Basic and Translational Science Committee Self Nomination for Eleanor Fallon

As an Education Chief at MD Anderson Cancer Center for the Complex General Surgical Oncology (CGSO) Fellowship program, and having been Administrative Chief in residency, the strengths that I aim to offer to an AAS committee would be insights on trainee curriculum and mentorship, as well as perspectives on the needs of young surgeons for building their practice in the context of academic advancement. Supported by the Department of Surgical Oncology and co-fellows, we have overhauled our Education curriculum to be 100% protected time, in-person with consistent engagement from faculty; this corresponds with journal clubs for each block to correspond to each sub-section (e.g. HPB, Endocrine, Sarcoma) to enhance our literature-based expertise in addition to didactics -- all new features since my tenure in this leadership position. Additionally, with approval at the Departmental and Institutional levels, we have launched our inaugural year of the Mentor-Mentee Match, a formal mentoring program for all Surgical Oncology fellows (Colorectal, HPB, CGSO, Endocrine). Beyond these programmatic endeavors, my goal is to serve on an AAS Committee to shape and evolve academia on a national level through education and leadership training for my and future surgical generations. As the designated CGSO fellow on the 3-year research/clinical track, I have the bandwidth and commitment to engage with AAS this upcoming academic year as the foundation for a career-long involvement. Thank you!