The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2018 in Boston, MA, provided surgeons, medical students, surgical residents, and other members of the surgical patient care team with the opportunity to participate in myriad educational programs and to interact with their peers. Total registration was 13,656, including 9,188 physicians and 4,468 exhibitors, guests, spouses, and convention personnel. Among the attendees were 902 medical students. Boston served as the host city for the first time in more than 65 years.
New programs and events
This year’s program included a two-day program for residents—Surgery Resident Program at Clinical Congress: Essential Skills for Surgery Residents. Residents from all postgraduate year levels attended this multifaceted program of presentations, discussions, and activities. Cosponsored by the ACS Division of Education, Division of Member Services, and Resident and Associate Society (RAS-ACS), the program included presentations on Marketing Tips for the Young Surgeon; Job-Seeking Strategies; Negotiation Skills and Contracts; Leadership Skills for Every Career Stage; and Wellness, Resiliency, and Optimal Performance. Other events included a symposium on physician extenders in academic surgery, a surgical skills competition, and small-group discussions on transitioning to practice, surgical volunteerism, hospital politics, and coding and billing.
In addition, a Late-Breaking Clinical Trials session was offered this year. The following abstracts were presented:
- A VA Cooperative, Randomized Trial of Medical and Surgical Treatments for Patients with Heartburn That Is Refractory to Proton Pump Inhibitors
- Effect of Denonvilliers Fascia Preserving versus Resecting during Laparoscopic Radical Rectectomy to Urination-Sexual Function of Male Mid-Low Rectal Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Multicenter Trial Evaluating the Efficacy of Near-Infrared Incisionless Fluorescent Cholangiography during Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy
- Prehospital Air Medical Plasma following Trauma and Hemorrhagic Shock
- Improved Survival in Critically Ill Patients after Implementing a Visual Clinical Decision Support System
- Extended Follow-up of Open versus Endovascular Repair for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: The OVER Trial
Convocation
Ronald V. Maier, MD, FACS, FRCSEd(Hon), FCSHK(Hon), the Jane and Donald D. Trunkey Endowed Chair in Trauma Surgery, vice-chairman, department of surgery, and professor of surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, was installed as the 99th President of the ACS at Convocation October 21. Dr. Maier also is director, Northwest Regional Trauma Center; surgeon-in-chief, and co-director of the surgical intensive care unit, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle; and associate medical staff, University of Washington Medical Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Dr. Maier delivered the Presidential Address, For Our Patients, to more than 900 of the College’s 1,970 Initiates—the largest class of inductees in ACS history.
The 2018–2019 Vice-Presidents also assumed office. Mark C. Weissler, MD, FACS, Past-Chair of the ACS Board of Regents (B/R) (2014–2015) and 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-Chapel Hill, was installed as the First Vice-President. Phillip R. Caropreso, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from Keokuk, IA, was installed as the Second Vice-President.
In addition, 12 international surgeons were conferred Honorary Fellowship in the College. They are as follows:
- Prof. Roger M. Greenlagh, MD, MChir, FRCS, emeritus professor of surgery and head, Vascular Surgery Research Group, Imperial College, London, U.K.
- Prof. John M. Hutson, AO, BS, MD, DSc, FRACS, FAAP(Hon), FCAPS(Hon), chair, paediatric surgery, University of Melbourne; consultant paediatric urologist, The Royal Children’s Hospital; and joint group leader, surgical research group, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- Prof. Jakob Izbicki, MD, PhD, FACS, FRCSEd(Hon), chairman, department of general, visceral, and thoracic surgery, University of Hamburg, Germany
- Prof. Daniel Jaeck, MD, FRCS(Hon), professor emeritus of surgery, University of Strasbourg, and past-chairman of surgery and chief of hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, Hautepierre Hospital, Strasbourg, France
- Prof. Lars Å. Lidgren, MD, PhD, FRCS(Hon), senior professor, department of orthopaedics, clinical sciences, Lund University, Sweden
- Prof. Takeshi Miyano, MD, PhD, FACS, former professor and head, department of pediatric surgery, vice-director and managing director, Juntendo University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
- Prof. Franco Mosca, MD, PhD, FACS, FRCSEd(Hon), ASA(Hon), Polish Association of Surgeons(Hon), professor emeritus of general surgery, University of Pisa, Italy
- Prof. Anthony R. Mundy, PhD(Hon), MS, FRCP, FRCS, professor of urology, University of London at Royal Free and University College London School of Medicine, and medical director, University College London Hospital’s National Health Service Trust, U.K.
