ACS President Visits Peers in Asia

Following two recent trips to visit with colleagues from the Korean Surgical Society (KSS) and Philippine College of Surgeons (PCS), ACS President E. Christopher Ellison, MD, FACS, MAMSE, offered the following insights about those vibrant organizations whose values align with that of the College.

It was an honor for me to attend the Korean Surgical Society 74th Annual Congress, November 3–5 in Seoul. I was hosted by KSS President Moon-Soo Lee, MD, PhD, and KSS Board Chair Woo Yong Lee, MD, PhD. I also attended the ACS Korean Chapter Meeting and met with South Korea Chapter President Lee Su Kim, MD, PhD, FACS.

This was the first in-person meeting for KSS since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The theme was a Brave New World for Surgery. Sessions were in English, as well as Korean, and focused on a broad number of clinical topics in the areas of acute care surgery, cancer, colorectal surgery, endocrine, robotics and MIS, and vascular. I attended many of the sessions and was particularly impressed with one, “Mentee-Mentor Videos,” where residents presented videos of cases that they had done with a faculty member and shared what they learned during the case.

I gave a talk on “Leadership in Times of Change,” which highlighted the ACS response to COVID-19, team training to enhance surgical quality, and an update on ACS activities and quality initiatives.

Although surgery has been a predominantly male profession in Korea, it was apparent to me that more women are entering the field of surgery in Korea given the number of female residents and medical students who attended the congress.

A month later, I attended the PCS 78th Annual Clinical Congress, December 4–7, in Manilla and met with PCS President Ramon S. Inso MD, FPCS, and Vice-President Maria Concepcion Vesagas, MD, FPCS. It also was their first meeting since the COVID pandemic.

The theme for the meeting was Quality Surgery for All, and it was very well attended. The PCS has many organizational similarities to the ACS, including convocation, gowns, medallions, and a locally designed Mace. The meeting was entirely in English and had many excellent sessions on topics such as ethics, senior surgeons, quality, and patient safety initiatives. I was very impressed by one session in particular, led by Simon Paterson-Brown, MBBS, MPhil, MS, FRCSEd, from the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh on “Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons.” This was a hands-on course for faculty and practicing surgeons focused on the principles of teamwork. It was similar to Crew Resource Management but more focused on the cognitive domain impacting situational awareness, decision-making, communication, and teamwork in the OR. During the congress, I spoke on innovation in surgery and ACS quality initiatives.

The Philippine Archipelago consists of more than 7,641 islands, and healthcare on the outlying islands is difficult at best. They have seen examples of late-stage cancer with fungating lesions. A special PCS commission that includes more than 100 Filipino surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses made history in early September by performing approximately 200 free and simultaneous surgical procedures nationwide to help address the surgical backlog in the country brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

I am honored to have had the opportunity to visit with colleagues in these two countries on behalf of the ACS.

Thank you for the opportunity.

Christopher Ellison, MD, FACS, MAMSE
ACS President