The ACS welcomes Jordan Chapter
Fellows in the country of Jordan have formed the newest chapter of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). The Board of Regents on February 6 unanimously approved the establishment of the Jordan Chapter, the 107th chapter of the College. With this addition, the College now has 40 international and 67 domestic chapters, with two others in various stages of formation. The newly elected officers of the Jordan Chapter are as follows: Mahmoud M. Abu-Khalaf, MB, BCh, FACS, President; Khaled Yousef Al Sawair Ajarma, MD, FACS, Vice-President; Osama M. Hamed, MB, BS, FACS, Secretary; Abdul Naser M. Al Shunigat, MB, BS, FACS, Treasurer; Mohammad Abdel F. Al Shubaki, MB, BS, FACS, Chapter Councilor; Muhammad Abdel Wahab Al-Zetawi, MB, BS, FACS, Chapter Councilor; and Zaki Mahdi Qulaghassi, MB, BCh, FACS, Chapter Councilor.
Chapter hosts reception for young surgeons at Philadelphia Museum of Art
Frances Ferdinand, MD, FACS, ACS Governor of Pennsylvania (front center, blue tie), and Ned Z. Carp, MD, FACS, President of the Metropolitan Philadelphia Chapter (front center, red tie) gather with residents and other guests at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
On the evening of November 21, the ACS Metropolitan Philadelphia Chapter hosted its first Residents Reception in the halls of the historic Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA. The nearly 30 young surgeons in attendance, along with other guests and chapter officers, enjoyed a lively conversation in the unique venue. Attendees received information about College and chapter membership and ACS programs. The Metropolitan Philadelphia Chapter is planning to host another special resident event in the near future. To encourage the participation of young surgeons, the chapter also offers resident surgeons an opportunity to participate every fall in the chapter’s annual mock-oral examination.
ACS International Governors and Chapter Officers meet at 2014 Clinical Congress
More than 50 ACS International Governors and Chapter Officers met for two hours during Clinical Congress 2014 to discuss the growth of ACS international membership and issues of concern to the ACS international community. The meeting was organized by the officers of the Governors Chapter Activities International Workgroup, Raymond R. Price, MD, FACS, Chair, and Jamal J. Hoballah, MD, MBA, FACS, Vice-Chair. Also in attendance at the meeting were Andrew L. Warshaw, MD, FACS, ACS President; Carlos A. Pellegrini, MD, FACS, FRCSI(Hon), ACS Immediate Past-President; David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, ACS Executive Director; Gary L. Timmerman, MD, FACS, Past-Chair, Board of Governors Executive Committee; Patricia L. Turner, MD, FACS, Director, ACS Division of Member Services; Donna Tieberg, ACS Chapter Services Manager; and Kate Early, Administrator, ACS International Relations Committee. Of particular interest to attendees was the development of international “Regional Meetings,” which would create larger conferences or congresses, possibly along with other surgical societies, to offer opportunities for a wider range of educational sessions and to facilitate dialogue among surgeons of different countries.
Also at Clinical Congress 2014, International Governors and Chapter Presidents met separately by region, along with an appointed secretary for each group, who offered an agenda and facilitated the separate discussions of Governors and Chapter Presidents in each of the four international regions.
Satish K. Shukla, MS, FICS, president of the Association of Surgeons of India (left), presents an award to the keynote speaker, Dr. Warshaw. Next on the right in the background is Tamonas Choudhary, BS, MS, FMAS; and in front, Suresh Chandra Hir, MB, BS, MS, immediate past-president of the Association of Surgeons of India.
ACS President speaks at 2014 ASICOM meeting in Hyderabad, India
ACS President Andrew L. Warshaw, MD, FACS, FRCSEd(Hon) offered a well-received keynote presentation at the 2014 Association of Surgeons of India 74th Annual Conference on December 27. Dr. Warshaw’s lecture was titled Appropriate Decisions for Surgical Care. The event took place at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre in the historic city of Hyderabad, India, capital of the southern Indian state of Telangana. Several Fellows also attended this international symposium, which focused on collaborative teaching and learning.
Members of the Hong Kong Chapter and surgeons from HKU, from left: John H. Boey, MD, FACS, honorary clinical professor, department of surgery, HKU; Y. C. Chan, MB, BS, clinical associate professor, department of surgery, HKU; Dr. Lo; Dr. Warshaw; Prof. Richard K. Y. Lo, vice-president, ACS China-Hong Kong Chapter and honorary clinical professor, department of surgery, HKU; Tiffany Cho Lam Wong, MB, BCh, FRCSEdin, clinical assistant professor, department of surgery, HKU; and Clarence Nicholas Kotewall, MB, BS, department of surgery, HKU.
