News From the College

WASHINGTON – Technological innovation is transforming surgery at a rapid pace. The question, according to Dr. Mark Talamini, is how can surgeons prepare for and participate in that transformation.

Dr. Talamini delivered the Excelsior Surgical Society/Edward D. Churchill Lecture at the annual clinical congress of the American College of Surgeons. He discussed his own early interest in medical technology, the trends in technological change, and the complex issues that face surgeons in maintaining currency in training and working to develop new devices.

The most profound change in surgery in recent decades has been the insertion of high-tech devices between the surgeon and the patient. There is now most commonly a physical distance between the patient’s body and the surgeon’s hands, and "the majority of surgical procedures involve the surgeon looking at a screen." Surgical tasks of dissecting, controlling bleeding, and suturing in particular have been all but transformed by devices.

The drive to introduce new surgical devices has come up against the stringent approval process of the Food and Drug Administration and has led to public criticism of that process. Dr. Talamini, who chairs the surgery department at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and who has worked with the FDA for more than 10 years in various capacities, argued that there must be a correct balance between innovation and regulation. "We’ve got to have both. We cannot just have instruments released to the public without understanding what the issues are regarding safety and effectiveness. For the FDA, that is the mantra: safety and effectiveness." He added, "They have a tough task to figure out the balance between getting new things to the market to benefit patients and yet maintaining overall public safety."

Dr. Talamini asserted that the growing number and complexity of surgical instruments mean that surgeons may be falling behind in their skills without realizing it. He illustrated his point by posing specific questions about the use of some recently introduced instruments and polling the audience on correct use. In response to the many wrong answers, he asserted that "we don’t know as much as we think we do about surgical technology."

To address this problem of maintaining currency and training on innovative devices, Dr. Talamini mentioned the Fundamental Use of Surgical Energy (FUSE) program created by the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. FUSE is a web-based educational and testing program for all operating room participants, including surgeons.

Dr. Talamini is particularly proud of the Center for the Future of Surgery located at the University of California, San Diego, which he was instrumental in developing. This center has a research suite for doctors and scientists to collaborate on innovative devices; training suites for the latest in surgical, robotic, laparoscopic, and microscopic techniques; and simulated operating rooms and emergency departments.

Dr. Talamini reflected on the complex relationship between innovative surgeons and device development and manufacturing companies. He cautioned the audience to consider some principles when engaging in technology development with industry. First, there would be no technological innovation without collaboration between the medical device industry and surgeons. But development and training cannot be simply a means of selling equipment. Education and sales must be clearly differentiated. In addition, disclosure and transparency are fundamental to maintaining public trust.

Finally, Dr. Talamini argued that conflict of interest in this area cannot be eliminated, but it must be managed to foster innovation.

Dr. Talamini had no disclosures.

[email protected]

WASHINGTON – Technological innovation is transforming surgery at a rapid pace. The question, according to Dr. Mark Talamini, is how can surgeons prepare for and participate in that transformation.

Dr. Talamini delivered the Excelsior Surgical Society/Edward D. Churchill Lecture at the annual clinical congress of the American College of Surgeons. He discussed his own early interest in medical technology, the trends in technological change, and the complex issues that face surgeons in maintaining currency in training and working to develop new devices.

The most profound change in surgery in recent decades has been the insertion of high-tech devices between the surgeon and the patient. There is now most commonly a physical distance between the patient’s body and the surgeon’s hands, and "the majority of surgical procedures involve the surgeon looking at a screen." Surgical tasks of dissecting, controlling bleeding, and suturing in particular have been all but transformed by devices.

The drive to introduce new surgical devices has come up against the stringent approval process of the Food and Drug Administration and has led to public criticism of that process. Dr. Talamini, who chairs the surgery department at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and who has worked with the FDA for more than 10 years in various capacities, argued that there must be a correct balance between innovation and regulation. "We’ve got to have both. We cannot just have instruments released to the public without understanding what the issues are regarding safety and effectiveness. For the FDA, that is the mantra: safety and effectiveness." He added, "They have a tough task to figure out the balance between getting new things to the market to benefit patients and yet maintaining overall public safety."

Dr. Talamini asserted that the growing number and complexity of surgical instruments mean that surgeons may be falling behind in their skills without realizing it. He illustrated his point by posing specific questions about the use of some recently introduced instruments and polling the audience on correct use. In response to the many wrong answers, he asserted that "we don’t know as much as we think we do about surgical technology."

To address this problem of maintaining currency and training on innovative devices, Dr. Talamini mentioned the Fundamental Use of Surgical Energy (FUSE) program created by the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. FUSE is a web-based educational and testing program for all operating room participants, including surgeons.

Dr. Talamini is particularly proud of the Center for the Future of Surgery located at the University of California, San Diego, which he was instrumental in developing. This center has a research suite for doctors and scientists to collaborate on innovative devices; training suites for the latest in surgical, robotic, laparoscopic, and microscopic techniques; and simulated operating rooms and emergency departments.

Dr. Talamini reflected on the complex relationship between innovative surgeons and device development and manufacturing companies. He cautioned the audience to consider some principles when engaging in technology development with industry. First, there would be no technological innovation without collaboration between the medical device industry and surgeons. But development and training cannot be simply a means of selling equipment. Education and sales must be clearly differentiated. In addition, disclosure and transparency are fundamental to maintaining public trust.

Finally, Dr. Talamini argued that conflict of interest in this area cannot be eliminated, but it must be managed to foster innovation.

Dr. Talamini had no disclosures.

[email protected]

WASHINGTON – Technological innovation is transforming surgery at a rapid pace. The question, according to Dr. Mark Talamini, is how can surgeons prepare for and participate in that transformation.

Dr. Talamini delivered the Excelsior Surgical Society/Edward D. Churchill Lecture at the annual clinical congress of the American College of Surgeons. He discussed his own early interest in medical technology, the trends in technological change, and the complex issues that face surgeons in maintaining currency in training and working to develop new devices.

The most profound change in surgery in recent decades has been the insertion of high-tech devices between the surgeon and the patient. There is now most commonly a physical distance between the patient’s body and the surgeon’s hands, and "the majority of surgical procedures involve the surgeon looking at a screen." Surgical tasks of dissecting, controlling bleeding, and suturing in particular have been all but transformed by devices.

The drive to introduce new surgical devices has come up against the stringent approval process of the Food and Drug Administration and has led to public criticism of that process. Dr. Talamini, who chairs the surgery department at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and who has worked with the FDA for more than 10 years in various capacities, argued that there must be a correct balance between innovation and regulation. "We’ve got to have both. We cannot just have instruments released to the public without understanding what the issues are regarding safety and effectiveness. For the FDA, that is the mantra: safety and effectiveness." He added, "They have a tough task to figure out the balance between getting new things to the market to benefit patients and yet maintaining overall public safety."

Dr. Talamini asserted that the growing number and complexity of surgical instruments mean that surgeons may be falling behind in their skills without realizing it. He illustrated his point by posing specific questions about the use of some recently introduced instruments and polling the audience on correct use. In response to the many wrong answers, he asserted that "we don’t know as much as we think we do about surgical technology."

To address this problem of maintaining currency and training on innovative devices, Dr. Talamini mentioned the Fundamental Use of Surgical Energy (FUSE) program created by the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. FUSE is a web-based educational and testing program for all operating room participants, including surgeons.

Dr. Talamini is particularly proud of the Center for the Future of Surgery located at the University of California, San Diego, which he was instrumental in developing. This center has a research suite for doctors and scientists to collaborate on innovative devices; training suites for the latest in surgical, robotic, laparoscopic, and microscopic techniques; and simulated operating rooms and emergency departments.

Dr. Talamini reflected on the complex relationship between innovative surgeons and device development and manufacturing companies. He cautioned the audience to consider some principles when engaging in technology development with industry. First, there would be no technological innovation without collaboration between the medical device industry and surgeons. But development and training cannot be simply a means of selling equipment. Education and sales must be clearly differentiated. In addition, disclosure and transparency are fundamental to maintaining public trust.

Finally, Dr. Talamini argued that conflict of interest in this area cannot be eliminated, but it must be managed to foster innovation.

Dr. Talamini had no disclosures.

[email protected]

An estimated 18% of the early lung cancers detected by low-dose CT screening in the National Lung Screening Trial were likely indolent and probably represent overdiagnosis, according to a report published online Dec. 9 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) found "an encouraging" 20% relative reduction in lung cancer–specific mortality among high-risk patients who were screened using low-dose CT, compared with chest radiography. "These findings were met with enthusiasm, but before a widespread public health screening program is implemented, risks of screening also need to be considered," said Dr. Edward F. Patz Jr. of the department of radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C., and his associates in the NLST.

The chief risk in this case is overdiagnosis: identifying an early-stage lesion in an asymptomatic patient that would not progress or affect that patient’s long-term health. It is likely that some of the tumors detected on low-dose CT were just such indolent cancers, and that those patients unnecessarily underwent invasive diagnostic procedures, surgical resection, and multiple follow-up studies.

