ASSOCI ATION FOR AC A DEMIC SURGERY • W INTER 2008/09
Ne w sl e t te r
Dr. Herb Chen
IN THIS ISSUE
President’s Message
1 work preparing the Career Development Course and planning an engaging “Meet the AAS Leadership”
Secretary’s Report:
Business Meeting Preview
1 Research Award. Dr. Zeh will provide details about the journal’s important role in surgical research.
Information & Technology
Review: PDA FAQ
2
Education Committee Initiatives
4 Dr. Scott LeMaire
Leadership Committee Update
4
Journal of Surgical Research
5 At this year’s meeting, the AAS will hold elections for president-elect, recorder, and positions on the
PR E SI DE N T ’ S M E S S AG E
Dr. Herb Chen
It has been an honor and a privilege to be the president of the AAS over the past year. I have had the good fortune
to work with a talented group of AAS officers and Executive Council members. This year, Dr. Daniel Albo
will finish his term as recorder. He has been one of the most outstanding recorders the AAS has ever had.
Under his leadership, the Academic Surgical Congress (ASC) has grown, and the number of AAS abstracts
has continued to increase every year. Drs. Scott LeMaire and Max Schmidt will remain in their roles
as secretary and treasurer, respectively, for an additional year to complete their terms. Both have done a
spectacular job in the past year. I know that the AAS will continue to thrive under the guidance of
President-Elect Dr. Kevin Staveley-O’Carroll.
The 4th Annual ASC in Fort Myers, Florida, is just around the corner. Please remember to register and
book your room in advance. An important component of the ASC is our Annual Business Meeting, which
features elections for new officers and committee members. As you will read in the following report from
AAS Secretary Dr. Scott LeMaire, the Executive Council has been working very hard to ensure that this will
be the most efficient and productive business meeting that we have ever had.
This issue also features the second in a series of timely reviews by the Information and Technology Committee,
which is led by Chair Dr. Gretchen Purcell Jackson. This quarter’s review offers practical advice for choosing
a new smartphone/personal digital assistant device.
The AAS Education Committee, under the leadership of Co-chairs Drs. Lillian Kao and Carla Pugh, has
been busy organizing our Fundamentals of Surgical Research Course, as well as a session at the ASC. They
will report on these activities, as well as their committee’s new initiative in collaboration with the American
Board of Surgery.
The AAS Leadership Committee, led by Co-chairs Drs. Eric Kimchi and Peter Nelson, has been hard at
session to be held at the ASC. They will update you on their committee’s work over the past year.
Finally, Dr. Herb Zeh is the new AAS representative to the Journal of Surgical Research. We have enjoyed
a synergistic relationship with this journal and appreciate its annual support of the Joel Roslyn Faculty
I look forward to seeing each of you in February at the 4th Annual ASC at Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa,
in Fort Myers, Florida!
–Herb
S E C R E T A R Y ’ S R E P O R T:
PR E V I E W OF OU R A N N UA L BUSI N E S S M E E T I NG
The Executive Council of the AAS is committed to serving the needs of the entire membership. To this
end, the agenda for the Annual Business Meeting is specifically designed to inform members about the
current state of the Society and, more important, to enable members to decide the future of the Society by
participating in elections and voting on proposed changes to the Constitution and Bylaws. Enthusiastic
participation in this meeting—which will be held on Thursday, February 5, 2009, at 5:00 PM during the
Academic Surgical Congress in Fort Myers, Florida—will help us to guide the future of the AAS.
Education, Information and Technology, Issues, Leadership, and Membership Committees. As described by
AAS Councilor Dr. Rebecca Minter in the Fall 2008 edition of this newsletter, several changes have been
Continued…
 made in the committee election process in an effort to improve its efficiency. Interested candidate and active
members have submitted online self-nominations that include brief statements of interest. These statements will
be compiled and posted on the AAS website so that they can be reviewed by the membership before the meeting.
In addition, printed copies of the statements will be distributed along with the ballots at the meeting. Members
who have submitted self-nominations online will not need to be present at the meeting to be elected. Members
who have not submitted self-nominations will be able to nominate themselves from the floor during the business
meeting but will not be able to provide a statement of interest. Please see www.aasurg.org/elections.php
for more information about the election process.
