AAS News Summer 2008

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P r e s i d e n t s M e s s a g eDr. Herb Chen

I hope that all o you have had a wonderul summer. It is hard to believe that summer is almost over, b

all wil l bring many exciting AAS activities and initiatives.

Arrangements are complete or the 4 a C dvopm Co on October 10 and 11,

in San Francisco, Caliornia. Te Course Co-Chairs, Drs. Eric Kimchi and Peter Nelson, have recruite

o spectacular speakers, including the Keynote speaker, Dr. Keith Lillemoe, Chairman o the Depart

o Surgery at Indiana University. Te 19 a Fm of sc rc Co, ru

concurrently with the Career Development Course, has been enhanced on the basis o eedback we

received rom the attendees o previous courses and rom the membership. Course director Dr. Anees ChPast President Dr. Fiemu Nwariaku, and the Co-Chairs o the AAS Education Committee, Drs. Lillian

and Carla Pugh, have assembled a group o talented speakers, including Dr. Selwyn Vickers, Chairman

Department o Surgery at the University o Minnesota, who will deliver the Keynote Address.

Te AAS Issues Committee, under the leadership o Co-Chairs Drs. Carlton Barnett and Aldo D

has drated the application or AAS members who are interested in applying or one o our many

aas io V Pofop aw. We have established programs in Australia

Zealand, aiwan, and Nigeria, with other countries soon to ollow.

Te new AAS Inormation and echnology (I) Committee Chair, Dr. Gretchen Purcell, has revise

committees mission. She will tell you about current I Committee initiatives, including the orthco

ifomo tcooy rvw that will inorm members about several technological innov

that can improve our daily work eciency.

I am proud to announce that the AAS has ormalized a

working relationship with the socy of Bck acmc

so (SBAS). Dr. Malcolm Brock, an SBAS ocer,

was recently appointed the rst AAS representative to the

SBAS. He will inorm you about ongoing collaborations

between the two associations.

As a noteworthy preview, the AAS Councilors

(Drs. David Gerber, Joe Hines, Ai-Xuan Holterman, Hong

Jin Kim, Cli Ko, Rebecca Minter, Leila Mureebe, Alex

Parikh, im Pawlik, Scott Pinchot, and George Sarosi) are

currently working on revising our grant awards and election

processes, important improvements that Dr. Minter will

summarize in the all edition o this newsletter.

Lastly, at the AAS strategic retreat in June, we introduced the new AAS -shirt (see photos). Te Exec

Council members were the rst to wear this attractive attire. Te shirts will be given to AAS award w

and will be available to all A AS members or purchase.

I look orward to seeing each o you at the AAS Fall Courses in October in San Francisco and a

4th Annual Academic Surgical Congress (ASC) at Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa, Fort Myers, Flori

February 2009!

Herb

i n t h i s i s s u e

Presidents Message

12009 ASC MeetingCall or Abstracts

2

Secretarys ReportAAS Award Opportunities

2

Issues Committee Update

3

normation & echnologyCommittee Initiatives

5

AAS & the Society oBlack Academic Surgeons

5

AAS Fall Courses 2008

6

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a B s t r a C t s u B M i s s i On W e B s i t eO Pe n F O r 2 0 0 9 a s C M e e t i n gDr. Daniel Albo, AAS Recorder & Program Committee Chair

On the heels o the highly-successul 3 a asCwith its record number o abstract present

and record number o attendeesthe AAS and the Society o University Surgeons (SUS) are looking o

to an even more successul 4 a asC on February 3-6, 2009, at the Sanibel Harbour Res

Fort Myers, Florida.

Te joint AAS/SUS website or electronic abstract submissions will remain open until August 25, In anticipation o the large turnout or the 4th ASC, we have allocated more time and space or present

Tereore, we anticipate a very high acceptance rate or high-quality abstracts.

Ater a very successul introduction during last years meeting, we again will be eaturing Oral Quick-

presentations. Tese are mini-oral paper presentations that consist o a 3-minute oral presentation w

slides maximum, ollowed by 2 minutes o discussion. With the exception o the traditional AAS and

plenary sessions, which will remain separate, all oral sessions will be integrated so as to include both

and SUS presentations. Tis year, or the rst time, we have incorporated the use o keywords in the ab

submission site. Tis is being done to help organize the dierent scientic sessions into thematic units a

oster interaction and networking among the attendees.