To estimate how many of the detected cancers in the NLST were indolent – and thus overdiagnosed – Dr. Patz and his colleagues used statistical probability methods to analyze extended follow-up data from the study.

The NLST involved 53,452 men and women aged 55-74 years who were enrolled during 2002-2004 and who had at least a 30-pack-year history of cigarette smoking. The patients were randomly assigned to undergo lung cancer screening using either three annual low-dose CT exams or three annual single-view chest radiographs.

Mean follow-up was approximately 6 years. "At the end of the entire trial, there were 1,089 total lung cancer cases in the low-dose CT arm (649 detected by low-dose CT screening) and 969 cases in the [radiology] arm, for an excess of 120 cases. This gives [an] excess cancer rate of 18.5%," the investigators said (JAMA Intern. Med. 2013 Dec. 9 [doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.12738]).

"The data from this study suggest that ... 18% of persons in the low-dose CT arm with screen-detected lung cancer and 22% of those in the low-dose CT arm with screen-detected NSCLC [non–small cell lung cancer] may be cases of overdiagnosis," Dr. Patz and his associates said. "In other words, if these individuals had not entered the NLST, they would not have received a lung cancer diagnosis or treatment, at least for the next 5 years."

In the future, the study authors noted, "once there are better biomarkers and imaging techniques to predict which individuals with a diagnosis of lung cancer will have more or less aggressive disease, treatment options can be optimized, and a mass screening program can become more valuable."

The National Institutes of Health supported the NSLT. No financial conflicts of interest were reported.

An estimated 18% of the early lung cancers detected by low-dose CT screening in the National Lung Screening Trial were likely indolent and probably represent overdiagnosis, according to a report published online Dec. 9 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) found "an encouraging" 20% relative reduction in lung cancer–specific mortality among high-risk patients who were screened using low-dose CT, compared with chest radiography. "These findings were met with enthusiasm, but before a widespread public health screening program is implemented, risks of screening also need to be considered," said Dr. Edward F. Patz Jr. of the department of radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C., and his associates in the NLST.

The chief risk in this case is overdiagnosis: identifying an early-stage lesion in an asymptomatic patient that would not progress or affect that patient’s long-term health. It is likely that some of the tumors detected on low-dose CT were just such indolent cancers, and that those patients unnecessarily underwent invasive diagnostic procedures, surgical resection, and multiple follow-up studies.

To estimate how many of the detected cancers in the NLST were indolent – and thus overdiagnosed – Dr. Patz and his colleagues used statistical probability methods to analyze extended follow-up data from the study.

The NLST involved 53,452 men and women aged 55-74 years who were enrolled during 2002-2004 and who had at least a 30-pack-year history of cigarette smoking. The patients were randomly assigned to undergo lung cancer screening using either three annual low-dose CT exams or three annual single-view chest radiographs.

Mean follow-up was approximately 6 years. "At the end of the entire trial, there were 1,089 total lung cancer cases in the low-dose CT arm (649 detected by low-dose CT screening) and 969 cases in the [radiology] arm, for an excess of 120 cases. This gives [an] excess cancer rate of 18.5%," the investigators said (JAMA Intern. Med. 2013 Dec. 9 [doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.12738]).

"The data from this study suggest that ... 18% of persons in the low-dose CT arm with screen-detected lung cancer and 22% of those in the low-dose CT arm with screen-detected NSCLC [non–small cell lung cancer] may be cases of overdiagnosis," Dr. Patz and his associates said. "In other words, if these individuals had not entered the NLST, they would not have received a lung cancer diagnosis or treatment, at least for the next 5 years."

In the future, the study authors noted, "once there are better biomarkers and imaging techniques to predict which individuals with a diagnosis of lung cancer will have more or less aggressive disease, treatment options can be optimized, and a mass screening program can become more valuable."

The National Institutes of Health supported the NSLT. No financial conflicts of interest were reported.

An estimated 18% of the early lung cancers detected by low-dose CT screening in the National Lung Screening Trial were likely indolent and probably represent overdiagnosis, according to a report published online Dec. 9 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) found "an encouraging" 20% relative reduction in lung cancer–specific mortality among high-risk patients who were screened using low-dose CT, compared with chest radiography. "These findings were met with enthusiasm, but before a widespread public health screening program is implemented, risks of screening also need to be considered," said Dr. Edward F. Patz Jr. of the department of radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C., and his associates in the NLST.

The chief risk in this case is overdiagnosis: identifying an early-stage lesion in an asymptomatic patient that would not progress or affect that patient’s long-term health. It is likely that some of the tumors detected on low-dose CT were just such indolent cancers, and that those patients unnecessarily underwent invasive diagnostic procedures, surgical resection, and multiple follow-up studies.

To estimate how many of the detected cancers in the NLST were indolent – and thus overdiagnosed – Dr. Patz and his colleagues used statistical probability methods to analyze extended follow-up data from the study.

The NLST involved 53,452 men and women aged 55-74 years who were enrolled during 2002-2004 and who had at least a 30-pack-year history of cigarette smoking. The patients were randomly assigned to undergo lung cancer screening using either three annual low-dose CT exams or three annual single-view chest radiographs.

Mean follow-up was approximately 6 years. "At the end of the entire trial, there were 1,089 total lung cancer cases in the low-dose CT arm (649 detected by low-dose CT screening) and 969 cases in the [radiology] arm, for an excess of 120 cases. This gives [an] excess cancer rate of 18.5%," the investigators said (JAMA Intern. Med. 2013 Dec. 9 [doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.12738]).

"The data from this study suggest that ... 18% of persons in the low-dose CT arm with screen-detected lung cancer and 22% of those in the low-dose CT arm with screen-detected NSCLC [non–small cell lung cancer] may be cases of overdiagnosis," Dr. Patz and his associates said. "In other words, if these individuals had not entered the NLST, they would not have received a lung cancer diagnosis or treatment, at least for the next 5 years."

In the future, the study authors noted, "once there are better biomarkers and imaging techniques to predict which individuals with a diagnosis of lung cancer will have more or less aggressive disease, treatment options can be optimized, and a mass screening program can become more valuable."

The National Institutes of Health supported the NSLT. No financial conflicts of interest were reported.

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has launched a new podcast episode of its Recovery Room Show featuring a discussion of the new ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®) Surgical Risk Calculator. In the podcast, host Frederick L. Greene, MD, FACS, a surgical oncologist from Charlotte, NC, and a member of the Commission on Cancer, interviews two surgeons, Clifford Y. Ko, MD, FACS, and Karl Bilimoria, MD, FACS, who developed the risk calculator. The guest surgeons share their thoughts on the ability of the surgical risk calculator to create an important dialogue between surgeons and patients about surgical risks and the how the tool may be used to deliver individualized patient care.

Dr. Ko is a colorectal surgeon at the University of California-Los Angeles and Director of the ACS Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care and ACS NSQIP. Dr. Bilimoria is a surgical oncologist in the department of surgery and director of the Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.

Current and past episodes of the Recovery Room may be downloaded at no charge through the College’s website at http://www.facs.org/recoveryroom.

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has launched a new podcast episode of its Recovery Room Show featuring a discussion of the new ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®) Surgical Risk Calculator. In the podcast, host Frederick L. Greene, MD, FACS, a surgical oncologist from Charlotte, NC, and a member of the Commission on Cancer, interviews two surgeons, Clifford Y. Ko, MD, FACS, and Karl Bilimoria, MD, FACS, who developed the risk calculator. The guest surgeons share their thoughts on the ability of the surgical risk calculator to create an important dialogue between surgeons and patients about surgical risks and the how the tool may be used to deliver individualized patient care.

Dr. Ko is a colorectal surgeon at the University of California-Los Angeles and Director of the ACS Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care and ACS NSQIP. Dr. Bilimoria is a surgical oncologist in the department of surgery and director of the Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.

Current and past episodes of the Recovery Room may be downloaded at no charge through the College’s website at http://www.facs.org/recoveryroom.

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has launched a new podcast episode of its Recovery Room Show featuring a discussion of the new ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®) Surgical Risk Calculator. In the podcast, host Frederick L. Greene, MD, FACS, a surgical oncologist from Charlotte, NC, and a member of the Commission on Cancer, interviews two surgeons, Clifford Y. Ko, MD, FACS, and Karl Bilimoria, MD, FACS, who developed the risk calculator. The guest surgeons share their thoughts on the ability of the surgical risk calculator to create an important dialogue between surgeons and patients about surgical risks and the how the tool may be used to deliver individualized patient care.

Dr. Ko is a colorectal surgeon at the University of California-Los Angeles and Director of the ACS Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care and ACS NSQIP. Dr. Bilimoria is a surgical oncologist in the department of surgery and director of the Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.

Current and past episodes of the Recovery Room may be downloaded at no charge through the College’s website at http://www.facs.org/recoveryroom.

