Approximately 80 surgeons and residents attended the Delaware Chapter of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) annual Delaware Day of Surgery in October 2017 at the John H. Ammon Medical Education Center at Christiana Care Health System in Newark. Joseph Bennett, MD, FACS, President of the Delaware Chapter, provided the opening remarks and introduced the keynote speaker, Mary C. McCarthy, MD, FACS, then-Second Vice-President of the ACS.
The morning event commenced with a Resident Trauma Papers Competition, Surgical Jeopardy, and a Simulator Competition. Residents from the Christiana Care Health System who participated in the Papers Competition included Maxwell Braverman, DO, postgraduate year (PGY)-5; Michael Farrell, MD, PGY-4; Ian Wilhelm, MD, surgical critical care fellow; and Richard Wittmeyer, DO, PGY-4. The competition was monitored by Mark Cipolle, MD, PhD, FACS, FCCM, medical director, trauma program, Christiana Care Health System. Drs. Farrell and Braverman, who won first and second place respectively, went on to receive first and second place in the ACS Committee on Trauma (COT) Region III Resident Paper Competition, which took place at the University of Maryland R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, Baltimore, in December 2017.
Drs. Braverman and Hensley won the Surgical Jeopardy Competition. Residents from the Christiana Care Health System who also participated in a Simulator Competition, included Salman Aziz, MD, PGY-1; Shoshana Levi, MD, PGY-2; Elianne Rojas, DO, PGY-3; Robert Felte, MD, PGY-4; and Michael Lin, MD, PGY-5. The Simulator Competition was led by Peter Santoro, MD, FACS, Delaware Surgical Group, Christiana Hernia Center, Glasgow. The winner of the Simulator Competition was Michael Lin, MD, PGY-5.
Florida Chapter hosts annual meeting
The Florida Chapter of the ACS (FCACS) held its annual meeting April 6–7 in Orlando, led by then-Chapter President-Elect Christine Laronga, MD, FACS, surgical oncologist, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa. This year, FCACS hosted approximately 140 attendees and featured faculty, including Patricia Numann, MD, FACS, ACS Past-President, Lloyd S. Rogers Professor of Surgery, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse; George A. Sarosi, Jr., MD, FACS, residency program director, department of surgery, University of Florida College of Medicine, and director, American Board of Surgery; Jay A. Redan, MD, FACS, chief of surgery, Florida Hospital-Celebration Health; and Edward Copeland, MD, FACS, professor of surgery, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville.
The FCACS abstract competition involved nearly 50 poster presenters from the basic science, clinical science, and Commission on Cancer categories. The winners of the resident and medical student poster competitions also were invited to participate in this event. The winners of the 2018 abstract competition are as follows:
- Basic Science: Anthony Ferrantella, MD, PGY-2 (University of Miami)
- Clinical Science: Juan Mira, MD, PGY-5 (University of Florida)
- Commission on Cancer: Michael Gerber, MD, PGY-2 (University of Florida)
- Resident Poster Winner: Andre Coombs, MD, PGY-3 (Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami)
- Medical Student Poster Winner: Yao Yang, MPH (University of Miami)
The meeting also featured two competitions for residents, as well as mock oral exams. The winners of the Surgical Olympics were Christina Mesocoraca, DO, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, and Russell Hawkins, MD, University of Florida. The winners of the Surgical Jeopardy Competition were Dr. Hawkins; David Hall, MD; and Patrick Underwood, MD, University of Florida.
For the first time, Florida Committees on Applicants 2, 3, and 4 conducted FACS candidate interviews during the FCACS meeting. More than 40 candidates were interviewed and educated on the ACS and the FCACS.
Georgia Society of the ACS holds successful Lobby Day
More than 140 Georgia surgeons and trauma professionals gathered at the Georgia Capitol on February 14 to advocate for distracted driving legislation and offer Stop the Bleed® training. Attendees were welcomed by Georgia Society of the ACS (GSACS) President Thomas E. Reeve, MD, FACS, and GSACS President-Elect Dennis Ashley, MD, FACS.
Both the Georgia Senate and the House of Representatives passed resolutions commending GSACS, the Georgia Trauma Foundation, and the Georgia Trauma Commission, and declared it to be Stop the Bleed Day. Drs. Reeve and Ashley presented the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate with large trauma stations for their respective chambers, bringing the total number of large trauma stations that GSACS has installed in the Georgia capitol to five.