We strongly encourage medical students to submit abstracts or oral presentations. Te abstracts w

allocated to the appropriate type o session (plenary, parallel, or quick-shot) on the basis o abstract s

ogether with all other abstracts submitted or the ASC, these abstracts will be reviewed in a blinded

by the Program Committee. At a minimum, a quick-shot oral presentation will be GUARANEE

abstracts submitted by AAS Medical Students to ensure their participation in the program. In add

the 10 top-scoring abstracts will be re-presented by the medical students as quick-shots during a s

AAS Outstanding Medical Students session, where the students will compete or an award that incl

certicate, a $250 check, and a special mention in next years ASC program. Te AAS leadership will

attendance during this special session. I you want to be considered or this session, please be sure to che

AAS option on the Society/Association page and the AAS Medical Student option on the Add/Edit an A

page o the Additional Inormation section when you submit your abstract.

We hope that each o you plans to attend the 4th Annual ASC. For more inormation about the me

please visitwww.cmccco.o.

s e C r e t a r Y s r e P O rt:a a s a Wa r d O P P Or t u n i t i e s

Dr. Scott LeMaire

Te AAS is pleased to announce the award opportunities described below. Applications or and

inormation about all awards can be ound on the Web at www..o/w.m.

aas student researCh aWards

Applications dueSeptember 1, 2008Te intent o this award is to recognize outstanding research eorts by medical students and to enco

student interest in pursuing careers in academic surgery. Applicants must submit a summary o their re

project, along with a letter rom their mentor describing the students contributions to the project. Aw

will receive an award certicate, ree medical student membership in the AAS or 1 year, and recognit

the program o the Annual Meeting. Te top ve winners will be invited to present their work at the A

Fort Myers, Florida, in February 2009, or which they will receive complimentary registration; the to

awardees will also receive a $500 travel stipend to deray the costs o attending the meeting. Te deadli

RECEIP o applications is 11:59 pm CS on September 1, 2008.

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aas student traVel grant

Applications dueNovember 1, 2008

As part o our mission to increase diversity in our membership, the AAS is pleased to oer the 3rd

AAS Student ravel Grant. Tis award is presented to a medical student rom an underrepresented min

Tis award will include a $500 stipend, hotel accommodations, and registration or the ASC in Fort M

Florida. We are soliciting nominations rom department chairs and clerkship directors. Eligible cand

should submit an essay and a letter o support rom their chairperson or clerkship director. Te essay s

be no more than 300 words in length and ocus on the candidates commitment to becoming a lea

academic surgery. Te deadline or RECEIP o applications is 11:59 pm CS on November 1, 2008.

JOel J. rOslYn, Md, FaCultY researCh aWard

Applications dueNovember 1, 2008

Tis award, aimed at eligible aculty members who are within 5 years o completing surgical training, pr

the winner with 2 years o support or clinical or basic laboratory research. Applicants must be active

members who have not received a previous career development award. Te award o $35,000 per year

years is to be used or the direct-cost expenditures o the research and may not be used or salary suppo

award is to be expended solely or the purpose o the sponsored research. Funding or the award will

March 1, 2009. Te deadline or RECEIP o applications is 11:59 pm CS on November 1, 2008. Fi

will be invited or interviews at the 2009 ASC in Fort Myers, Florida.

aas researCh FellOWshiP aWard

Applications dueDecember 1, 2008Tis award, which is aimed at eligible residents or ellows who have completed at least 2 years o postgr

training in a surgical discipline, is intended to give the winner the opportunity to spend 2 years in ul

research or clinical studies with an AAS member. Applicants must be candidate members or active me

o the AAS, and the mentor must be an active member o the AAS. Te award o $15,000 per year or 2

may be used or salary support or or the direct-cost expenditures o the research. Te award is to be exp

solely or the purpose o the sponsored research. Funding or the award will begin July 1, 2009. Te de

or RECEIP o applications is 11:59 pm CS on December 1, 2008. Finalists will be invited or inte

at the 2009 ASC in Fort Myers, Florida.

i s s u e s C O M M i t t e e u P d at eDrs. Cataldo Doria & Carlton Barnett, Jr., Co-Chairs o the Issues Committee

Building on the solid oundation created by last years committee, the AAS Issues Committee is cur

pursuing several exciting agenda items o interest to the membership.