The American College of Surgeons’ (ACS) leadership in the Hartford Consensus recently received significant media coverage with articles running in The Wall Street Journal (Tourniquets Gain New Respect, Oct. 23), The Hartford Courant (FEMA Adopts Active-Shooter Guidelines Calling for "Warm Zones," Tourniquets, Oct. 21), as well as Medscape, Family Practice News, and ELsGlobalMedicalNews.

The Wall Street Journal article cited recommendations by members of the Hartford Consensus at the "Mass-Casualty Shootings: Saving the Patients," session at this year’s Clinical Congress. The group, led by the ACS, advocates for tourniquet use to control hemorrhage as a core component of the emergency response to mass-casualty events. The article quotes Hartford Consensus members ACS Regent Lenworth M. Jacobs, MD, MPH, FACS, vice-president of academic affairs and chief academic officer and director, Trauma Institute, at Hartford Hospital, CT; and Alexander Eastman, MD, MPH, FACS, chief of trauma at the University of Texas Southwestern/Parkland Memorial Hospital, and Lieutenant/Deputy Medical Director, Dallas Police Department. The Wall Street Journal article is at http://on.wsj.com/161KJTi (subscribers only). View the ACS news release on topics covered at the Clinical Congress session at http://www.facs.org/news/2013/hartford1013.html.

The American College of Surgeons’ (ACS) leadership in the Hartford Consensus recently received significant media coverage with articles running in The Wall Street Journal (Tourniquets Gain New Respect, Oct. 23), The Hartford Courant (FEMA Adopts Active-Shooter Guidelines Calling for "Warm Zones," Tourniquets, Oct. 21), as well as Medscape, Family Practice News, and ELsGlobalMedicalNews.

The Wall Street Journal article cited recommendations by members of the Hartford Consensus at the "Mass-Casualty Shootings: Saving the Patients," session at this year’s Clinical Congress. The group, led by the ACS, advocates for tourniquet use to control hemorrhage as a core component of the emergency response to mass-casualty events. The article quotes Hartford Consensus members ACS Regent Lenworth M. Jacobs, MD, MPH, FACS, vice-president of academic affairs and chief academic officer and director, Trauma Institute, at Hartford Hospital, CT; and Alexander Eastman, MD, MPH, FACS, chief of trauma at the University of Texas Southwestern/Parkland Memorial Hospital, and Lieutenant/Deputy Medical Director, Dallas Police Department. The Wall Street Journal article is at http://on.wsj.com/161KJTi (subscribers only). View the ACS news release on topics covered at the Clinical Congress session at http://www.facs.org/news/2013/hartford1013.html.

The American College of Surgeons’ (ACS) leadership in the Hartford Consensus recently received significant media coverage with articles running in The Wall Street Journal (Tourniquets Gain New Respect, Oct. 23), The Hartford Courant (FEMA Adopts Active-Shooter Guidelines Calling for "Warm Zones," Tourniquets, Oct. 21), as well as Medscape, Family Practice News, and ELsGlobalMedicalNews.

The Wall Street Journal article cited recommendations by members of the Hartford Consensus at the "Mass-Casualty Shootings: Saving the Patients," session at this year’s Clinical Congress. The group, led by the ACS, advocates for tourniquet use to control hemorrhage as a core component of the emergency response to mass-casualty events. The article quotes Hartford Consensus members ACS Regent Lenworth M. Jacobs, MD, MPH, FACS, vice-president of academic affairs and chief academic officer and director, Trauma Institute, at Hartford Hospital, CT; and Alexander Eastman, MD, MPH, FACS, chief of trauma at the University of Texas Southwestern/Parkland Memorial Hospital, and Lieutenant/Deputy Medical Director, Dallas Police Department. The Wall Street Journal article is at http://on.wsj.com/161KJTi (subscribers only). View the ACS news release on topics covered at the Clinical Congress session at http://www.facs.org/news/2013/hartford1013.html.

The American College of Surgeons, in collaboration with 15 other surgical specialty societies jointly published and released the seventh edition of Physicians as Assistants at Surgery, a report available at http://www.facs.org/news/2013/pas1113.html that provides guidance on how often an operation might require the use of a physician as an assistant. This report reflects the most recent clinical practices, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and third-party payors frequently use it to determine payment for assistants at surgery.

To compile the report, each participating organization reviewed Current Procedural Terminology (CPT TM) codes applicable to its specialty and indicated whether the operation requires the use of a physician as an assistant at surgery almost always, almost never, or some of the time. View the terminology at http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/solutions-managing-your-practice/coding-billing-insurance/cpt.page. The new report adds 107 CPT codes that were introduced since the last report was issued in 2011, and several other revised codes from the 2011 report.

The American College of Surgeons, in collaboration with 15 other surgical specialty societies jointly published and released the seventh edition of Physicians as Assistants at Surgery, a report available at http://www.facs.org/news/2013/pas1113.html that provides guidance on how often an operation might require the use of a physician as an assistant. This report reflects the most recent clinical practices, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and third-party payors frequently use it to determine payment for assistants at surgery.

To compile the report, each participating organization reviewed Current Procedural Terminology (CPT TM) codes applicable to its specialty and indicated whether the operation requires the use of a physician as an assistant at surgery almost always, almost never, or some of the time. View the terminology at http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/solutions-managing-your-practice/coding-billing-insurance/cpt.page. The new report adds 107 CPT codes that were introduced since the last report was issued in 2011, and several other revised codes from the 2011 report.

The American College of Surgeons, in collaboration with 15 other surgical specialty societies jointly published and released the seventh edition of Physicians as Assistants at Surgery, a report available at http://www.facs.org/news/2013/pas1113.html that provides guidance on how often an operation might require the use of a physician as an assistant. This report reflects the most recent clinical practices, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and third-party payors frequently use it to determine payment for assistants at surgery.

To compile the report, each participating organization reviewed Current Procedural Terminology (CPT TM) codes applicable to its specialty and indicated whether the operation requires the use of a physician as an assistant at surgery almost always, almost never, or some of the time. View the terminology at http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/solutions-managing-your-practice/coding-billing-insurance/cpt.page. The new report adds 107 CPT codes that were introduced since the last report was issued in 2011, and several other revised codes from the 2011 report.

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) hosted the ACS Surgical Health Care Quality Forum Arizona, the 14th program in a series of events to drive national discussions on effective quality improvement methods for improving surgical patient safety and reducing costs.

A panel of Arizona health care leaders from several institutions, including hospitals, government, and medical schools, discussed the promise of quality improvement programs to increase the value of health care.

"Amidst the national dialogue surrounding patient access to health insurance, surgeons and health care providers must continue to focus their efforts on ensuring the delivery of patient care is the highest quality possible," said Forum host Steven B. Johnson, MD, FACS, FCCM. Dr. Johnson is professor and chairman, department of surgery, University of Arizona-Phoenix College of Medicine; program director, Phoenix Integrated Surgical Residency Program, Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center; and President, ACS Arizona.

Forum speakers underscored the critical role that quality data, measurement, and reporting have in the future of health care delivery, using the ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®) as a successful model that provides surgeons with reliable data to help pinpoint areas for improvement. ACS NSQIP is unique in that it uses risk- and procedure mix-adjusted data that are taken from the patient’s medical chart, not insurance claims, and are based on 30-day patient outcomes.

"We know through published data and countless anecdotes that quality improvement programs, like ACS NSQIP, improve patient care and save valuable health care dollars," said David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, ACS Executive Director. "As CMS and others start tying clinical data and outcome measures to value-based purchasing, hospitals have a reputational and financial incentive to participate in these tried-and-true programs."

Arizona State Representative Heather Carter (R), PhD, RN-BC, Chair of the Arizona House Health Committee; and clinical associate professor, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University (ASU), Phoenix, delivered the keynote address. "The recent Medicaid Restoration Program implemented in Arizona is an important example of how we have upheld the will of the Arizona voters who have twice voted to ensure our residents have access to high-quality health care," she said. "Implementing this program was the most fiscally responsible decision for our great state and helps stop the out of control rising costs of uncompensated care."

"Clinical excellence and quality improvement programs not only result in improved patient outcomes but are essential for health systems and hospitals today. These efforts result in a reduction in waste, patient care complications, liability exposure and unsatisfied patients, all positively impacting a hospital’s economic survival," added John A. Hensing, MD, FACP, Executive Vice President and CMO, Banner Health at the Forum.

"The Affordable Care Act includes many provisions aimed at improving health care quality and lowering costs. It is helpful to understand and recognize the specific aspects of the law that will impact the quality of health care, such as the creation of accountable care organizations and certain changes to Medicare," said Leila F. Barraza, JD, MPH, Deputy Director, Network for Public Health Law—Western Region, Fellow, Public Health Law and Policy Program, and Adjunct Professor of Law, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.

Stuart D. Flynn, MD, Dean, University of Arizona College of Medicine—Phoenix, noted that, "For many years, medical schools did not emphasize the importance of quality improvement to residents. We now realize how important it is to engrain concepts of quality assurance and health care economics into students so that they can understand the crucial role these issues will have in their future careers."