- Prof. Akimasa Nakao, MD, PhD, FACS, professor emeritus, Nagoya University, and president, Nagoya Central Hospital, Japan
- Prof. Samir Rasslan, MD, Dr(hc), FACS, professor of general and trauma surgery and chairman, department of surgery, Sao Paulo University School of Medicine, and director, general and emergency surgical services, Hospital das Clinicas, Sao Paulo
- Prof. Tania Maria Sih, MD, PhD, professor of pediatric otolaryngology, Medical School University of São Paulo
- Prof. Selman Uranues, MD, FACS, professor, clinical division for general surgery, and head, section for surgical research, Medical University of Graz, Austria
Named Lectures
Clinical Congress featured 11 Named Lectures, starting with the Martin Memorial Lecture, which was presented immediately following the Opening Ceremony October 22. Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), presented the lecture titled NIH: The National Institutes of Hope. Other Named Lectures were as follows:
- Richard A. Jonas, MB, BS, FACS, chief of cardiac surgery and co-director, Children’s National Heart Institute, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC, presented the John H. Gibbon, Jr., Lecture: Early Hospital Mortality: A Misleading Metric for Quality Assurance in the New Era of Hybrid Palliation of Congenital Heart Disease
- Atul A. Gawande, MD, MPH, FACS, general and endocrine surgeon, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; professor, department of health policy and management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; and the Samuel O. Thier Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, presented the Charles G. Drake History of Surgery Lecture: Slow Ideas: Scaling Surgery
- John J. Fung, MD, PhD, FACS, FAASLD, professor of surgery, chief of transplant surgery, and co-director, Transplantation Institute, University of Chicago, IL, presented the I.S. Ravdin Lecture in the Basic and Surgical Sciences: Suppressing the Immune System: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
- Zane Cohen, MD, FACS, FRCSC, director, Zane Cohen Centre for Digestive Diseases, Mount Sinai Hospital, and professor of surgery, University of Toronto, ON, presented the Herand Abcarian Lecture: Privilege and Responsibility: A 20-Year Journey
- Demetrios Demetriades, MD, PhD, FACS, professor of surgery and director of trauma, emergency surgery, and surgical critical care, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, presented the Excelsior Surgical Society/Edward D. Churchill Lecture: Civilian and Military Trauma: Training to Successfully Intervene and Save Lives
- Thomas M. Scalea, MD, FACS, MCCM, the Honorable Francis X. Kelly Distinguished Professor in Trauma Surgery, University of Maryland; physician-in-chief, R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center; and system chief, critical care services, University of Maryland Health System, Baltimore, delivered the Scudder Oration on Trauma: Homeward Bound
- Joan Y. Reede, MD, MS, MPH, MBA, dean, diversity and community partnership, and professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, delivered the Olga M. Jonasson Lecture: A Path Toward Diversity, Inclusion, and Excellence
- Jacques Marescaux, MD, FACS, FRSC(Hon), FJES(Hon), FASA(Hon), professor of surgery and chief of digestive surgery, University of Strasbourg Hospital, France, and founder, Institut de Recherche contre les Cancers de l’Appareil Digestif, gave the Distinguished Lecture of the International Society of Surgery: Computer-Assisted Technologies: The Magic Wand of Surgery
- Michael E. Porter, PhD, the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor, Harvard Business School, delivered the John J. Conley Ethics and Philosophy Lecture: Value-Based Health Care Delivery: The Strategic Agenda
- Heidi Nelson, MD, FACS, professor and chair of surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, and Medical Director, ACS Cancer Programs, gave the Commission on Cancer Oncology Lecture: Microbes and Cancer: A Missing Link
Theatre Sessions
Theatre Sessions were presented October 22–24 and were preceded by opportunities to engage in informal discussions with ACS leaders. The ACS Division of Education sponsored back-to-back Theatre Sessions covering the following topics:
- Life Skills for the Surgeon: Savings Advice for Retirement
- Special Considerations for a Successful Simulation Program
- Other Theatre Sessions were as follows:
- Efforts to Reduce Administrative Burdens and Regulations and State-Level Advocacy
- Addressing Intimate Partner Violence in the Surgical Community: Is There a Need?
