Association for Academic Surgery (AAS)
Inspiring and Developing Young Academic Surgeons
The Academic Surgeon is the official blog of the AAS. We post anywhere from one to three times a week and our contributors will focus on issues relevant to young academic surgeons, residents, fellows, and even medical students.
If you would like to contribute, please submit your post here: https://www.aasurg.org/the-academic-surgeon-blog-submission/
Happy New Year from the AAS Program Committee! The 14th Annual Academic Surgical Congress looks to be record-breaking in every way! We had a record number of abstract submissions this year, and there will be a new record of over 1600 presentations in Houston. Thus far, the registration is on track to be the largest …
This is my story of one surgeon’s journey in healthcare leadership, and the lessons I learned along the way. It hasn’t been a linear path, but it’s been an exhilarating ride. Three key lessons I learned were: Start with what you know Internship never ends… Keep learning Embrace the unknown. Lesson 1: Start with …
Many organizations and activities define themselves by their exclusivity. We are bombarded on a daily basis with offers for “exclusive” shows, conferences, journals, cars, and the list goes on. But exclusivity also necessitates an element of exclusion – restricting or limiting the people that can participate. In a time when exclusion appears to be a …
Mrs. Surles was my 9th grade algebra teacher. She was an impeccably dressed woman with piercing dark eyes that commanded attention and demanded excellence. She referred to her immature and precociously smug students, myself included, by our last names only and, in turn, created an environment of mutual respect and attention. Above her blackboard smattered …
Research by surgical residents and surgeons is essential to advancing the field. However, there are many obstacles to executing a good research project. As a health services analyst often working with surgical residents interested in research, I work with study data through all stages of a project and am familiar with data collection traps that …
When I started residency, I was convinced of two things: 1) I’d work really hard to learn how to be a good surgeon and 2) I’d find ways to keep doing the things that made me who I am. I planned to read on every patient, go to every operative case I could and—of course—practice …
I was sitting in the back row at the inaugural meeting for the Latino Surgical Society when the introductions around the room began. As each person introduced themselves, it felt as though their levels of prestige kept rising. First some residents, then fellows followed by attendings and chairs of their respective surgical specialties. Then it …
As I come to the end of my fellowship training, the thought of new beginnings is frequently on my mind. I knew from an early age I wanted to pursue a career in medicine. As a child growing up with a heart condition requiring frequent visits to the emergency room, I wanted to reciprocate the …
Join the October #AASchat on Tuesday, October 30th beginning at 8:00pm Eastern I probably should have said “No” to writing this blog post. I said yes, because I thought it would be easy. I’ll cut to the chase. My main failing at saying “No” is that, like most surgeons, I think I can just squeeze …
There has been slow attrition of surgeons from basic and translational science. Although external environmental pressures such as lack of funding, need for clinical productivity, and administrative duties play a significant role in this decline, there is also a lack of faith in our ability to succeed in the current environment1,2. Only 32% of surgical …