"In order for organizations to improve care, they need access to the right data. Clinical, risk-adjusted outcomes data give physicians critical insights into their performance, allowing them to improve their work and ultimately the care they provide," said Nirav Y. Patel, MD, FACS, Vice Chairman for Quality and Patient Safety, Department of Surgery, Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center

Since launching its Inspiring Quality initiative in 2011, ACS has hosted 14 community forums with health care leaders across the nation in an effort to foster discussions and collect best practices about surgical quality programs that advance patient care and measurably improve outcomes.

Full video of the Arizona forum will be available at InspiringQuality.facs.org and on the College’s YouTube channel soon.

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) hosted the ACS Surgical Health Care Quality Forum Arizona, the 14th program in a series of events to drive national discussions on effective quality improvement methods for improving surgical patient safety and reducing costs.

A panel of Arizona health care leaders from several institutions, including hospitals, government, and medical schools, discussed the promise of quality improvement programs to increase the value of health care.

"Amidst the national dialogue surrounding patient access to health insurance, surgeons and health care providers must continue to focus their efforts on ensuring the delivery of patient care is the highest quality possible," said Forum host Steven B. Johnson, MD, FACS, FCCM. Dr. Johnson is professor and chairman, department of surgery, University of Arizona-Phoenix College of Medicine; program director, Phoenix Integrated Surgical Residency Program, Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center; and President, ACS Arizona.

Forum speakers underscored the critical role that quality data, measurement, and reporting have in the future of health care delivery, using the ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®) as a successful model that provides surgeons with reliable data to help pinpoint areas for improvement. ACS NSQIP is unique in that it uses risk- and procedure mix-adjusted data that are taken from the patient’s medical chart, not insurance claims, and are based on 30-day patient outcomes.

"We know through published data and countless anecdotes that quality improvement programs, like ACS NSQIP, improve patient care and save valuable health care dollars," said David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, ACS Executive Director. "As CMS and others start tying clinical data and outcome measures to value-based purchasing, hospitals have a reputational and financial incentive to participate in these tried-and-true programs."

Arizona State Representative Heather Carter (R), PhD, RN-BC, Chair of the Arizona House Health Committee; and clinical associate professor, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University (ASU), Phoenix, delivered the keynote address. "The recent Medicaid Restoration Program implemented in Arizona is an important example of how we have upheld the will of the Arizona voters who have twice voted to ensure our residents have access to high-quality health care," she said. "Implementing this program was the most fiscally responsible decision for our great state and helps stop the out of control rising costs of uncompensated care."

"Clinical excellence and quality improvement programs not only result in improved patient outcomes but are essential for health systems and hospitals today. These efforts result in a reduction in waste, patient care complications, liability exposure and unsatisfied patients, all positively impacting a hospital’s economic survival," added John A. Hensing, MD, FACP, Executive Vice President and CMO, Banner Health at the Forum.

"The Affordable Care Act includes many provisions aimed at improving health care quality and lowering costs. It is helpful to understand and recognize the specific aspects of the law that will impact the quality of health care, such as the creation of accountable care organizations and certain changes to Medicare," said Leila F. Barraza, JD, MPH, Deputy Director, Network for Public Health Law—Western Region, Fellow, Public Health Law and Policy Program, and Adjunct Professor of Law, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.

Stuart D. Flynn, MD, Dean, University of Arizona College of Medicine—Phoenix, noted that, "For many years, medical schools did not emphasize the importance of quality improvement to residents. We now realize how important it is to engrain concepts of quality assurance and health care economics into students so that they can understand the crucial role these issues will have in their future careers."

"In order for organizations to improve care, they need access to the right data. Clinical, risk-adjusted outcomes data give physicians critical insights into their performance, allowing them to improve their work and ultimately the care they provide," said Nirav Y. Patel, MD, FACS, Vice Chairman for Quality and Patient Safety, Department of Surgery, Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center

Since launching its Inspiring Quality initiative in 2011, ACS has hosted 14 community forums with health care leaders across the nation in an effort to foster discussions and collect best practices about surgical quality programs that advance patient care and measurably improve outcomes.

Full video of the Arizona forum will be available at InspiringQuality.facs.org and on the College’s YouTube channel soon.

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) hosted the ACS Surgical Health Care Quality Forum Arizona, the 14th program in a series of events to drive national discussions on effective quality improvement methods for improving surgical patient safety and reducing costs.

A panel of Arizona health care leaders from several institutions, including hospitals, government, and medical schools, discussed the promise of quality improvement programs to increase the value of health care.

"Amidst the national dialogue surrounding patient access to health insurance, surgeons and health care providers must continue to focus their efforts on ensuring the delivery of patient care is the highest quality possible," said Forum host Steven B. Johnson, MD, FACS, FCCM. Dr. Johnson is professor and chairman, department of surgery, University of Arizona-Phoenix College of Medicine; program director, Phoenix Integrated Surgical Residency Program, Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center; and President, ACS Arizona.

Forum speakers underscored the critical role that quality data, measurement, and reporting have in the future of health care delivery, using the ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®) as a successful model that provides surgeons with reliable data to help pinpoint areas for improvement. ACS NSQIP is unique in that it uses risk- and procedure mix-adjusted data that are taken from the patient’s medical chart, not insurance claims, and are based on 30-day patient outcomes.

"We know through published data and countless anecdotes that quality improvement programs, like ACS NSQIP, improve patient care and save valuable health care dollars," said David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, ACS Executive Director. "As CMS and others start tying clinical data and outcome measures to value-based purchasing, hospitals have a reputational and financial incentive to participate in these tried-and-true programs."

Arizona State Representative Heather Carter (R), PhD, RN-BC, Chair of the Arizona House Health Committee; and clinical associate professor, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University (ASU), Phoenix, delivered the keynote address. "The recent Medicaid Restoration Program implemented in Arizona is an important example of how we have upheld the will of the Arizona voters who have twice voted to ensure our residents have access to high-quality health care," she said. "Implementing this program was the most fiscally responsible decision for our great state and helps stop the out of control rising costs of uncompensated care."

"Clinical excellence and quality improvement programs not only result in improved patient outcomes but are essential for health systems and hospitals today. These efforts result in a reduction in waste, patient care complications, liability exposure and unsatisfied patients, all positively impacting a hospital’s economic survival," added John A. Hensing, MD, FACP, Executive Vice President and CMO, Banner Health at the Forum.

"The Affordable Care Act includes many provisions aimed at improving health care quality and lowering costs. It is helpful to understand and recognize the specific aspects of the law that will impact the quality of health care, such as the creation of accountable care organizations and certain changes to Medicare," said Leila F. Barraza, JD, MPH, Deputy Director, Network for Public Health Law—Western Region, Fellow, Public Health Law and Policy Program, and Adjunct Professor of Law, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.

Stuart D. Flynn, MD, Dean, University of Arizona College of Medicine—Phoenix, noted that, "For many years, medical schools did not emphasize the importance of quality improvement to residents. We now realize how important it is to engrain concepts of quality assurance and health care economics into students so that they can understand the crucial role these issues will have in their future careers."

"In order for organizations to improve care, they need access to the right data. Clinical, risk-adjusted outcomes data give physicians critical insights into their performance, allowing them to improve their work and ultimately the care they provide," said Nirav Y. Patel, MD, FACS, Vice Chairman for Quality and Patient Safety, Department of Surgery, Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center

Since launching its Inspiring Quality initiative in 2011, ACS has hosted 14 community forums with health care leaders across the nation in an effort to foster discussions and collect best practices about surgical quality programs that advance patient care and measurably improve outcomes.

Full video of the Arizona forum will be available at InspiringQuality.facs.org and on the College’s YouTube channel soon.

Several health care experts, including Clifford Y. Ko, MD, MS, MSHA, FACS, Director of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care, examined the complex political, medical, and business ramifications of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) at a half-day forum sponsored by the National Journal on October 3, in Washington, DC. For the ACA to achieve its mission of curbing the cost of health care, accurate, risk-adjusted data must be collected, Dr. Ko said at the forum.

"We need good, rigorous, and believable data that physicians on the front line will trust and buy into," Dr. Ko, Director of the ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP^®), said. "And we need to be able to collect the data without a lot of burden." College databases such as the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) and ACS NSQIPhave focused on collecting robust data. The ACS, which has led a number of initiatives to improve quality in such areas as trauma and cancer, subscribes to four key principles: set the standards, build the right infrastructure, use robust patient data, and verify.

"What we need is more and better metrics," Dr. Ko said. "We continually need to accurately and appropriately measure the care we’re delivering."

The forum examined the complex political, medical, and business ramifications of the ACA. Participants included key decision-makers from areas impacted by the new law.

View the ACS press release regarding the National Journal forum at http://www.facs.org/news/2013/ko1013.html.

Several health care experts, including Clifford Y. Ko, MD, MS, MSHA, FACS, Director of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care, examined the complex political, medical, and business ramifications of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) at a half-day forum sponsored by the National Journal on October 3, in Washington, DC. For the ACA to achieve its mission of curbing the cost of health care, accurate, risk-adjusted data must be collected, Dr. Ko said at the forum.