Participants in the informal meet-and-greets included leaders of the Young Fellows Association, the Board of Governors (B/G), the RAS-ACS, and Operation Giving Back.
Awards and honors
Several surgeons were honored for their contributions to the ACS and to surgery. The B/R presented the 2018 Distinguished Service Award—the College’s highest honor—to Valerie W. Rusch, MD, FACS, an esteemed thoracic surgeon and ACS President-Elect. Dr. Rusch is vice-chair, clinical research, department of surgery; Miner Family Chair in Intrathoracic Cancers; attending surgeon, thoracic service, department of surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; and professor of surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, at the Convocation. The award was presented to Dr. Rusch “in admiration of her natural leadership, integrity, vision, and steadfast commitment to the College’s initiatives and principles, serving as a role model to surgeons everywhere to always do the right thing for patients.”
The third Mary Edwards Walker Inspiring Women in Surgery Award was presented to Yeu-Tsu Margaret Lee, MD, FACS, a general surgeon and surgical oncologist from Honolulu, HI. In 1983, Dr. Lee moved to Hawaii, worked at Tripler Army Medical Center, and joined the U.S. Army Corps. She was deployed to Iraq during Operation Desert Storm, and treated many U.S. soldiers as well as Iraqi prisoners of war. After she retired from the Army as a Colonel, she continued working as a clinical professor of surgery at the Medical School of the University of Hawaii, Manoa. Whenever time allows, Dr. Lee has participated in medical missions to Ghana, Honduras, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, and other underserved countries. Notably, in 1995, she was the leader of a Women Surgeons Delegation to Russia and Romania.
The ACS Foundation Board of Directors presented the 2018 Distinguished Philanthropist Award to Cynthia and James G. Chandler, MD, FACS, a vascular surgeon from Boulder, CO, at its annual Donor Recognition Luncheon.
The B/G awarded two Surgical Humanitarian Awards and three Surgical Volunteerism Awards at this year’s Clinical Congress. Nandakumar C. Menon, MB, BS, FACS, a general surgeon from Gudalur, Tamil Nadu, India, received a Surgical Humanitarian Award for the decades he spent providing sustainable, equitable medical services and training to the indigenous Adivasi people of southern India through the Association for Health Welfare in the Nilgiris. Roland R. Stephens, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from Berrien Springs, MI, received a Surgical Humanitarian Award for his 50 combined years of surgical care to underserved populations around the world, primarily at the Karanda Mission Hospital in Zimbabwe.
Barbara A. Barlow, MD, FACS, a pediatric surgeon from New York, received the Domestic Surgical Volunteerism Award for her dedication to preventing injuries to the children of Harlem and across the U.S. Michael R. Curci, MD, FACS, a pediatric surgeon from Cumberland, ME, received an International Surgical Volunteerism Award for his decades of operative, training, and education service in Haiti and Rwanda. Bruce C. Steffes, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from Linden, NC, received an International Surgical Volunteerism Award for his more than 20 years of providing surgical and administrative skill to underserved areas of the world.
The 2018 Owen H. Wangensteen Scientific Forum was dedicated to Michael W. Mulholland, MD, PhD, FACS, professor of surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The award acknowledges Dr. Mulholland’s extraordinary contributions as a surgeon-scientist and exemplary role modeling for young investigators.
Practicing surgeons, residents, and medical students were recognized at Clinical Congress 2018 for their contributions to advancing the art and science of surgery. The following individuals were honored recipients of the 2018 Owen H. Wangensteen Scientific Forum Excellence in Research Award: Matthew Basilico; S. Ariane Christie, MD; Kathryn E. Engelhardt, MD; David A. Harris, MD; Katherine Hekman, MD, PhD; Ashley W. Johnston, MD; Leen Khoury, MD; Ashley Lamparello, MD; J. Hunter Mehaffey, MD, MSC; Anjali Raghuram; Ronan Waldron, MB, BCh, BAO, MSc; and Carlos Zgheib, PhD.
The Best 2018 Scientific Forum e-Poster of Exceptional Merit was awarded to Panpan Chang, MD; Aaron M. Williams, MD; Isabel S. Dennahy, MD; Umar F. Bhatti, MD; Baoling Liu, MD; Vahagn C. Nikolian, MD; Yongqing Li, MD, PhD; and Hasan B. Alam, MBBS, FACS, for the pediatric surgery e-Poster titled Valproic Acid Treatment Attenuates Degenerative Brain Lesions, Neuroinflammation, and Apoptosis in Long-Term Survival Model of Traumatic Brain Injury, Hemorrhagic Shock, and Polytrauma in Swine.
