Enthusiastic, Engaged Surgeons Attend Puerto Rico Chapter Meeting

I was privileged to attend the Puerto Rico Chapter of the ACS meeting in San Juan, February 27–March 1, 2025.

Multiple senior members and past presidents attended the meeting, which had a total attendance of 160, of whom 78 were surgeons and 16 were academic faculty. 31 residents and 37 medical students attended. There was a separate program for medical students and a very robust resident research presentation session.

The program committee, chaired by Viviana Maria Negron-Gonzalez, MD, FACS, provided a remarkable offering of educational topics in addition to the resident presentations. The scientific portion of the meeting commenced on the afternoon of Thursday, February 27, at the Jaime Benitez Amphitheatre at the University of Puerto Rico. There were presentations on minimally invasive surgery of the ascending aorta and the aortic root, current approaches to ENT surgery, and innovations in partial nephrectomy.

On Friday, the meeting resumed at the Embassy Suites Isla Verde with research presentations. I provided the ACS Update. ACS Executive Director and CEO Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS, delivered an impactful presentation on "Agility in Medical leadership," followed by excellent presentations on minimally invasive mitral valve repair, management of hernias in the obese patient, reconstructive surgery for bariatric patients, and percutaneous versus open tracheostomy.

Saturday had presentations of interesting cases by residents and medical students, then discussions of the approaches to anal fistulas, surveillance for prostate cancer, difficult abdominal wounds, and gynecologic issues for the general surgeon, among others.

Overall, this was an outstanding meeting in every way. The organization was precise and the participation enthusiastic. My husband and I were met and escorted by ACS Governor Yvonne Baerga-Varela, MD, FACS, who gave us a driving tour of old San Juan and treated us to dinner both Thursday and Friday nights. On Saturday we were able to see some of the forts of Old San Juan and the Botanic Gardens of the University of Puerto Rico.

This was in every way a delightful trip, and it was a joy to participate in the meeting of such a vibrant ACS Chapter.

Beth H. Sutton, MD, FACS
President