Metropolitan Philadelphia Chapter hosts second annual Resident Jeopardy Tournament
The Metropolitan Philadelphia Chapter of the American College of Surgeons (MPACS) held its second Annual Resident Jeopardy Tournament on November 10, 2016. Approximately 60 fellows, residents, and guests were in attendance to watch as resident teams from Abington Health Network, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Temple University Hospital, Einstein Medical Center, Mercy Catholic Medical Center, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, and University of Pennsylvania competed for the trophy. Adam Johnson, MD, Chair of the chapter’s Resident Subcommittee, chaired the Jeopardy Planning Committee. Jeffrey Butcher, MD, FACS, Chapter President-Elect, served as emcee, and Jeffrey Kolff, MD, FACS, Chapter President, and Sameer Patel, MD, FACS, Chapter Secretary, were the official judges.
Metropolitan Philadelphia Chapter: Winners of the Resident Jeopardy Tournament (front row, from left), Drs. Brady, Rivera, Nowak, Gianonne, and Hall. Back row, from left: Drs. Butcher, Kolff, and Johnson.
The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine team was the winner of the event. Team members included John Brady, DO; James Gianonne, DO; Georgia Hall, DO; Natalie Nowak, DO; and Laura Rivera, DO.
The 2017 Jeopardy Tournament will take place November 9. Teams interested in competing in the 2017 tournament should contact the MPACS staff office at mpcacs@pamedsoc.org.
Connecticut Chapter sponsors statewide ABSITE review course
The Residents’ Committee of the Connecticut Chapter of the ACS sponsored the first statewide, daylong review session on January 7 to help prepare trainees to take the American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE). The Committee, chaired by Swathi Reddy, MD, a postgraduate year (PGY)-2 resident at Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, comprises members from all six training programs in the state: Yale University; Stamford Hospital; Waterbury Hospital; Danbury Hospital; Saint Mary’s Hospital, Waterbury; and the University of Connecticut, Storrs.
The review was hosted by Saint Mary’s Hospital, and surgical residents from all residency programs in the state were invited. Attending surgeons from these institutions volunteered their time to cover high-yield topics through interactive lectures. The speakers included ACS Governor Philip Corvo, MD, MA, FACS, chairman, Stanley J. Dudrick department of surgery and director, surgical critical care, Saint Mary’s Hospital; Sajid Khan, MD, FACS, assistant professor of surgery; Matthew O. Hubbard, MD, MS, assistant professor of surgery, Yale New Haven Hospital; Scott H. Kurtzman, MD, FACS, program director, general surgery residency program, and chairman, department of surgery, Waterbury Hospital; and Sam Banerjee, MD, FACS, a colon and rectal surgeon and clinical associate professor of surgery, University of Connecticut.
Despite competing with 2017’s first blizzard, 50 residents attended the session and agreed it was well-organized, efficient, and targeted toward commonly tested topics and pitfalls. The event also offered ample time for residents to meet with their peers to discuss career goals and share common problems encountered during training. Based on feedback from the event, the committee is working on organizing a regional Mock Orals preparation program for 2018.
The Connecticut Chapter Residents’ Committee seeks to improve inter-residency communication, encourage educational and research collaboration, encourage residents to become active members of surgical communities, and engage in legislative advocacy.
Southern California Chapter hosts three-day conference in January
The Southern California Chapter of the ACS (SCCACS) hosted its annual three-day Scientific Conference January 20–22. The conference, which attracted 420 surgeons and residents, featured 40 plenary oral presentations, 19 oral poster presentations, and nine subspecialty sessions. Surgical residents from 12 surgical training programs in Southern California participated.
Southern California Chapter: Dr. de Virgilio (left) with Dr. Rowe.
The meeting featured two invited speakers. Steven L. Lee, MD, FACS, FAAP, professor of clinical surgery and pediatrics and chief, pediatric surgery, Harbor-University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), presented Non-Operative Management of Acute Appendicitis: The Evidence and Next Steps. Kathy Magliato, MD, FACS, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica, spoke to a sold-out audience at the Women in Surgery luncheon. Her presentation, Leading with Your Heart—Life Lessons in Leadership, was live streamed.
A highlight of the conference is the annual Surgical Jeopardy competition at the Annual Scientific Meeting. For the second year in a row, the team from the University of California, Irvine, represented by Sarath Sujatha-Bhaskar, MD, general surgery, and John Gahagan, MD, general surgery, won the competition. In this standing-room-only session, residency programs in Southern California compete for a coveted prize and bragging rights. Previous winning programs include Harbor-UCLA; Kern Medical Center, Bakersfield; and Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles.
In addition, the SCCACS announced newly elected officers during its annual membership meeting January 21. Outgoing Chapter President Christian de Virgilio, MD, FACS, led the meeting and announced the roster of new chapter officers: Vincent Rowe, MD, FACS, President; Ninh Nguyen, MD, FACS, President-Elect; J. Craig Collins, MD, FACS, Vice-President; and Kenji Inaba, MD, FACS, Secretary/Treasurer.
U.S. Ambassador to Greece speaks at chapter’s annual dinner
Greece Chapter: Professor Daikos (far right) is congratulated for his significant contribution to Greek-American medical education by (from left) K. Konstantinidis, MD, FACS, Honorary President, ACS-Greece Chapter; Dr. Linos, Governor; and Prof. A. Dimopoulos, MD, rector, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
The members and friends of the Greece Chapter of the ACS participated in their annual dinner in Athens on January 29. The keynote speaker was the U.S. Ambassador to Greece, Geoffrey Pyatt.
At the ceremony, Prof. George L. Daikos, MD, professor of medicine and infectious disease, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, was recognized for his contributions to Greek-American medical and academic relationships. In 1949, Prof. Daikos arrived in Boston, MA, after a 55-day boat trip from Athens to New York, NY. While in Boston, Professor Daikos was introduced to the Harvard University postgraduate education program by Panos Doukakis, MD, father of former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis. ACS Governor Dimitrios Linos, MD, FACS, who hosted the event, asked the members of the Greek-American medical community to continue the legacy and example of their elder leaders.