New members of the Program Committee will be appointed by the president, Dr. Herb Chen, during the
business meeting. Only active members are eligible for this committee. Interested members should send a
brief statement of interest (100 words or less) and an abbreviated (4-page) curriculum vitae to Dr. Chen at
chen@surgery.wisc.edu.
Dr. Scott LeMaire As always, the business meeting will feature reports from committee chairs and AAS representatives; the
reports will highlight the many successful AAS endeavors of 2008 and provide updates about several exciting
new initiatives. For example, Dr. Peter Nelson—former chair of the Membership Committee and current
co-chair of the Leadership Committee—will provide an update about the surgery recruitment video project
and will show a trailer. This will be our first glimpse of the video, which was produced in cooperation with the
“The Annual Business American College of Surgeons, the Society of University Surgeons, and the Association of Program Directors
Meeting is a critical in Surgery to encourage medical students to pursue surgical careers.
Finally, several important proposed changes to our Constitution and Bylaws will be presented to the membership
link between the AAS for consideration; many of these changes will be voted on during the business meeting. Proposed changes
have been developed to address several important needs, including further improvements in the election
membership and the process, the addition of an AAS representative to the Association for Surgical Education, a more streamlined
leadership.” membership application process, a standing Ethics Committee, a standing Global Affairs Committee, the
addition of a resident-fellow councilor, and clarifications regarding Executive Council voting privileges.
Please do not hesitate to contact me at slemaire@bcm.edu if you have any questions about the Annual Business
Meeting. I look forward to seeing you at the 4th Annual Academic Surgical Congress.

2 0 0 8 I N T E R N AT ION A L V I SI T I NG PROF E S S OR SH I P AWA R D

FOR T H E ROY A L AUS T R A L A SI A N C OL L E G E OF SU RG E ON S
The AAS Executive Committee would like to congratulate Dr. Peter Nelson for receiving the AAS
International Visiting Professorship Award in support of the 2009 Leadership Exchange with the Royal
Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS). Dr. Nelson will be attending the RACS Younger Fellows
Forum, the inaugural Developing a Career in Academic Surgery Course, and the RACS Annual
Scientific Congress in May 2009. In exchange, Mr. Richard Page, the chair of the RACS Younger
Fellows Committee will attend the 2009 ASC in Fort Myers, Florida. The Leadership Exchange is made
possible, in part, by the generous support that the Younger Fellows Committee has obtained from Johnson
& Johnson Medical. The International Visiting Professorship Award was designed to further foster the
AAS’s international relations and to highlight the work being done by academic surgeons from other
countries. We look forward to welcoming our colleagues from around the world at the ASC.

I N F O R M A T I O N & T E C H N O L O G Y R E V I E W:
PDA FAQ : i PHON E , BL AC K BE R RY, C E N T RO, OR T R E O ?
Dr. Kaushik Mukherjee & Dr. Gretchen Purcell Jackson,
Chair of the Information & Technology Committee
QUESTION: “I want to buy a personal digital assistant (PDA) to increase productivity in my
surgical practice. What do I need to consider when choosing such a device?”
CAVEATS
A wide array of new communication devices offers even the technically naïve an opportunity to boost their
productivity. How do you decide which latest gadget is really the right investment for your practice? Here are
three critical issues to consider. Continued…
Dr. Gretchen Purcell Jackson 2
Wireless commitments. Your existing cellular phone contract may greatly limit your options with regard to phones and operating systems. For
example, the iPhone works only on AT&T networks. “Unlocked” versions of the Treo, Centro, and BlackBerry are available, but they are generally
much more expensive than phones purchased with a cellular plan. If you have an existing contract, be sure the wireless provider supports the device you
want. Some companies will provide cellular service for any smartphone but will not offer technical support for these devices when you have problems
with connectivity. If your existing service provider drops a large number of calls at your workplace or home, you may be able to renege on your cellular
contract without paying the penalties. Before making a purchase or signing a contract, familiarize yourself with the policies of your wireless provider
and ask other users about service availability in places where you intend to use the phone.
