Chapter Meeting Offers Valuable Content, Unique Opportunities to Network

Last month, ACS First Vice-President Tyler G. Hughes, MD, FACS, met with members of the North and South Carolina Chapters during their joint annual meeting. Dr. Hughes wrote the following report on the experience:  

The songs goes that nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning, and that was certainly true on Saturday, August 24, when I attended the North and South Carolina combined chapter meetings in Charleston, South Carolina. The weather was cool, and the rain stayed away while Fellows, residents, students, and guests participated in the meeting. 

Cynthia L. Talley, MD, FACS, and Keri Anne Seymour, DO, FACS, are the South and North Carolina presidents, respectively, this year. This was a multiday event, with a hernia seminar on Friday, the main meeting on Saturday, and then a bariatric meeting on Sunday. 

The program included a panel on artificial intelligence, featuring James Jung, MD, FACS, Ozanan R. Meireles, MD, FACS, and Kevin S. Hughes, MD, FACS. A What’s New panel covered pediatric imaging with Aaron P. Lesher, MD, FACS, a new look at managing desmoid tumors by Perry Shen, MD, FACS, and the intersection of weight loss drugs and bariatric surgery with Rana C. Pullatt, MBBS, FACS. Global Surgery was discussed by Mike M. Mallah, MD, and Anthony G. Charles, MBBS, FACS. The original papers were all interesting, and the day rounded out with Amy N. Hildreth, MD, FACS, giving an American Board of Surgery update and Kenneth W. Sharp, MD, FACS, discussing the work of the ACS Foundation. What more can one ask of a chapter meeting?

I had the opportunity to have dinner with Dr. Charles, where we discussed the issues, challenges, and opportunities of global surgery. That’s an example of the ability to converse in person at length with another Fellow that just doesn’t come through any way except attending a chapter meeting.

This is a theme I’ve found throughout my travels this year as First Vice-President. Chapter meetings have real and valuable content, and they are ideal places to meet the people who are forming the future of the ACS. Attendance was very good at this meeting. I enjoyed the conversations I had with all levels of attendees from medical students to senior surgeons. It was like a 1-day Clinical Congress. I am thankful to my gracious hosts at this meeting.

Respectfully,
Tyler G. Hughes, MD, FACS
ACS First Vice-President