eduCatiOnal deBt: a MaJOr PrOBleM FOr aCadeMiC surgeOns

Last year, under the leadership o Dr. Melina Kibbe and in collaboration with the SUS Committee on

and Legislative Issues, the AAS Issue Committee began eorts to address the impact o educational d

academic surgeons. We conducted a novel study to assess indebtedness among academic surgeons a

repercussions on personal nances, quality o lie, and career choices. Ater IRB approval was obtai

Web-based survey consisting o 52 questions was designed to assess respondent demographics, educa

and consumer indebtedness, and the various consequences o educational debt. Many o you will recall this survey, which was sent out on two occasions last year. Tere were 555 respondents (20.6% respons

o whom approximately hal reported having educational debt. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, indiv

with educational debt had higher consumer debt. Somewhat surprisingly, individuals with no educa

debt actually had higher salaries than those with debt. Overall, the majority o respondents with educa

debt reported that they would nevertheless make the same career choices again; however, just over one

o respondents with educational debt acknowledged that this debt had strained their relationships with

signicant others, and nearly hal elt that debt had infuenced their choice o living accommodations.

and perhaps most tellingly, more than one third said that they would not recommend a career in aca

surgery to their children because o the educational debt involved.

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Te results o the study were presented at the highly successul Issues Committee Session at the 2008

Tis well-attended luncheon seminar eatured insightul discussion rom Dr. Paul Jolly, Senior Associat

President o the Association o American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Although Dr. Jolly acknowledge

reported on the skyrocketing rate o tuitions, he pointed out that the earning capacity o surgeons ac

exceeds that o our perceived peers in law or business. Ater the ensuing heated discussion, which inc

many provocative anecdotes, Dr. Margaret Schwarze spoke well or the committee when she recomm

that we as academic surgeons need to advocate or ourselves to conront the issue o educational debt,

than depending on government agencies to intercede on our behal.

We encourage all members to read this work when it is published. We are indebted to Dr. Kibbe and the

members o last years committee or starting this seminal work, and we look orward to ollowing up o

work in the next year.

uPCOMing internatiOnal Visiting PrOFessOrshiP aWards

Although the problems related to educational debt generated plenty o emotional discussion duri

luncheon Issues Committee Session at the ASC, Dr. Fiemu Nwariaku rapidly and appropriately brought

into proper perspective with his subsequent Presidential Address, Mind the Gap: Workorce Dispariti

Global Health, in which he detailed the signicant surgical needs o West Arica. Particularly strikin

the severe lack o practicing surgeons in countries such as Sierra Leone. Te presentation made it clea

there is much to learn about surgical care in other countries and that there are many opportunities to ex

the AASs involvement in the global eort to improve the human condition. o this end, the AAS is p

to oer International Visiting Proessorship Awards that will support travel to attend meetings in Naiwan, and Australia in the coming year. Each site oers its own special opportunities, because the ne

each region are dierent. Applications will be open to active members with a history o strong involvem

the organization. Please stay tuned or orthcoming details regarding the application process.

Plans FOr the 2009 asC issues COMMittee sessiOn

Te Issues Committee Session at the4 a asC in Fort Myers, Florida, will be led by the SUS Com

on Social and Legislative Issues. Dr. Rebecca Minter has organized a state-o-the-art panel session on

important topic o great interest to many academic surgeons: how to partner with industry in bringing

discovery into the clinical arena. It is well known that this process can be raught with pitalls that migh

to the investigators discovery being ignored or marginalized. Tis will be a highly practical session ocu

what makes a discovery marketable and how one negotiates and orms relationships with companies torom initial discovery to clinical trials. Dr. Minter has invited a group o our well-recognized proess

rom a wide range o backgrounds to represent the viewpoints o key players involved in this proces

Jerey Platt, Proessor o Surgery and Proessor o Microbiology and Immunology at University o Mic

will discuss the ramications o commercialization in academia; Dr. Mitch Fink, President and C

Logical Terapeutics, Inc., will explain how to plan and conduct a research program to yield pate

inventions; Dr. Bruce Gingles, Vice President o Cook Medical, will discuss models or the commerciali

o discoveries; and Dr. Ida Deichaite, rom the oce o Industry Relations o the Moores Cancer Center

University o Caliornia, San Diego, will discuss how to initially approach and then negotiate with ind

We are sure that this session will be extremely inormative, and we hope to see all o you there.