"We need good, rigorous, and believable data that physicians on the front line will trust and buy into," Dr. Ko, Director of the ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP^®), said. "And we need to be able to collect the data without a lot of burden." College databases such as the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) and ACS NSQIPhave focused on collecting robust data. The ACS, which has led a number of initiatives to improve quality in such areas as trauma and cancer, subscribes to four key principles: set the standards, build the right infrastructure, use robust patient data, and verify.

"What we need is more and better metrics," Dr. Ko said. "We continually need to accurately and appropriately measure the care we’re delivering."

The forum examined the complex political, medical, and business ramifications of the ACA. Participants included key decision-makers from areas impacted by the new law.

View the ACS press release regarding the National Journal forum at http://www.facs.org/news/2013/ko1013.html.

Several health care experts, including Clifford Y. Ko, MD, MS, MSHA, FACS, Director of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care, examined the complex political, medical, and business ramifications of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) at a half-day forum sponsored by the National Journal on October 3, in Washington, DC. For the ACA to achieve its mission of curbing the cost of health care, accurate, risk-adjusted data must be collected, Dr. Ko said at the forum.

"We need good, rigorous, and believable data that physicians on the front line will trust and buy into," Dr. Ko, Director of the ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP^®), said. "And we need to be able to collect the data without a lot of burden." College databases such as the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) and ACS NSQIPhave focused on collecting robust data. The ACS, which has led a number of initiatives to improve quality in such areas as trauma and cancer, subscribes to four key principles: set the standards, build the right infrastructure, use robust patient data, and verify.

"What we need is more and better metrics," Dr. Ko said. "We continually need to accurately and appropriately measure the care we’re delivering."

The forum examined the complex political, medical, and business ramifications of the ACA. Participants included key decision-makers from areas impacted by the new law.

View the ACS press release regarding the National Journal forum at http://www.facs.org/news/2013/ko1013.html.

In acknowledgement of her steadfast commitment to the initiatives and principles of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), Barbara Lee Bass, MD, FACS, is the recipient of this year’s Distinguished Service Award . A Fellow since 1987, Dr. Bass is the John F. and Carolyn Bookout Distinguished Endowed Chair, chair of the department of surgery, and general surgery residency program director at The Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX. The Distinguished Service Award is the ACS’s highest honor and was presented during the Convocation ceremonies at the 2013 Clinical Congress.

Leadership in the ACS

The DSA Award to Dr. Bass is given in appreciation of her exceptional service to ACS "for more than 20 years in noteworthy leadership roles," according to the award citation. Dr. Bass served as an ACS Regent (2001-2010) and on the Executive Committee of the Board of Regents (2005-2009). As a Regent, she was a member of the Finance Committee (2005-2010), the Member Services Liaison Committee (2004-2008), the Central Judiciary Committee (2002-2005), the Women in Surgery Committee (2000-present), and the Scholarship Committee. She is a Past-Chair of both the ACS Committee on Education (2003-2006) and the Clinical Congress Program Committee (2005-2011).

Previously, Dr. Bass served on the ACS Board of Governors (1995-2001), as a member of the Governors Executive Committee (1998-2001), and ultimately as Chair (1999-2001). She chaired the Governors Committee on Surgical Practice (1997-1998) and was a member of the Governors Committees on Socioeconomic Issues (1996-1998) and Physician Competence (1999-2001).

Dr. Bass also is recognized as a surgeon champion of the ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®) and served on the Steering Committee for that program (2004-2010). In addition, she served on the ACS Health Policy Advisory Committee (2008-2010) and the Transition to Practice working group (2011).

Dr. Bass has held leadership roles in many other professional organizations including chair of the American Board of Surgery, chair and president of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, and president of the Society of Surgical Chairs.

She has inspired other women in surgery and as a result has received the Nina Starr Braunwald Award and the Distinguished Member Award from the Association of Women Surgeons.

Dedicated surgical educator

The award also is being presented, "In acknowledgement of her outstanding clinical and academic contributions to the field of general surgery" and "her commitment to teaching the next generation of surgeons," the citation states. In addition to her previously mentioned positions at The Methodist Hospital, Dr. Bass is the executive director of the Methodist Institute for Technology, Innovation and Education and serves on the Education Institute steering committee. She is course director, department of surgery grand rounds, and clinical faculty for students from other institutions on rotations at The Methodist Hospital. She is professor of surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, and senior member of The Methodist Hospital Research Institute.

Dr. Bass has been responsible for mentoring 27 pre- and postdoctoral fellows, presented and published more than 130 manuscripts with trainees throughout her career, and delivered more than 70 named lectureships and invited talks.

Prior to taking on her roles at The Methodist Hospital in 2005, Dr. Bass was associate chair for research and academic affairs, general surgery residency program director, and professor of surgery, department of surgery, University of Maryland, Baltimore. While at the University of Maryland, Dr. Bass also held several positions at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Baltimore, culminating in her service as director of the surgical care center and chief of surgical service.

Dr. Bass’s career in surgical education began at George Washington University in Washington, DC, which she left in 1994 as an associate professor of surgery. She also held various prestigious posts at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD; Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington, DC; and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Washington, DC.

Dr. Bass studied at Bennington College, VT, and Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science degree from Tufts University, Medford, MD. She earned her medical degree from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. She completed her surgical internship and general surgery residency at George Washington University and a gastrointestinal surgical research fellowship at Walter Reed.

In acknowledgement of her steadfast commitment to the initiatives and principles of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), Barbara Lee Bass, MD, FACS, is the recipient of this year’s Distinguished Service Award . A Fellow since 1987, Dr. Bass is the John F. and Carolyn Bookout Distinguished Endowed Chair, chair of the department of surgery, and general surgery residency program director at The Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX. The Distinguished Service Award is the ACS’s highest honor and was presented during the Convocation ceremonies at the 2013 Clinical Congress.

Leadership in the ACS

The DSA Award to Dr. Bass is given in appreciation of her exceptional service to ACS "for more than 20 years in noteworthy leadership roles," according to the award citation. Dr. Bass served as an ACS Regent (2001-2010) and on the Executive Committee of the Board of Regents (2005-2009). As a Regent, she was a member of the Finance Committee (2005-2010), the Member Services Liaison Committee (2004-2008), the Central Judiciary Committee (2002-2005), the Women in Surgery Committee (2000-present), and the Scholarship Committee. She is a Past-Chair of both the ACS Committee on Education (2003-2006) and the Clinical Congress Program Committee (2005-2011).

Previously, Dr. Bass served on the ACS Board of Governors (1995-2001), as a member of the Governors Executive Committee (1998-2001), and ultimately as Chair (1999-2001). She chaired the Governors Committee on Surgical Practice (1997-1998) and was a member of the Governors Committees on Socioeconomic Issues (1996-1998) and Physician Competence (1999-2001).

Dr. Bass also is recognized as a surgeon champion of the ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®) and served on the Steering Committee for that program (2004-2010). In addition, she served on the ACS Health Policy Advisory Committee (2008-2010) and the Transition to Practice working group (2011).

Dr. Bass has held leadership roles in many other professional organizations including chair of the American Board of Surgery, chair and president of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, and president of the Society of Surgical Chairs.

She has inspired other women in surgery and as a result has received the Nina Starr Braunwald Award and the Distinguished Member Award from the Association of Women Surgeons.

Dedicated surgical educator

The award also is being presented, "In acknowledgement of her outstanding clinical and academic contributions to the field of general surgery" and "her commitment to teaching the next generation of surgeons," the citation states. In addition to her previously mentioned positions at The Methodist Hospital, Dr. Bass is the executive director of the Methodist Institute for Technology, Innovation and Education and serves on the Education Institute steering committee. She is course director, department of surgery grand rounds, and clinical faculty for students from other institutions on rotations at The Methodist Hospital. She is professor of surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, and senior member of The Methodist Hospital Research Institute.

Dr. Bass has been responsible for mentoring 27 pre- and postdoctoral fellows, presented and published more than 130 manuscripts with trainees throughout her career, and delivered more than 70 named lectureships and invited talks.

Prior to taking on her roles at The Methodist Hospital in 2005, Dr. Bass was associate chair for research and academic affairs, general surgery residency program director, and professor of surgery, department of surgery, University of Maryland, Baltimore. While at the University of Maryland, Dr. Bass also held several positions at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Baltimore, culminating in her service as director of the surgical care center and chief of surgical service.

Dr. Bass’s career in surgical education began at George Washington University in Washington, DC, which she left in 1994 as an associate professor of surgery. She also held various prestigious posts at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD; Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington, DC; and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Washington, DC.

Dr. Bass studied at Bennington College, VT, and Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science degree from Tufts University, Medford, MD. She earned her medical degree from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. She completed her surgical internship and general surgery residency at George Washington University and a gastrointestinal surgical research fellowship at Walter Reed.