The Commission on Cancer (CoC) recognized Helmi Kadra, MD, a year-four general surgery resident, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, for winning the CoC’s Paper Competition. Dr. Kadra’s paper was titled “Re-examining the Incidence of GI Malignancy among Solid Organ Transplant Recipients.”
The CoC also honored three State Chairs for their outstanding performance in 2017: Timothy Mullet, MD, FACS, Kentucky State Chair; James Harris, MD, FACS, Nevada State Chair; and Michael Sarap, MD, FACS, Ohio State Chair.
Ron I. Gross, MD, FACS, chief, division of trauma and acute care surgery and surgical critical care, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA, and associate professor of surgery, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, received the National Safety Council Surgeons Award for Service to Safety at the Committee on Trauma Dinner.
The International Relations Committee (IRC) welcomed the following International Guest Scholars for 2018 and other guests: Kenichiro Araki, MD, PhD, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan, Japan Exchange Fellow; Eleftherios Archavlis, MD, Mainz, Germany, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Scholar; Albert Chan, MBBS, FRCS, FCSHK, FHKAM(Surg), Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China, Dr. Abdol and Mrs. Joan Islami Scholar; Jason Chuen, MBBS, FRACS, Heidelberg, Australia, Dr. Murray F. Brennan Scholar; Fernanda Lage Lima Dantas, MD, Rio Branco, Brazil, Baxiram S. and Kankuben B. Gelot Community Surgeons Travel Awardee; Zeyi Deng, MD, PhD, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; Yiu Ming Ho, BIT, BHSc, MBBS, MS, FRACS, Runcorn, Queensland, Australia, ANZ Exchange Fellow; Jung-ju Huang, MD, Guishan District, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Carsten Kamphues, MD, PhD, MHBA, Berlin, Germany, Germany Exchange Fellow; Rhea Liang, MBChB, FRACS, Tallai, Queensland, Australia, International Surgical Education Scholar; Anupam Mishra, MBBS, FACS, Aliganj, Lucknow, India; Martin Palavecino, MD, FACS, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Mayur Patel, MD, FACS, 2018 ANZ Traveling Fellow; Marcelo Augusto Ribeiro, Jr., MD, FACS, São Paulo, Brazil; Fausto Rosa, MD, PhD, Rome, Italy, Dr. Abdol and Mrs. Joan Islami Scholar; Ahmed Kamal Ahmed Salih, MD, MRCS.D.MAS, Medani, Sudan; Yusuke Watanabe, MD, PhD, Sapporo, Japan, International Surgical Education Scholar; and Prem Yohannan, MBBS, MS, Maputo City, Mozambique, International Surgical Education Scholar.
The three 2018 Nizar N. Oweida Scholars participated in the Rural Surgeons Open Forum on October 23. Medhat Y.Z. Fanous, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from Iron River, MI; Arun Raman, MBBS, a general surgeon from Lincoln City, OR; and Alexander D. Wade, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from Viroqua, WI, spoke of their experiences as surgeons in rural areas.
The Surgical History Group presented a History of Surgery Poster Session and selected two winning abstracts. First place was awarded to Carbolic Acid before Joseph Lister, by John D. Ehrhardt, Jr., Miami, FL; Don Nakayama, MD, FACS, Chapel Hill, NC; and J. Patrick O’Leary, MD, FACS, Miami. Second place was awarded to John M. Howard: A Pioneer in Vascular, Trauma, and Pancreatic Surgery, by Justin A. Julian; Francis C. Brunicardi, MD, FACS; Jonathan Demeter, MD; Sayed A. Hussain, MD; and Joseph J. Sferra, MD, FACS (all from Toledo, OH).
The 16th annual ACS Resident Award for Exemplary Teaching was presented to Patrick E. Georgoff, MD, a seventh-year resident in general surgery at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The award is sponsored by the Division of Education to recognize excellence in teaching by a resident and to highlight the importance of teaching in residents’ daily lives. Dr. Georgoff was selected by an independent review panel of the ACS Committee on Resident Education.
