Clinical Research posters:
- First place: Diana S. Kakos, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI: Aesthetic Comparison between Subcuticular Suture and Staple Closure of Anterior Cervical Spine (ACS) Incision Scars: A Prospective Controlled Single-Blinded Clinical Trial
- Second place: Kirea Mazzolini, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX: Evaluating Postoperative Feeding Regimens after Laparoscopic Gastrostomy Placement
The following medical students were honored for their Education, Outcomes, and Innovation Research posters:
- First place: David P. Stonko, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine: The Temporal Distribution of Trauma: Hours, Days, and Seasons
- Second place: Olivia M. D’Angelo, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA: Clerkship Exposure to Surgery Specialties Has Positive Effect on NBME Surgery Subject Examination Performance
The Commission on Cancer (CoC) recognized three physicians-in-training who submitted winning papers for the annual CoC Paper Competition, as follows: First place, Kristina Go, MD, University of Florida, Gainesville, for Neoadjuvant Radiation in Stage I Rectal Cancer: Worse Outcomes?; second place, Andrew Bayci, MD, William Beaumont Hospital, Troy, MI, for Metabolomic Identification of Diagnostic Biomarkers for Malignant Melanoma; and third place, Brooke Vuong, MD, John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica, CA, for Increased Survival after Extended Lymphadenectomy for Gastric Cancer.
The CoC also honored three State Chairs for their outstanding performance in 2016: Tom Eisenhauer, MD, FACS, North Carolina State Chair; Christine Laronga, MD, FACS, Florida State Chair; and Joshua Mammen, MD, FACS, Kansas State Chair.
The International Relations Committee (IRC) welcomed the International Guest Scholars for 2017 and other guests, including the following: Hemanga Kumar Bhattacharjee, MB, BS, New Delhi, India, 2017 International Exchange Scholar; Alberto Biondi, MD, Rome, Italy; Kelvin Kwok-Chan Ng, MB, BS, MS, PhD, FCSHK, FHKAM(Surg), FRCSEd, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, SAR, China, Carlos Pellegrini Traveling Fellow; Florence Dedey, BSc, MB, ChB, Accra, Ghana; Burak Ersoy, MD, FACS, Istanbul, Turkey; Ioannis Flessas, MD, MSc, PhD, Athens, Greece; Hans Fuchs, MD, PhD, Koln, Germany, Germany Exchange Fellow; Edgar Jan Bernard Furnee, MD, Itrecht, The Netherlands; Takeaki Ishizawa, MD, PhD, FACS, Tokyo, Japan; Nasser Kakembo, MB, ChB, Kampala, Uganda, Community Surgeons Travel Awardee; Tomoki Makino, MD, PhD, Osaka, Japan, Japan Exchange Fellow; Nicola Anne Mills, BHB, MB, ChB, Auckland, New Zealand; Jane K. Mills, BMedSci, MB, BS, MEpi, FRACS, East Melbourne, Australia, Australian/New Zealand Exchange Fellow; Vimelyn S. Pahilanga, MD, FPSGS, FPSCRS, Bago City, Philippines, Community Surgeons Travel Awardee; Richard D. Schulick, MD, FACS, new IRC Chair; Neil James Smart, MB, BS, PhD, Newton Abbott, U.K.; Andrew Tambyraja, MB, BS, FRCSEd, Edinburgh, U.K., International Surgical Education Scholar; Kyla Terhune, MD, FACS, 2017 Traveling Fellow to Germany; Georgios Tsoulfas, MD, FACS, new IRC Vice-Chair; Waddah B. Al-Refaie, MD, FACS, Immediate Past-Chair, IRC Scholarship Subcommittee; and Guixi Zhang, MD, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China.
The three 2017 Nizar N. Oweida Scholars addressed the Rural Surgery Forum on October 24. Lindsay J. Fox, MD, FACS, of Mount Shasta, CA; Nicholas J. Kitowski, MD, FACS, of Black River Falls, WI; and Brian J. Santin, MD, FACS, of Wilmington, OH, spoke of their experiences as surgeons in rural areas.
The Surgical History Group of the ACS hosted a History of Surgery Poster Session. First- and second-place posters were announced at the Surgical History Group Breakfast October 24. First place was awarded to The First Pediatric Surgical Atlas: Şerafeddin Sabuncuoğlu’s Cerrahiyyetu’l-Haniyye, by Laura Stafman, MD, and Elizabeth A. Beierle, MD, FACS, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Children’s Hospital. Second place went to Hospital Gangrene in the Civil War—A Devastating Insult to Injury, Kevin Labadie, MD; David Droullard, MD; and Hugh Foy, MD, FACS, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, WA.
Dr. Britt, this year’s Scudder Orator, received special recognition during the October 23 Committee on Trauma (COT) dinner for his commitment to trauma care. The award was presented by Michael F. Rotondo, MD, FACS, Medical Director, ACS Trauma Programs; Brian J. Eastridge, MD, FACS; and Ronald M. Stewart, MD, FACS, Chair of the COT. Dr. Britt received a pen, letter opener, and presentation box, which Dr. Eastridge crafted using a variety of materials used in trauma care.
Matthew D. Deal, MD, FACS, received the 13th Joan L. and Julius H. Jacobson II Promising Investigator Award. Dr. Deal is a tenure-track assistant professor of surgery and critical care, University of Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. Deal’s basic science research focuses on the mechanisms of organ failure and coagulopathy following trauma and hemorrhage.
