The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has forced many domestic and international chapters of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) to postpone or cancel annual meetings and events over the last several months. While a few chapters were able to hold annual meetings and Surgical Jeopardy competitions in the early stages of COVID-19, chapters have started organizing virtual meetings so members can continue to participate in educational offerings and network with colleagues.
Domestic chapters
North Texas Chapter
Annual Meeting, February 21–22, Dallas. Named lectures, scientific sessions, an abstract competition, and Surgical Jeopardy were some of the highlights from the two-day meeting.
Left: Catherine Ronaghan, MD, FACS, 2019–2020 North Texas Chapter President (left), presenting the Robert S. Sparkman plaque to invited speaker O. Wayne Isom, MD, FACS, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY.
Right: Bernhard Mittemeyer, MD, FACS, delivering the Harry M. Spence Memorial Lecture
Florida Chapter
Florida then Chapter President John H. Armstrong, MD, FACS (right), and then President-Elect Jay A. Redan, MD, FACS, proudly congratulate graduating medical students during the Resident and Associate Society of the American College of Surgeon (RAS-ACS) virtual graduation ceremony. Their message: no matter where you live and learn, make an ACS chapter part of your life. Read more about the Florida Chapter’s virtual meeting.
Maryland Chapter (MD-ACS)
Spring Meeting, March 7, Annapolis. Attendees gathered for a day of medical education and professional networking that concluded with Surgical Jeopardy, which the Anne Arundel Medical Center team won.
Left: Immediate Past-President Jonathan E. Efron, MD, FACS (left), presented with the President’s Plaque by newly installed MD-ACS President Jose J. Diaz, Jr., MD, FACS. Right: Winner of the MD-ACS 2020 Resident General Surgery Abstract Competition Mitchell Huang, Johns Hopkins University (right), with Dr. Diaz
Connecticut Chapter
Honoring its long-standing commitment to medical education, the Connecticut Chapter recently awarded scholarships to graduating physicians from medical schools in Connecticut. The awards were created to stimulate student interest in the surgical disciplines and to recognize outstanding achievement. Awards were presented to Thais Faggion Vinholo, MD, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven; Rebecca Lynn Calafiore, MD, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington; and Seija Maniskas, MD, Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, New Haven.
Left: Dr. Vinholo. Center: Dr. Calafiore. Right: Dr. Maniskas
International chapters
India Chapter
The India Chapter held a May 8–10 online International Medical Student Congress with more than 800 delegates participating over three days. Interesting cases, research work, and clinical photo essays were presented, and two workshops were conducted on scientific paper writing and basic surgical skills. The chapter also held a live webinar, Surgery during COVID Times—Do’s & Don’ts, as well as an online postgraduate master class that included clinical case presentations and demonstrations of clinical examinations.
Germany Chapter
This year’s International Panel of the ACS and the German Society of Surgery, Women in Surgery, was organized by the ACS Germany Chapter and originally planned for the Annual Congress of the German Society of Surgery on April 21 in Berlin. Because of COVID-19, the session was convened as a videoconference with 220 participants.
ACS President Valerie Rusch, MD, FACS, was Honorary Presenter. Pictured in the photo, from left, upper row: John H. Armstrong, MD, FACS, then Florida Chapter President; Dr. Rusch; Astrid Büren, MD; Thomas Schmitz-Rixen, MD, President, the German Society of Surgery; and Ernst Klar, MD, FACS, Germany Chapter Governor. Additional presentations included “FamSurg—A Program for Establishing Family-Friendly Structures in Surgery,” by Kim Honselmann, MD, University of Lübeck; and “The Male’s View,” by Jakob Izbicki, MD, FACS(Hon), University of Hamburg.