The sixth annual Jameson L. Chassin, MD, FACS, Award for Professionalism in General Surgery was presented to Lane L. Frasier, MD, MS, a chief resident in general surgery at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The award recognizes a chief resident in general surgery who exemplifies the values of compassion, technical skill, and devotion to science and learning. The College established the award with gifts from the family, colleagues, and friends of the late Dr. Chassin, who was a skilled surgeon, teacher, and scholar in New York, NY. The award is administered by the ACS Division of Education. Dr. Frasier was selected by an independent review panel of the Committee on Resident Education.
Hari Nathan, MD, PhD, FACS, received the 14th Joan L. and Julius H. Jacobson II Promising Investigator Award administered by the ACS Surgical Research Committee. Dr. Nathan is assistant professor, division of hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery, University of Michigan. His overarching research goals are to better understand variations in care for surgical patients and to identify strategies for improving the quality and cost of care.
The Committee on Medical Student Education recognized the following students as first- and second-place winners in their respective categories at the Medical Student Program ePoster Session: in the Clinical Research category, Zachary Whaley (University of Alabama) and Benjamin Kramer (NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine); in the Basic Science category, Danny Wang (Washington University in St. Louis) and Kristen Rhodin (Duke University); and in the Education, Innovation, and Outcomes Research Category, Alexei Mlodinow (Northwestern University) and Sarah Brownlee (Loyola University of Chicago).
Annual Business Meeting
The ACS Annual Business Meeting of Members convened October 24 with Dr. Maier presiding. The following ACS officials presented reports: Leigh A. Neumayer, MD, FACS, Chair of the B/R; Diana L. Farmer, MD, FACS, FRCS, Chair of the B/G; 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 Danny R. Robinette, 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. Dr. Rusch was elected President-Elect. John A. Weigelt, MD, DVM, FACS, a trauma, critical care, and acute care surgeon in Lead, SD, and faculty at Sanford Health System and the University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, was elected First Vice-President-Elect. The Second Vice-President-Elect is F. Dean Griffen, MD, FACS, Albert Sklar Professor of Surgery, Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, and clinical professor of surgery, Ochsner LSU Health.
The B/R elected Gerald M. Fried, MD, FACS, FRCSC, a general surgeon from Montreal, QC, to serve as Chair of the B/R and James K. Elsey, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from Atlanta, GA, to serve as Vice-Chair. Details about Drs. Fried and Elsey appear on pages 84–85 of this issue. Two new Regents also were elected: Lena M. Napolitano, MD, FACS, FCCP, FCCM, a trauma, acute care, and critical care surgeon from Ann Arbor; and Kenneth W. Sharp, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from Nashville, TN.
The following Regents were reelected: John L.D. Atkinson, MD, FACS, a neurosurgeon from Rochester, MN; James C. Denneny III, MD, FACS, an otolaryngology-head and neck surgeon from Alexandria, VA; Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from St. Louis, MO; Henri R. Ford, MD, MHA, FACS, FRCS, FAAP, a pediatric surgeon from Miami, FL; Enrique Hernandez, MD, FACS, an obstetrics-gynecology surgeon from Philadelphia, PA; L. Scott Levin, MD, FACS, an orthopaedic and plastic and reconstructive surgeon from Philadelphia; Linda G. Phillips, MD, FACS, a plastic surgeon from Galveston, TX; Anton N. Sidawy, MD, FACS, a general and vascular surgeon from Washington, DC; Beth H. Sutton, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from Wichita Falls, TX; and Steven D. Wexner, MD, PhD, FACS, FRCS, FRCSEd, FRCSI(Hon), a colon and rectal surgeon from Weston, FL.
The B/G elected Steven C. Stain, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from Albany, NY, to serve as Chair of the B/G and Daniel L. Dent, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from San Antonio, TX, to serve as Vice-Chair. Ronald J. Weigel, MD, PhD, FACS, a surgical oncologist and endocrine surgeon from Iowa City, IA, was elected Secretary of the B/G.
Other newly elected B/G Executive Committee members are as follows: Andre R. Campbell, MD, FACS, FACP, FCCM, a general and critical care surgeon from San Francisco, CA; Taylor Sohn Riall, MD, PhD, FACS, a general surgeon and surgical oncologist from Tucson, AZ; and Mika N. Sinanan, MD, PhD, FACS, a general surgeon from Seattle, WA.