Joseph Alden Herrold, MD, MPH, administrative chief resident, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, general surgery residency program, received the Jameson L. Chassin, MD, FACS, Award, for Professionalism in General Surgery. The award is given to a chief resident in general surgery who best exemplifies the professionalism values that Dr. Chassin personified throughout his career: compassion, technical skill, and devotion to science and learning, and is administered by the ACS Division of Education.
The 15th annual ACS Resident Award for Exemplary Teaching was presented to Clark D. Kensinger, MD, a fifth-year resident in general surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN. The award is sponsored by the ACS Division of Education to recognize exc
ellence in teaching by a resident and highlights the importance of teaching in residents’ daily lives.
Annual Business Meeting
The ACS Annual Business Meeting of Members convened October 25 with Dr. Bass presiding. The following ACS officials presented reports: Michael J. Zinner, MD, FACS, Chair of the Board of Regents; Dr. Farmer, Chair of the Board of Governors; David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, ACS Executive Director; Mary H. McGrath, MD, MPH, FACS, Chair of the Board of Directors of the ACS Foundation; and Amalia L. Cochran, MD, FACS, Chair of the Board of Directors of the American College of Surgeons Professional Association political action committee (ACSPA-SurgeonsPAC).
The election of the ACS President-Elect, Vice-Presidents-Elect, and Regents and Governors took place at the Annual Business Meeting. Ronald V. Maier, MD, FACS, the Jane and Donald D. Trunkey Endowed Chair in Trauma Surgery; vice-chairman, department of surgery; and professor of surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, was elected President-Elect. Mark C. Weissler, MD, FACS, the Joseph P. Riddle Distinguished Professor, department of otolaryngology−head and neck surgery, and chief, division of head and neck surgery, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, was elected First Vice-President-Elect. The Second Vice-President-Elect is Philip R. Caropreso, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from Keokuk, IA.
The B/G elected Leigh A. Neumayer, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, Tucson, AZ, to serve as Chair of the Board of Regents, and Marshall Z. Schwartz, MD, FACS, a pediatric surgeon, Philadelphia, PA, was elected Vice-Chair. Two new Regents also were elected: Gary L. Timmerman, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from Sioux Falls, SD, and Douglas E. Wood, MD, FACS, a cardiothoracic surgeon from Seattle.
The following Regents were reelected: James K. Elsey, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from Atlanta, GA; Gerald M. Fried, MD, FACS, FRCSC, a general surgeon from Montreal, QC; B. J. Hancock, MD, FACS, FRCSC, a pediatric surgeon from Winnipeg, MB; and Lenworth M. Jacobs, Jr., MD, MPH, FACS, a trauma surgeon from Hartford, CT.
The B/G reelected Dr. Farmer to serve as Chair, B/G Executive Committee, and Steven C. Stain, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from Albany, NY, to serve as Vice-Chair. Daniel L. Dent, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from San Antonio, TX, was elected Secretary.
Two surgeons have been elected to serve one-year terms on the B/G Executive Committee: Therese M. Duane, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from Fort Worth, TX, and David A. Spain, MD, FACS, an acute care surgeon from Stanford, CA. Two surgeons also join the Executive Committee for two-year terms: Terry L. Buchmiller, MD, FACS, a pediatric surgeon from Boston, and David J. Welsh, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from Batesville, IN.
Member engagement activities
Clinical Congress attendees and their guests had a number of opportunities to participate in volunteer and member engagement activities at Clinical Congress 2017. The ACS teamed up with Feeding San Diego (FSD) to decorate 2,500 backpacks and fill them with essential food items for distribution to children and families in need. Volunteers filled backpacks with 400 pounds of food, and the ACS made a $500 donation to FSD.
The ACS also offered a variety of wellness activities throughout the week, including running and walking tours of San Diego, early morning yoga, and a spinning class.
For the third year, the College offered ACS Taste of the City on the final night of Clinical Congress. Attendees were able to join their colleagues for two hours of live music, fun activities, and camaraderie at the San Diego Marriott Marquis, situated on the city’s waterfront.
And finally, the annual Surgeons Who Selfie Contest took place, allowing attendees to connect with each other in a fun way and to show the surgical community all that the Clinical Congress has to offer.
Clinical Congress 2018
Be sure to attend Clinical Congress 2018, October 21−25 in Boston, MA. Details regarding the educational program, registration, housing, and transportation will be posted at facs.org/clincon2018.
For more information
This article contains information that is discussed in greater depth in previous issues of the Bulletin. Following is a list of the issues in which these stories can be found, in addition to bulletin.facs.org.
September 2017
Richard J. Finley, MD, FACS, FRCSC, to receive Distinguished Service Award
Surgeons honored for volunteerism and humanitarianism
October 2017
ACS Foundation Insights: Prof. Mehmet Ali Haberal receives Distinguished Philanthropist Award
November 2017
Barbara Lee Bass, MD, FACS, FRCS(Hon), installed as 98th ACS President
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker Award presented to Dr. Kuy
Honorary Fellowship in the ACS awarded to 10 prominent surgeons
December 2017
Ronald V. Maier, MD, FACS, is 2017−2018 ACS President-Elect
New Regents, Board of Governors Executive Committee members elected