In acknowledgement of her steadfast commitment to the initiatives and principles of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), Barbara Lee Bass, MD, FACS, is the recipient of this year’s Distinguished Service Award . A Fellow since 1987, Dr. Bass is the John F. and Carolyn Bookout Distinguished Endowed Chair, chair of the department of surgery, and general surgery residency program director at The Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX. The Distinguished Service Award is the ACS’s highest honor and was presented during the Convocation ceremonies at the 2013 Clinical Congress.

Leadership in the ACS

The DSA Award to Dr. Bass is given in appreciation of her exceptional service to ACS "for more than 20 years in noteworthy leadership roles," according to the award citation. Dr. Bass served as an ACS Regent (2001-2010) and on the Executive Committee of the Board of Regents (2005-2009). As a Regent, she was a member of the Finance Committee (2005-2010), the Member Services Liaison Committee (2004-2008), the Central Judiciary Committee (2002-2005), the Women in Surgery Committee (2000-present), and the Scholarship Committee. She is a Past-Chair of both the ACS Committee on Education (2003-2006) and the Clinical Congress Program Committee (2005-2011).

Previously, Dr. Bass served on the ACS Board of Governors (1995-2001), as a member of the Governors Executive Committee (1998-2001), and ultimately as Chair (1999-2001). She chaired the Governors Committee on Surgical Practice (1997-1998) and was a member of the Governors Committees on Socioeconomic Issues (1996-1998) and Physician Competence (1999-2001).

Dr. Bass also is recognized as a surgeon champion of the ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®) and served on the Steering Committee for that program (2004-2010). In addition, she served on the ACS Health Policy Advisory Committee (2008-2010) and the Transition to Practice working group (2011).

Dr. Bass has held leadership roles in many other professional organizations including chair of the American Board of Surgery, chair and president of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, and president of the Society of Surgical Chairs.

She has inspired other women in surgery and as a result has received the Nina Starr Braunwald Award and the Distinguished Member Award from the Association of Women Surgeons.

Dedicated surgical educator

The award also is being presented, "In acknowledgement of her outstanding clinical and academic contributions to the field of general surgery" and "her commitment to teaching the next generation of surgeons," the citation states. In addition to her previously mentioned positions at The Methodist Hospital, Dr. Bass is the executive director of the Methodist Institute for Technology, Innovation and Education and serves on the Education Institute steering committee. She is course director, department of surgery grand rounds, and clinical faculty for students from other institutions on rotations at The Methodist Hospital. She is professor of surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, and senior member of The Methodist Hospital Research Institute.

Dr. Bass has been responsible for mentoring 27 pre- and postdoctoral fellows, presented and published more than 130 manuscripts with trainees throughout her career, and delivered more than 70 named lectureships and invited talks.

Prior to taking on her roles at The Methodist Hospital in 2005, Dr. Bass was associate chair for research and academic affairs, general surgery residency program director, and professor of surgery, department of surgery, University of Maryland, Baltimore. While at the University of Maryland, Dr. Bass also held several positions at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Baltimore, culminating in her service as director of the surgical care center and chief of surgical service.

Dr. Bass’s career in surgical education began at George Washington University in Washington, DC, which she left in 1994 as an associate professor of surgery. She also held various prestigious posts at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD; Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington, DC; and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Washington, DC.

Dr. Bass studied at Bennington College, VT, and Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science degree from Tufts University, Medford, MD. She earned her medical degree from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. She completed her surgical internship and general surgery residency at George Washington University and a gastrointestinal surgical research fellowship at Walter Reed.

The new Administrative Director of Cancer Programs, Lynn Erdman, RN, MN, OCNS, FAAN, joined the American College of Surgeons (ACS) on September 23. The Administrative Director oversees the activities of the Commission on Cancer (CoC), National Cancer Data Base, National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), American Joint Committee on Cancer, and the ACS Clinical Research Program. Ms. Erdman replaced Connie Bura, who is now Associate Director of the College’s Division of Member Services.

A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, Ms. Erdman has more than 30 years of clinical and administrative experience in the health care and not-for-profit sectors and brings a rich oncology clinical nurse specialist background to the ACS. Most recently, she served as national vice-president of community health for the Susan G. Komen Global Headquarters based in Dallas, TX. For nine months earlier this year, she also served as a member of the six-person, interim leadership team at Susan G. Komen, overseeing all operations and fiscal responsibilities during the search for a new president for the organization.

Ms. Erdman’s responsibilities at Komen included overseeing 2,000 community grants awarded across the nation totaling over $100 million. She worked with all Komen affiliates (more than 120 nationwide) and managed all national and some international corporate grants awarded to the organization. Ms. Erdman also was responsible for Komen’s educational materials and a helpline for patients and families.

Previously, she worked for more than 25 years in hospitals and health care systems in various roles. Ms. Erdman served as divisional vice-president of medical affairs for the American Cancer Society, Chicago, IL, developing effective partnerships with health care providers, researchers, other not-for-profit organizations, community health leaders, and volunteers and advocating for access to care. In addition, she was the founding director of the Presbyterian Cancer Center in Charlotte, NC, and was responsible for creating all programs from medical and surgical oncology to research, transplant services, and palliative care.

Ms. Erdman holds a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, where she was recently named to the board of visitors, and a master’s degree in nursing from the University of South Carolina, Columbia. She currently serves as consulting faculty for Duke University’s Graduate School of Nursing in Durham, NC.

She has written numerous articles and book chapters on topics related to oncology, state cancer plans, and customer service. She is a nationally recognized speaker, having presented more than 800 lectures in the U.S. and abroad on a range of issues, including cancer center and breast center development, state cancer plan implementation, advocacy, grant making, clinical trials expansion, supportive care options, ethics in cancer care, and patient education.

Ms. Erdman has served on the national boards and task forces of many cancer organizations, such as the Comprehensive Cancer Control National Partnerships, the CoC Steering Committee and NAPBC, the Oncology Nursing Society, The Cancer and Leukemia Group B, the American Cancer Society, Oncology Supply, the Association of Community Cancer Centers, and Purdue Pharma to name a few. She also was the first woman and first nurse to chair the breast and cervical cancer committee for the American Cancer Society and recently completed a government-appointed four-year term as chair of the North Carolina Advisory Committee on Cancer Coordination and Control.

The new Administrative Director of Cancer Programs, Lynn Erdman, RN, MN, OCNS, FAAN, joined the American College of Surgeons (ACS) on September 23. The Administrative Director oversees the activities of the Commission on Cancer (CoC), National Cancer Data Base, National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), American Joint Committee on Cancer, and the ACS Clinical Research Program. Ms. Erdman replaced Connie Bura, who is now Associate Director of the College’s Division of Member Services.

A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, Ms. Erdman has more than 30 years of clinical and administrative experience in the health care and not-for-profit sectors and brings a rich oncology clinical nurse specialist background to the ACS. Most recently, she served as national vice-president of community health for the Susan G. Komen Global Headquarters based in Dallas, TX. For nine months earlier this year, she also served as a member of the six-person, interim leadership team at Susan G. Komen, overseeing all operations and fiscal responsibilities during the search for a new president for the organization.

Ms. Erdman’s responsibilities at Komen included overseeing 2,000 community grants awarded across the nation totaling over $100 million. She worked with all Komen affiliates (more than 120 nationwide) and managed all national and some international corporate grants awarded to the organization. Ms. Erdman also was responsible for Komen’s educational materials and a helpline for patients and families.

Previously, she worked for more than 25 years in hospitals and health care systems in various roles. Ms. Erdman served as divisional vice-president of medical affairs for the American Cancer Society, Chicago, IL, developing effective partnerships with health care providers, researchers, other not-for-profit organizations, community health leaders, and volunteers and advocating for access to care. In addition, she was the founding director of the Presbyterian Cancer Center in Charlotte, NC, and was responsible for creating all programs from medical and surgical oncology to research, transplant services, and palliative care.

Ms. Erdman holds a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, where she was recently named to the board of visitors, and a master’s degree in nursing from the University of South Carolina, Columbia. She currently serves as consulting faculty for Duke University’s Graduate School of Nursing in Durham, NC.

She has written numerous articles and book chapters on topics related to oncology, state cancer plans, and customer service. She is a nationally recognized speaker, having presented more than 800 lectures in the U.S. and abroad on a range of issues, including cancer center and breast center development, state cancer plan implementation, advocacy, grant making, clinical trials expansion, supportive care options, ethics in cancer care, and patient education.

Ms. Erdman has served on the national boards and task forces of many cancer organizations, such as the Comprehensive Cancer Control National Partnerships, the CoC Steering Committee and NAPBC, the Oncology Nursing Society, The Cancer and Leukemia Group B, the American Cancer Society, Oncology Supply, the Association of Community Cancer Centers, and Purdue Pharma to name a few. She also was the first woman and first nurse to chair the breast and cervical cancer committee for the American Cancer Society and recently completed a government-appointed four-year term as chair of the North Carolina Advisory Committee on Cancer Coordination and Control.

