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Ann Thorac Surg 2003;75:9-10
© 2003 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
* Address reprint requests to Dr Baumgartner, Division of Cardiac Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 600 N Wolfe St, Blalock 618, Baltimore, MD 21287-4618, USA.
e-mail: wbaumgar{at}csurg.jhmi.jhu.edu
It is hard to believe that the sun is about to set on my term as President of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). However, I believe the moon and stars shine brightly on the STS. These stars represent our new management team, which has been assembled over the past year as we have transitioned from Smith, Bucklin and Associates to our current independent management group. This hand-picked team has worked extremely hard in helping all of us in volunteer positions carry out the mission of the STS in a seamless manner. As you know, the Society’s new home is in the American College of Surgeons building. The offices are virtually done except for the final touches of memorabilia that will be added by Dr Jerry Rainer, our historian. Having visited our offices I think you will find that we have both an environment and a group of individuals to help support the STS throughout the 21st century. I would encourage you to stop in and visit when you are in Chicago.
In order to address and characterize the forces that will influence the practice of cardiothoracic surgery in America over the next decade, a Future Planning Conference was held this fall under the auspices of the Council on Health Policy and Relationships. Doctors Larry Bonchek and Daniel Harley, cochairs for the Planning Task Force, assembled a number of prominent individuals who addressed the areas of cardiothoracic surgery, government, industry, payers, medical schools and training programs, nursing schools, and other professional surgical organizations. Russell C. Coile, Jr, who is a well-known health care futurist, facilitated the conference. A follow-up on the outcomes of this conference is still being compiled and will be provided to you at a later date.
On October 1, 2002, the STS assumed the management services for the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association (STSA). Christine Eme has resumed her role as the STSA’s Executive Director, which she began in October 2000. The STS is looking forward to a long-term relationship with the STSA.
Recognizing that cardiothoracic surgery residents are the future of the STS, the STS leadership invited resident nominations from the Thoracic Surgery Residents Association. We believed that our Councils would be enhanced by resident input and that by involving them early on in the activities of the STS we would hope that these activities would lead to their development as future leaders of the Society. With the reorganization of the governance of the STS consisting in part of three major Council Operating Boards, we thought it appropriate that a resident be assigned to each of these boards. It is my pleasure to welcome and congratulate these three newly appointed residents: Dr Kristine J. Guleserian, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri (Education and Members Services Council Operating Board); Dr David M. McMullan, Jr, University of Washington Medical School, Seattle, Washington (Quality Assurance and Patient Advocacy Council Operating Board); and Dr Jorge D. Salazar (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (Health Policy and Relationships Council Operating Board). We look forward to working with each of these residents as the Society pushes forward its primary mission: Help Cardiothoracic Surgeons Serve Patients Better.
The Society has continued to show its ability to adapt and embrace change. The new government structure adopted in January 2002 has given the leadership its share of challenges over the last several months but the successes have clearly outweighed the challenges. Empowering the Council Operating Boards and Workforces has resulted in efficiencies and substantial involvement of our volunteer members. Council Chairs Bruce Ferguson, Nick Kouchoukos, and John Mayer have effectively used this new empowerment to move the activities of their respective Councils forward. As an example the Council on Education and Member Services chaired by Dr Nicholas Kouchoukos has facilitated the Workforces under the Council to share ideas and make requests for educational programming for the 2003 Annual Meeting. As the structure was designed their requests were presented at the Workforce level and then elevated to the Council Operating Board for approval. We will continue to refine this structure, taking advantage of its strengths and efficiencies. I am confident that will lead to a smoothly operating management system incorporating more members who are interested in participating in the activities of the Society.
Over the past few months we have worked with the American College of Surgeons (ACS) to create a combined ACS/STS Health Policies Scholarship. This scholarship will help to subsidize attendance and participation of a cardiothoracic surgeon in the course "Understanding the New World of Healthcare: A Healthcare Policy Program for Physicians, Trustees, and Healthcare Leaders" held annually in the spring at Harvard University. Applicants for this scholarship must be in good standing with both the STS and the ACS. More information about this scholarship can be found in the "What’s New" section of the STS home page (www.sts.org). This is the first of what I suspect will be a number of joint ventures between the STS and the ACS.
I would like to cordially invite you to attend our 39th Annual Meeting, January 31–February 2, 2003 in San Diego, California. Remember that the pattern of the meeting is breaking from the traditional Sunday to Wednesday program; the 2003 meeting is Thursday to Sunday. The meeting is open to all duly qualified physicians, residents, fellows, engineers, and other interested individuals. We will begin the Annual Meeting on Friday, January 31, 2003, with opening remarks and end on Sunday, February 2, 2003.
The Workforce on the Annual Meeting has put together an exceptional and informative educational program. This year 836 abstracts from all over the world were submitted. This impressive number of submissions combined with the excellence of the abstracts submitted resulted in a superb educational program representative of all aspects of cardiothoracic surgery being developed by the Workforce.
The STS and the American Association for Thoracic Surgery have again joined forces to offer the Second Annual Tech-Con Conference—Tech-Con 2003. This program will provide you cutting edge information on technological and educational advances in cardiothoracic surgery. Tech-Con 2003 will be held from Wednesday, January 29, at 1:00 PM through Thursday, January 30, at 5:00 PM. Registration for Tech-Con 2003 is in addition to your Annual Meeting registration fee. Please mark your registration form accordingly if you plan to attend Tech-Con 2003.
Friday morning will start with the presentation of the J. Maxwell Chamberlain Memorial Paper awarded to the first paper on the program and followed by my welcome and Presidential Address. Other program highlights include a presentation on geriatric issues both for the patient and the physician that is sponsored by the STS’s Workforce on Aging. Saturday will prove to be an extremely exciting day as Dr David Kessler, Dean of Yale University School of Medicine and former FDA Commissioner, will be giving the Thomas B. Ferguson Lecture. And with the assistance of Dr James Edgerton and the STS’s Workforce on Practice Education, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson will be addressing us before the start of the parallel sessions. Also of note is the addition of a fourth parallel session on Saturday, February 1, that will address practice management issues. This session will be the first of a 3-year curriculum developed by the STS’s Task force on Practice Management Issues chaired by Dr Edgerton. You will also want to plan to attend the ever-popular breakfast sessions—How I Do It and Meet The Experts—being held on Saturday. These sessions are designed to provide you with a focused presentation on a specific topic during which you can interact directly with the faculty. Also on Saturday morning will be a 1-hour forum titled "Health Policy Forum: The Future of Cardiothoracic Surgery." Poster Sessions and Surgical Motion Pictures will complete your day on Saturday. Sunday educational opportunities will include ten clinical workshops, poster sessions, and the conclusion of the oral presentations.
The entire Workforce on the Annual Meeting including the Annual Meeting Program Task Force, the Surgical Forum Task Force, and the Tech-Con 2003 Taskforce is pleased to have developed such an excellent, extensive, and innovative educational experience for you. I am excited about the variety of the information that this year’s meeting offers.
I hope that you will be able to join me and your colleagues for the STS 39th Annual Meeting, January 31–February 2, 2003, in San Diego, California.
I have summarized just a few of the activities and initiatives that are being undertaken within the Society by several of you, our volunteer members. This past year has been made easy for me by the hard work and dedication of the many Council and Workforce chairpersons and their respective members. Along with your new staff, these individuals have made me and the Society look good. I am very confident that the transition to the current management structure was not only necessary but will also clearly benefit our many members. I feel very honored to have had the opportunity to participate in both this transition and the activities of the STS during this past year as President of this outstanding society.
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