Hong Kong Chapter members and local university surgeons welcome Dr. Warshaw
On December 5, 2014, Dr. Warshaw visited Queen Mary Hospital at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), SAR China, and delivered a lecture titled Current Observations on Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm of the Pancreas. Members of the Hong Kong Chapter, along with HKU staff, attended the event. Before the lecture, the ACS Governor for Hong Kong, Chung Mau Lo, MD, FACS, head, department of surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, HKU, along with chapter officers, local surgeons, and hospital staff welcomed Dr. Warshaw at a reception.
Attendees of the Annual Indiana Chapter “Day at the Capitol,” from left, front row: Heather Adkins, MD; Alan P. Ladd, MD, FACS; Drs. Thomas and Canal; Michael J. Buckmaster, MD, FACS; and Anne E. Mattingly, MD.
Back row: Suzanne Inchauste, MD, member, Resident Associate Society of the American College of Surgeons (RAS-ACS); Ray K. Chihara, MD; Benjamin D. Brewster, MD; Luis Velazco, MD, member, RAS-ACS; Steven Groene, MD, member, RAS-ACS; Stephen A. Bodney, MD, FACS; and Margaret M. Inman, MD, FACS.
Indiana Chapter advocates at “Day at the Capitol”
The Indiana Chapter of the ACS held its Day at the Capitol event January 26 in Indianapolis. The one-day meeting, coordinated by the Chair of the ACS Legislative Committee, Don J. Selzer, MD, FACS, consisted of a half-day of didactics followed by a half-day at the Indiana Statehouse, advocating on behalf of Indiana’s patients and College Fellows. This was the fifth annual advocacy event for the Indiana Chapter, which again benefited from the support of the ACS Chapter Lobby Day Grant Program.
The morning session included a summary of the Indiana legislative process, current medical legislative issues in the Indiana General Assembly, health care financing, an update on value-based purchasing and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Physician Quality Reporting System, and a discussion of the importance of surgeon advocacy. Tara Leystra Ackerman, MPH, State Affairs Associate, ACS Division of Advocacy and Health Policy, provided a summary of recent advocacy efforts at the state level and emphasized areas of importance in the 2015–2016 legislative cycle. Keynote speaker, Indiana State Rep. Timothy Brown, MD (R), presented a summary of how physicians continue to play a role in Indiana’s political and regulatory processes.
Among the 25 participants who braved frigid temperatures to visit the Indiana Statehouse for the 2014 Day at the Capitol were: Indiana Chapter President William Nowlin, MD, FACS; Chapter Past-President Scott G. Thomas, MD, FACS; ACS Governor and Past-President, David Welsh, MD, FACS; and ACS Governor David F. Canal, MD, FACS. While at the statehouse, several surgeon advocates met with legislators from their home districts, including those who hold key positions on insurance, health care, and finance committees. Advocates focused most of their efforts on educating legislators about the potential impact of S.B. 55, a bill anticipated to create a 1,200 percent increase in the number of liability claims involving Indiana’s Medical Malpractice Act physician panel review process.
Attendees at the South Florida Chapter meeting included, from left: Bill Bouck, South Florida Chapter Administrator; a medical student from Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL; Dr. Paramo; Dr. Armstrong; and Raul Rosenthal, MD, FACS, Chapter Secretary/Treasurer.
The South Florida Chapter held its 2015 annual dinner and meeting Monday, January 26, at the Hyatt Regency Resort & Marina in Fort Lauderdale. Chapter President Juan C. Paramo, MD, FACS, FICS, offered opening remarks and facilitated the chapter business meeting, with 94 individuals in attendance. John H. Armstrong, MD, FACS, Florida Surgeon General and Secretary of Health, was the keynote speaker, offering a well-received presentation on Navigating Health with a Surgeon’s Compass.
2015 Leadership Summit to include presentations on transforming leadership
The fourth annual Leadership & Advocacy Summit will take place April 18–21 at the JW Marriott in Washington, DC. The leadership portion of the dual summit, April 18−19, will focus on leading with influence. Session topics will include overcoming resistance to change, moving from transactional to transformational leadership, conquering physician burnout and building resiliency, and gaining a better understanding of physician employment contracts. As with previous leadership summits, several ACS chapters will share their success stories from the previous year. Again this year, attendees will convene in small groups by state/region to identify areas for synergy and unified efforts. For more information on the leadership summit, contact Donna Tieberg, ACS Chapter Services Manager, at dtieberg@facs.org.