The new Administrative Director of Cancer Programs, Lynn Erdman, RN, MN, OCNS, FAAN, joined the American College of Surgeons (ACS) on September 23. The Administrative Director oversees the activities of the Commission on Cancer (CoC), National Cancer Data Base, National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), American Joint Committee on Cancer, and the ACS Clinical Research Program. Ms. Erdman replaced Connie Bura, who is now Associate Director of the College’s Division of Member Services.

A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, Ms. Erdman has more than 30 years of clinical and administrative experience in the health care and not-for-profit sectors and brings a rich oncology clinical nurse specialist background to the ACS. Most recently, she served as national vice-president of community health for the Susan G. Komen Global Headquarters based in Dallas, TX. For nine months earlier this year, she also served as a member of the six-person, interim leadership team at Susan G. Komen, overseeing all operations and fiscal responsibilities during the search for a new president for the organization.

Ms. Erdman’s responsibilities at Komen included overseeing 2,000 community grants awarded across the nation totaling over $100 million. She worked with all Komen affiliates (more than 120 nationwide) and managed all national and some international corporate grants awarded to the organization. Ms. Erdman also was responsible for Komen’s educational materials and a helpline for patients and families.

Previously, she worked for more than 25 years in hospitals and health care systems in various roles. Ms. Erdman served as divisional vice-president of medical affairs for the American Cancer Society, Chicago, IL, developing effective partnerships with health care providers, researchers, other not-for-profit organizations, community health leaders, and volunteers and advocating for access to care. In addition, she was the founding director of the Presbyterian Cancer Center in Charlotte, NC, and was responsible for creating all programs from medical and surgical oncology to research, transplant services, and palliative care.

Ms. Erdman holds a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, where she was recently named to the board of visitors, and a master’s degree in nursing from the University of South Carolina, Columbia. She currently serves as consulting faculty for Duke University’s Graduate School of Nursing in Durham, NC.

She has written numerous articles and book chapters on topics related to oncology, state cancer plans, and customer service. She is a nationally recognized speaker, having presented more than 800 lectures in the U.S. and abroad on a range of issues, including cancer center and breast center development, state cancer plan implementation, advocacy, grant making, clinical trials expansion, supportive care options, ethics in cancer care, and patient education.

Ms. Erdman has served on the national boards and task forces of many cancer organizations, such as the Comprehensive Cancer Control National Partnerships, the CoC Steering Committee and NAPBC, the Oncology Nursing Society, The Cancer and Leukemia Group B, the American Cancer Society, Oncology Supply, the Association of Community Cancer Centers, and Purdue Pharma to name a few. She also was the first woman and first nurse to chair the breast and cervical cancer committee for the American Cancer Society and recently completed a government-appointed four-year term as chair of the North Carolina Advisory Committee on Cancer Coordination and Control.

Carlos A. Pellegrini, MD, FACS, FRCSI (Hon), The Henry N. Hawkins Professor and Chair, department of surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, was installed as the 94th President of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) during Convocation ceremonies on October 6 at the 2013 Clinical Congress in Washington, DC.

Dr. Pellegrini is a leader in minimally invasive gastrointestinal surgery and a pioneer in the development of video endoscopy for the surgical treatment of gastro-esophageal reflux diseases and esophageal motility disorders.

Also installed during the Convocation was Layton "Bing" Rikkers, MD, FACS, as First Vice-President. Dr. Rikkers is professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Editor-in-Chief of Surgery News.

John T. Preskitt, MD, FACS, was installed as Second Vice-President. Dr. Preskitt is clinical professor of surgery, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Baylor campus, and director of surgical oncology at the Baylor Sammons Cancer Center in Dallas. Dr. Preskitt chaired the Board of Governors' Committee on Chapter Relations (1997-2000), the Committee on Ethics (2006-2009), and the General Surgery Coding and Reimbursement Committee (2006-2011). He is a Past-President of the North Texas Chapter of the College (1997-1998).

During the Annual Business Meeting, Andrew L. Warshaw, MD, FACS, surgeon-in-chief emeritus, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the W. Gerald Austen Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, was elected President-Elect. Dr. Warshaw, who also is senior consultant for international and regional clinical relations at MGH and Partners Healthcare, became an ACS Fellow in 1974. Since then, he has served the College in various leadership capacities, including his current role as Chair of Health Policy and Advocacy. An eminent surgical researcher, educator, and clinician, Dr. Warshaw has contributed significantly to the diagnosis, treatment, and understanding of the pathogenesis of inflammatory and malignant lesions of the pancreas. He is the director of the Andrew L. Warshaw Institute for Pancreatic Cancer Research at MGH.

The Vice-Presidents-Elect also were elected during the Annual Business Meeting. The First Vice-President-Elect is Jay L. Grosfeld, MD, FACS, Lafayette F. Page Professor Emeritus of Pediatric Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis. The Second Vice-President-Elect is Kenneth L. Mattox, MD, FACS, Distinguished Service Professor, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine; and chief of staff and chief of surgery, Ben Taub General Hospital, Houston, TX.

Reelected to additional three-year terms on the Board of Regents were: Margaret M. Dunn, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, Dayton, OH; Howard M. Snyder III, MD, FACS, a urological surgeon, Philadelphia, PA, and Michael J. Zinner, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, Boston, MA.

The ACS Board of Governors elected James Gigantelli, MD, FACS, professor of ophthalmology and assistant dean of government relations at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, to the Board of Regents. The Board of Governors elected Gary L. Timmerman, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, Sioux Falls, SD, to serve as Chair of its Executive Committee; Fabrizio Michelassi, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, New York, NY, as Vice-Chair; and Lorrie Langdale, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, Seattle, WA, as Secretary. Newly elected to serve on the Board of Governors' Executive Committee are Karen Brasel, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, Milwaukee, WI, and Joseph H. Tepas III, MD, FACS, a pediatric surgeon, Jacksonville, FL. In addition, Sherry M. Wren, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, Palo Alto, CA, has been reappointed to the Executive Committee.

Edward E. Cornwell III, MD, FACS, FCCM, LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr., MD, Professor and Chairman of Surgery, Howard University College of Medicine, and surgeon-in-chief, Howard University Hospital, Washington, DC, replaces Courtney M. Townsend, Jr., MD, FACS, as ACS Secretary. An ACS Fellow since 1992, Dr. Cornwell serves on the ACS Legislative Committee and is Past-Chair and member of the Nominating Committee of the Fellows (2003-2004 and 2001-2003, respectively). Dr. Cornwell has served on several other ACS committees, including the COT (2004-2010 as a member and 2010-2012 as a special member), the COT's Committee on Trauma Systems (2004-2010), the Pre-and Postoperative Care Committee (2000-2002), and the Committee on Diversity Issues (2002-2005).

Replacing Dr. Warshaw as ACS Treasurer is William G. Cioffi, Jr., MD, FACS, J. Murray Beardsley Professor and Chairman, department of surgery, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and surgeon-in-chief, Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital, Providence. A Fellow of the College since 1990, Dr. Cioffi completed his service as Secretary of the Board of Governors at this year's Clinical Congress. He began serving on the Board of Governors in 1999. After serving as member of the Governors Committee to Study the Fiscal Affairs of the College (2001-2002, 2004-2005), he was elected Vice-Chair and Chair of that committee (2002-2004 and 2011-2013, respectively). Dr. Cioffi also served as Vice-Chair of the Governors Committee on Chapter Relations (2009-2011) and the Ad Hoc Committee to Restructure the Board of Governors Committees. He has been an active member of the Pre-Operative and Postoperative Care Committee (1995-2002), the COT (2004-2010), and the Program Committee (2007-2010). Additionally, he has served on the Regents' Finance Committee (2011-2013) and the Executive Compensation Committee (2011-2013).

A complete and updated listing of the College's 2013-2014 Officers and Board of Regents appears in the November 2013 Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons and on the ACS website at http://www. facs.org.

Carlos A. Pellegrini, MD, FACS, FRCSI (Hon), The Henry N. Hawkins Professor and Chair, department of surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, was installed as the 94th President of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) during Convocation ceremonies on October 6 at the 2013 Clinical Congress in Washington, DC.

Dr. Pellegrini is a leader in minimally invasive gastrointestinal surgery and a pioneer in the development of video endoscopy for the surgical treatment of gastro-esophageal reflux diseases and esophageal motility disorders.

Also installed during the Convocation was Layton "Bing" Rikkers, MD, FACS, as First Vice-President. Dr. Rikkers is professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Editor-in-Chief of Surgery News.

John T. Preskitt, MD, FACS, was installed as Second Vice-President. Dr. Preskitt is clinical professor of surgery, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Baylor campus, and director of surgical oncology at the Baylor Sammons Cancer Center in Dallas. Dr. Preskitt chaired the Board of Governors' Committee on Chapter Relations (1997-2000), the Committee on Ethics (2006-2009), and the General Surgery Coding and Reimbursement Committee (2006-2011). He is a Past-President of the North Texas Chapter of the College (1997-1998).

