Eighth Annual Surgical Resident & Fellow Research Presentation Day

EIGHTH ANNUAL SURGICAL RESIDENT & FELLOW RESEARCH PRESENTATION DAY INTRODUCTION On May 18, 2001, the 8th Annual Surgical Resident and Fellow Research Presentation Day was held in the Sheldon M. Wolff, MD Auditorium at the New England Medical Center (NEMC). This program was sponsored by the New England Surgical Society (NESS); The Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maine Chapters of the American College of Surgeons (ACS); The Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Center; and the Department of Surgery at NEMC. The opening remarks were made by Thomas F. O’Donnell, MD, President and CEO of the New England Medical Center, and William Mackey, MD, Chairman of the Department of Surgery at New England Medical Center. The program, which was balanced for both basic science and clinical presentations, contained 18 abstracts from surgical programs all over New England and as far away as South Carolina. Seventeen of these presentations are shown in abstract from here, with the remaining 1 listed at the end of this summary. The following fields of surgery were represented in the program: general, vascular, cardiac, orthopaedic, pediatric, and neuro. The quality of the program was outstanding, making it hard for the judges (Raymond Connolly, PhD—NEMC; John Welsh, MD—Hartford Hospital; John Russell, MD— New Britain; Nicolas Coe, MD—Baystate Medical Center; David Crombie, MD—Hartford Hospital [President of NESS]; and David Rattner, MD—Massachusetts General Hospital) to determine the outstanding presentation winners. This year’s Visiting Professor Lecture, entitled “Academic Surgery—Why Bother?” was given by David Rattner, MD. His lecture was well received, provoking many thoughtful comments by the residents and fellows. This year’s award winners were as follows: Outstanding Basic Science Presentation: Antonia Stephen, MD. Engineered tissue using transfected cells inhibit tumor growth. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. Outstanding Clinical Science Presentation: Bernard Benedetto, MD. Use of cryopreserved cadaver vein allograft for hemodialysis precludes renal transplantation due to allosensitization. Department of Surgery, Transplant Division, Baystate Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Springfield, Massachusetts. Second Place Presentation: Tracy Grikscheit, MD. Tissue engineered colon characteristics and comparison to native colon.

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Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. Third Place Presentation: Deepa Soni, MD. Extensive axon regeneration in the adult rat spinal cord after injury. Children’s Hospital/Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. Honorable Mention Presentation: Jason Johnson, MD. Type II error in randomized control trial with negative results—are methods improving? Department of Medical Education (Surgery), Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, Spartanburg, South Carolina. Janice Rothschild, MD, Treasurer of the Massachusetts Chapter of the ACS, awarded Dr. Stephen her prize of a plaque and $1000.00 to, hopefully, be used for a trip to this year’s Clinical Congress of the ACS. Dr. David Crombie, Past President of the NESS, awarded a plaque and $1000.00 to Dr. Benedetto and a plaque and $500.00 to Dr. Grikscheit. Dr. Steven Schwaitzberg, the program coordinator, awarded certificates and checks for $250.00 and $100.00 to Drs. Soni and Johnson from the Maine and Connecticut Chapters of the ACS, respectively. The judging for these awards focuses heavily on the quality of the oral and visual presentation as well as on the quality of the science. Presenting work at the New England Surgical Resident and Fellow Research Presentation Day gives the participant an opportunity to get ready for larger forums or get a second chance to present their work. There is no question that these skills will serve these surgeons in the future, regardless of career choice. Residents received a feedback sheet from the judges, which highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of their presentations. Next year’s Surgical Resident and Fellow Research Presentation Day is tentatively scheduled for Friday, May 17, 2002. STEVEN D. SCHWAITZBERG, MD Tufts University School of Medicine New England Medical Center Boston, Massachusetts

ADDITIONAL PRESENTATION Soni D. Extensive axon regeneration in the adult rat spinal cord after injury. Children’s Hospital/Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.

CURRENT SURGERY • © 2001 by the Association of Program Directors in Surgery Published by Elsevier Science Inc.

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