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inFOrM atiOn & teChnOlOgY COMMittei n i t i a t i V e s F O r 2 0 08

Dr. Gretchen Purcell, Chair o the Inormation & Technology Committee

Te AAS I Committee has sought to update and generalize our mission statement to embrace

current and uture technologies and to remove limiting reerences to particular orums or technologie

committee is committed to identiying and evaluating inormation and technologies relevant to the pr

o academic surgery; introducing new and emerging inormation and technologies to the membership

AAS; developing and enhancing the use o established and emerging technologies to acilitate communi

among the AAS, its membership, and the community; and ostering links between developers o technologies and the membership o AAS. In pursuit o this mission, the I Committee is currently w

on three important initiatives.

First, we are expanding the o vby of aas co m. Slides rom the 2007 AA

Courses have been converted to Web-based fash presentations that are now available on the AAS website

reviewing these materials, the committee members unanimously agreed that the slides would be substa

more valuable i accompanied by recordings o the lectures. Tereore, we are exploring options or obt

audio content rom the 2008 AAS Fall Courses.

Second, we are exploring options to om ppo aas co poc. We plan to impl

updated technologies to create streamlined systems or submitting nominations and or voting.

Tird, to achieve our mission o introducing new and emerging technologies to the AAS membership, w

developing a series oifomo tcooy rvw that will describe resources, equipmen

innovative technologies to support the practice o academic surgery. Reviews may address very basic th

such as choosing whether to use a Blackberry, reo, or iPhone, or more advanced topics such as u

SharePoint server or data and document sharing among members o a research team. Please look or ou

review in the next newsletter.

a a s & t h e s O C i e t Y O F B l a C K a C a d e M is u r g e O n s J O i n F O r C e s

Dr. Malcolm Brock, Representative to the SBAS

With the changing demographics o the US, the AAS realizes that surgeons increasingly care or d

populations, but the diversity o our membership has not kept pace with the diversity o the nation. Acco

to recent data rom the AAMC, only 3% o all U.S. medical school aculty members are Black, 1.6

Hispanic, and 0.1% are Native American. Te AAS has joined orces with the SBAS to encourag

support the proessional development o young, minority surgical residents and aculty. Te SBAS

academic group committed to promoting diversity in the eld o surgery. In act, the late Dr. Claude O

a past president o the American College o Surgeons who was instrumental in the ounding o the

charged the organization with this mandate at its inaugural meeting, which was hosted in April 19

Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Currently, SBAS boasts large institutional support, as wa burgeoning membership o more than 200 academic surgeons. Tis year, SBAS marked its 18th A

Symposium, where there were 20 oral scientic presentations and 38 posters presented by surgical

members, residents, and medical students rom across the nation. Authors o all scientic abstracts were

the option to submit their work or publication in theAmerican Journal o Surgery. Te SBASs emphaboth mentoring young surgeons and stimulating academic excellence among its members makes the a

with the AAS especially enticing.

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Association for Academic Surgery

2008 Fall CoursesOctober 10 & 11, 2008 San Francisco, CAPreceding the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress

FUNDAMENTALS OF

SURGICAL RESEARCH

COURSECourse Chairs: Fiemu Nwariaku, MD,FACS, FWACS; Anees Chagpar, MD

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

ose in eir First Year of ResearchMedical Students

Residents

FellowsNew Faculty

WHAT WILL BE TAUGHT?

is course provides the foundationfor a successful basic or clinical science researchexperience, including advice and practical tips.

Topics include:

Planning a Career in Surgical Research

Abstract Writing

Researching and Writing a Scientific Manuscript

Grant Writing ...and many more.

CAREER

DEVELOPMENT

COURSECourse Chairs: Eric Kimchi, MD;

Peter R. Nelson, MD

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Residents

Fellows

Junior Faculty

WHAT WILL BE TAUGHT?

How to

Choose the right job and negotiatefor what you will need to succeed.

Choose the right mentors.

Achieve balance between career and family life.

Write effective grant applications.

Plan an effective strategy for getting promoted.

REGISTRATION FOR THESE COURSES IS NOW AVAILABLE!

Register through the AAS web site atWWW.AASURG.ORG

Association for Academic Surgery 11300 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 600 Los Angeles, CA 90064

Phone: 310-437-1606 Fax: 310-437-0585 Email: registration@aasurg.org