During the Annual Business Meeting, Andrew L. Warshaw, MD, FACS, surgeon-in-chief emeritus, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the W. Gerald Austen Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, was elected President-Elect. Dr. Warshaw, who also is senior consultant for international and regional clinical relations at MGH and Partners Healthcare, became an ACS Fellow in 1974. Since then, he has served the College in various leadership capacities, including his current role as Chair of Health Policy and Advocacy. An eminent surgical researcher, educator, and clinician, Dr. Warshaw has contributed significantly to the diagnosis, treatment, and understanding of the pathogenesis of inflammatory and malignant lesions of the pancreas. He is the director of the Andrew L. Warshaw Institute for Pancreatic Cancer Research at MGH.

The Vice-Presidents-Elect also were elected during the Annual Business Meeting. The First Vice-President-Elect is Jay L. Grosfeld, MD, FACS, Lafayette F. Page Professor Emeritus of Pediatric Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis. The Second Vice-President-Elect is Kenneth L. Mattox, MD, FACS, Distinguished Service Professor, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine; and chief of staff and chief of surgery, Ben Taub General Hospital, Houston, TX.

Reelected to additional three-year terms on the Board of Regents were: Margaret M. Dunn, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, Dayton, OH; Howard M. Snyder III, MD, FACS, a urological surgeon, Philadelphia, PA, and Michael J. Zinner, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, Boston, MA.

The ACS Board of Governors elected James Gigantelli, MD, FACS, professor of ophthalmology and assistant dean of government relations at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, to the Board of Regents. The Board of Governors elected Gary L. Timmerman, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, Sioux Falls, SD, to serve as Chair of its Executive Committee; Fabrizio Michelassi, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, New York, NY, as Vice-Chair; and Lorrie Langdale, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, Seattle, WA, as Secretary. Newly elected to serve on the Board of Governors' Executive Committee are Karen Brasel, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, Milwaukee, WI, and Joseph H. Tepas III, MD, FACS, a pediatric surgeon, Jacksonville, FL. In addition, Sherry M. Wren, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, Palo Alto, CA, has been reappointed to the Executive Committee.

Edward E. Cornwell III, MD, FACS, FCCM, LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr., MD, Professor and Chairman of Surgery, Howard University College of Medicine, and surgeon-in-chief, Howard University Hospital, Washington, DC, replaces Courtney M. Townsend, Jr., MD, FACS, as ACS Secretary. An ACS Fellow since 1992, Dr. Cornwell serves on the ACS Legislative Committee and is Past-Chair and member of the Nominating Committee of the Fellows (2003-2004 and 2001-2003, respectively). Dr. Cornwell has served on several other ACS committees, including the COT (2004-2010 as a member and 2010-2012 as a special member), the COT's Committee on Trauma Systems (2004-2010), the Pre-and Postoperative Care Committee (2000-2002), and the Committee on Diversity Issues (2002-2005).

Replacing Dr. Warshaw as ACS Treasurer is William G. Cioffi, Jr., MD, FACS, J. Murray Beardsley Professor and Chairman, department of surgery, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and surgeon-in-chief, Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital, Providence. A Fellow of the College since 1990, Dr. Cioffi completed his service as Secretary of the Board of Governors at this year's Clinical Congress. He began serving on the Board of Governors in 1999. After serving as member of the Governors Committee to Study the Fiscal Affairs of the College (2001-2002, 2004-2005), he was elected Vice-Chair and Chair of that committee (2002-2004 and 2011-2013, respectively). Dr. Cioffi also served as Vice-Chair of the Governors Committee on Chapter Relations (2009-2011) and the Ad Hoc Committee to Restructure the Board of Governors Committees. He has been an active member of the Pre-Operative and Postoperative Care Committee (1995-2002), the COT (2004-2010), and the Program Committee (2007-2010). Additionally, he has served on the Regents' Finance Committee (2011-2013) and the Executive Compensation Committee (2011-2013).

A complete and updated listing of the College's 2013-2014 Officers and Board of Regents appears in the November 2013 Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons and on the ACS website at http://www. facs.org.

Carlos A. Pellegrini, MD, FACS, FRCSI (Hon), The Henry N. Hawkins Professor and Chair, department of surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, was installed as the 94th President of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) during Convocation ceremonies on October 6 at the 2013 Clinical Congress in Washington, DC.

Dr. Pellegrini is a leader in minimally invasive gastrointestinal surgery and a pioneer in the development of video endoscopy for the surgical treatment of gastro-esophageal reflux diseases and esophageal motility disorders.

Also installed during the Convocation was Layton "Bing" Rikkers, MD, FACS, as First Vice-President. Dr. Rikkers is professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Editor-in-Chief of Surgery News.

John T. Preskitt, MD, FACS, was installed as Second Vice-President. Dr. Preskitt is clinical professor of surgery, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Baylor campus, and director of surgical oncology at the Baylor Sammons Cancer Center in Dallas. Dr. Preskitt chaired the Board of Governors' Committee on Chapter Relations (1997-2000), the Committee on Ethics (2006-2009), and the General Surgery Coding and Reimbursement Committee (2006-2011). He is a Past-President of the North Texas Chapter of the College (1997-1998).

During the Annual Business Meeting, Andrew L. Warshaw, MD, FACS, surgeon-in-chief emeritus, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the W. Gerald Austen Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, was elected President-Elect. Dr. Warshaw, who also is senior consultant for international and regional clinical relations at MGH and Partners Healthcare, became an ACS Fellow in 1974. Since then, he has served the College in various leadership capacities, including his current role as Chair of Health Policy and Advocacy. An eminent surgical researcher, educator, and clinician, Dr. Warshaw has contributed significantly to the diagnosis, treatment, and understanding of the pathogenesis of inflammatory and malignant lesions of the pancreas. He is the director of the Andrew L. Warshaw Institute for Pancreatic Cancer Research at MGH.

The Vice-Presidents-Elect also were elected during the Annual Business Meeting. The First Vice-President-Elect is Jay L. Grosfeld, MD, FACS, Lafayette F. Page Professor Emeritus of Pediatric Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis. The Second Vice-President-Elect is Kenneth L. Mattox, MD, FACS, Distinguished Service Professor, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine; and chief of staff and chief of surgery, Ben Taub General Hospital, Houston, TX.

Reelected to additional three-year terms on the Board of Regents were: Margaret M. Dunn, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, Dayton, OH; Howard M. Snyder III, MD, FACS, a urological surgeon, Philadelphia, PA, and Michael J. Zinner, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, Boston, MA.

The ACS Board of Governors elected James Gigantelli, MD, FACS, professor of ophthalmology and assistant dean of government relations at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, to the Board of Regents. The Board of Governors elected Gary L. Timmerman, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, Sioux Falls, SD, to serve as Chair of its Executive Committee; Fabrizio Michelassi, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, New York, NY, as Vice-Chair; and Lorrie Langdale, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, Seattle, WA, as Secretary. Newly elected to serve on the Board of Governors' Executive Committee are Karen Brasel, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, Milwaukee, WI, and Joseph H. Tepas III, MD, FACS, a pediatric surgeon, Jacksonville, FL. In addition, Sherry M. Wren, MD, FACS, a general surgeon, Palo Alto, CA, has been reappointed to the Executive Committee.

Edward E. Cornwell III, MD, FACS, FCCM, LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr., MD, Professor and Chairman of Surgery, Howard University College of Medicine, and surgeon-in-chief, Howard University Hospital, Washington, DC, replaces Courtney M. Townsend, Jr., MD, FACS, as ACS Secretary. An ACS Fellow since 1992, Dr. Cornwell serves on the ACS Legislative Committee and is Past-Chair and member of the Nominating Committee of the Fellows (2003-2004 and 2001-2003, respectively). Dr. Cornwell has served on several other ACS committees, including the COT (2004-2010 as a member and 2010-2012 as a special member), the COT's Committee on Trauma Systems (2004-2010), the Pre-and Postoperative Care Committee (2000-2002), and the Committee on Diversity Issues (2002-2005).

Replacing Dr. Warshaw as ACS Treasurer is William G. Cioffi, Jr., MD, FACS, J. Murray Beardsley Professor and Chairman, department of surgery, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and surgeon-in-chief, Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital, Providence. A Fellow of the College since 1990, Dr. Cioffi completed his service as Secretary of the Board of Governors at this year's Clinical Congress. He began serving on the Board of Governors in 1999. After serving as member of the Governors Committee to Study the Fiscal Affairs of the College (2001-2002, 2004-2005), he was elected Vice-Chair and Chair of that committee (2002-2004 and 2011-2013, respectively). Dr. Cioffi also served as Vice-Chair of the Governors Committee on Chapter Relations (2009-2011) and the Ad Hoc Committee to Restructure the Board of Governors Committees. He has been an active member of the Pre-Operative and Postoperative Care Committee (1995-2002), the COT (2004-2010), and the Program Committee (2007-2010). Additionally, he has served on the Regents' Finance Committee (2011-2013) and the Executive Compensation Committee (2011-2013).

A complete and updated listing of the College's 2013-2014 Officers and Board of Regents appears in the November 2013 Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons and on the ACS website at http://www. facs.org.