Honorary Fellowship in the American College of Surgeons was awarded to 12 prominent surgeons from around the world at the October 27 Convocation at Clinical Congress 2019 in San Francisco, CA. The granting of Honorary Fellowships is one of the highlights of Clinical Congress; this year’s recipients were as follows.
Prof. Italo F. Braghetto, MD, MHA, FACS, of Santiago, Chile, specializes in gastric and esophageal surgery, is an academic surgeon who has been a devoted teacher active in building an international surgical network in Latin America, and a supporter of scientific surgical societies. Professor Braghetto has contributed to numerous books, book chapters, and more than 400 scholarly publications on gastric and esophageal surgery. He is a recognized surgical leader in Latin America and is a member of many national and international surgical societies.
Prof. Laurence Chiché, MD, PhD, professor of surgery and director, department of surgery, Bordeaux University, France, is a recognized gastrointestinal surgeon, clinical investigator, educator, and leader. She is an accomplished scholar in the field of transplantation, and her program at Bordeaux is the second largest liver transplantation program in France. Professor Chiché has made formative contributions to solving a variety of clinical problems in hepatobiliary and liver transplantation surgery. She is widely considered nationally and internationally to be a thought leader in this discipline and has served as a research mentor and doctoral thesis advisor to multiple candidates.
Prof. Ian D.S. Civil, MBChB, FACS, FRACS, director of trauma services, Auckland Hospital, New Zealand, is a broadly trained general, vascular, and trauma surgeon. He is clinical director for the Major Trauma National Clinical Network and clinical leader for the Safe Surgery New Zealand Expert Advisory Group for the Health Quality and Safety Commission of New Zealand. He has been a primary force in the development of trauma care in New Zealand and now has assumed leadership in establishing national quality assurance standards in system development. He has been a long-time supporter and active member of the ACS, having also served as a President of the Australia-New Zealand Chapter and Governor at-Large for the chapter.
Prof. John M.P. Hyland, MCh, FACS, FRCS, FRCSI, FRCSEd(Hon), consultant general and colorectal surgeon, St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, is founder of the hospital’s Centre for Colorectal Disease, which provides multidisciplinary care and uses educational and clinical research to improve the clinical management of colorectal patients. Among his many contributions in the field of colorectal cancer treatment, perhaps the most notable occurred in the early 1980s when he developed a clinical database of patients with colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease, which resulted in clinical research publications. He is a lead educator in minimally invasive surgery and preceptor in laparoscopic surgery in the U.K.
Prof. Yoko Kato, MD, PhD, is professor and chair, department of neurosurgery, Fujita Health University Banbuntane Hotokukai Hospital, Aichi, Japan. In 2006, she became the first woman professor of neurosurgery in Japan and, ultimately, chair of the department of neurosurgery and chief of the stroke center at the hospital. She is recognized by her peers as one of the foremost authorities on the surgical management of brain aneurysms and has performed more than 1,800 brain aneurysmal clipping procedures throughout her career. The volume of procedures, using state-of-the-art technology, has attracted many young neurosurgeons to study at her institution each year.
Prof. Marek Krawczyk, MD, PhD, professor and chairman, department of general, transplant, and liver surgery; and president, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland, has been intimately involved in resident training in general surgery and transplant surgery, has mentored 17 doctor of philosophy (PhD) students, and served as an advisor or reviewer for 47 PhD students. Professor Krawczyk was the first Polish surgeon to obtain the European Honorary Certificate as an expert in liver, pancreas, and hepatobiliary surgery and he personally established the first successful liver transplant program in Poland.
Prof. Antonio M. de Lacy Fortuny, MD, PhD, is head, gastrointestinal surgery service, and chief, minimally invasive surgery department, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain. One of his most important pioneering contributions was as the investigator and author of the “Barcelona trial,” the world’s first randomized control trial showing the acceptability of laparoscopic colorectal surgery for the cure of colonic carcinoma. He also is known for the development and implementation of natural orifice transluminal surgery, including transoral esophageal anti-reflux surgery, transvaginal sleeve gastrectomy, and transanal total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer.
Prof. Ari Kalevi Leppäniemi, MD, PhD, is professor of surgery, abdominal center, Meilahti Hospital, and chief, division of emergency surgery and surgical critical care, University of Helsinki, Finland. He is an internationally recognized leader in the care of the injured patient, critically ill, emergency general surgical patient, and in the reconstruction of the patient with major abdominal compartment syndrome complications. He has cared for the underserved in Nigeria; served as a field surgeon during the civil wars in Cambodia, Sudan, and Afghanistan; and was a volunteer surgeon in the South Pacific.
Prof. Neil Mortensen, MBChB, MD, MA, FRCSEng, FRCPSGlasg(Hon), FRCSEd(Hon), FRCSI(Hon), is professor of colon and rectal surgery, University of Oxford Medical School, and honorary consultant colorectal surgeon and a fellow of Green Templeton College, U.K. A former ACS Paul Hawley International Guest Scholar, he has published more than 350 original peer-reviewed manuscripts, 30 book chapters, and has edited eight books. Professor Mortensen’s world renown has been recognized in part by the numerous named lectures he has delivered in the U.K., Europe, Australasia, and North America.
Prof. Vijay Naraynsingh, MD, FACS, professor emeritus of surgery, University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica, has played a significant role in organizing surgery and establishing a program of surgical education in the West Indies and throughout the Caribbean. He established vascular surgery as a specialized service in Port of Spain and Trinidad and introduced a number of complex surgical procedures to the area. He has published many manuscripts related to vascular and general surgery, most of which are case reports or studies of particular diseases or management strategies important for his region. His contributions have been widely recognized, most notably with the Chaconia Gold Medal—the second highest civilian award given by his government.
Prof. Kerstin Sandelin, MD, PhD, FACS, FRCS, professor of surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, is a leading expert in endocrine and breast surgery. She chairs the National Quality Breast Cancer Register and is a founding member and past-president of Breast Surgery International, which promotes breast surgery worldwide, particularly in developing countries where the diagnosis, management, and treatment options differ from standard recommendations because of limited resources and cultural and socioeconomic barriers. She works closely with breast cancer support groups and nongovernmental organizations to promote health awareness and early detection of breast cancer.
Prof. Panayotis Soucacos, MD, FACS, professor of orthopaedic surgery, The Panayotis N. Soucacos Orthopedic Research and Education Center, Attikon University Hospital, University of Athens School of Medicine, Greece, is an internationally recognized contributor to orthopaedic surgery. He has published more than 400 scientific articles in the Greek and international literature, contributed to 55 book chapters, and has served as guest editor of 25 special editions of referred journals in the U.S. and internationally, and served on the editorial boards of 15 European and American journals.