The screen is always greener. Even if your PDA can allow you to watch the NFL playoffs live in the operating room while dictating your case notes,
another surgical colleague will have an even better device with a new enviable feature next week. Formulate a list of key features for your desired device
and investigate the availability and reliability of these features on the different PDAs. Base your decisions on core functionality requirements and the
performance of these applications, as the newer features often have bugs. All major-brand smartphones support email, but there are compatibility and
performance issues that vary across email applications and providers. For example, many Treo users have trouble getting Gmail with VersaMail, but
there is a separate Gmail Mobile application that works well if you get email from only one account or don’t mind using two applications for email.
Other key features to consider are messaging, contact lists, calendars, cameras, video playing and recording, and web browsing. In comparing various
features, be realistic about how you will use the device. Are you really going to watch videos on your PDA or take operative pictures with your phone?
Make sure that whatever proprietary applications you use in your practice are available for your PDA.
Try before you buy. Preference for a particular PDA often comes down to feel. Some users like on-screen keyboards, while other users may have fingers
that are too big for the keys! Spend at least a few minutes of hands-on time with the different devices. Ideally, test the applications you intend to use. If
you don’t like something (eg, a sound or the appearance of the screen), ask a salesperson whether the device can be customized or configured differently
to meet your needs. There are often a lot of interface options that elude even experienced users.
DEVICE OVERVIEWS
iPhone 3G
This PDA is a slick touchscreen device, and Apple products have always had very intuitive interfaces. Want to zoom in? Push your thumb and index
fingers apart! Web pages and movies are beautiful on this device and can be viewed horizontally or vertically by flipping the iPhone onto its side.
Thousands of applications are available for finding everything from weather and flight information to restaurants and recreational sites on your
way to a surgical meeting. The device is compatible with Microsoft Exchange, so if you use Outlook, all your appointments and email can be downloaded
automatically. Also, Epocrates is available on the iPhone. The device has only a few downsides: the on-screen keyboard works very well but is still not as good
as an actual keyboard. The global positioning system (GPS) doesn’t talk, and the phone doesn’t work with any service providers except AT&T.
BlackBerry
The BlackBerry is the choice of corporate America (even of President Barack Obama) and is widely used in the medical community as well.
The most important advantage is that you can probably find another surgeon in your practice or hospital who uses a BlackBerry. Current
models vary a great deal—some include real keyboards, and the new BlackBerry Storm has an on-screen keyboard. The BlackBerry operating
system is quite functional and efficient but requires users of Windows- and Apple-based products to learn a new approach. Many commonly used
medical applications, such as Epocrates, which are available for Windows-based devices, also have a version available for the BlackBerry. This device has
a variety of health-care applications that are not available on any other system. E-Rx lets you write prescriptions electronically. GlobeStar’s Connexall
can download telemetry information and deliver critical data such as “code blue” alerts. Many of the newer video- and audio-based features are present
on the BlackBerry devices, but they are not as beautifully implemented as on the iPhone.
Palm Centro and Treo
The Centro and Treo series balance the ease of use of the iPhone with the corporate functionality of the BlackBerry. Like the BlackBerry,
Centros and Treos are available for a wide variety of service providers. Although not as adept as the BlackBerry devices at enterprise solutions
(ie, IT solutions for large organizations that have large networks), Palm smartphones can use Microsoft Exchange and also have a familiar
Windows-based interface. The Internet may be viewed quite well, although no display compares to that of the iPhone. Because Palm had
the early market share, applications are widely available, and the devices work well as phones—an important but often neglected detail. As with all
Windows-based applications, periodic “freezes” occur, and avid users may have trouble with battery life—particularly while using resource-intensive
applications like the talking GPS’s turn-by-turn directions. The sleek and rounded Centro is the smallest version of the Palm smartphones (except
possibly for the just-announced, not yet available Palm Pre), designed for folks with small hands. The keyboard is diminutive and may be difficult to use
for persons with larger fingers. The Centro uses the PalmOS rather than the Windows Mobile operating system; the former will be familiar to the early
adopters of Palm smartphones but not to those who began using Treos after the 700 series. The Centro is reasonably priced and can desktop sync with
Macs. The commitment-phobic user can get an unlocked version, but then the low-cost advantage more or less goes away.
CONCLUSION
The take-home message is that there is a PDA for every personality, even within the constraints imposed by service providers. Take your time to pick
the one that will provide core functions reliably and best support your needs. For optimal interoperability and technical support, try to have everyone
in your office use devices from the same family.
References: 1. CNET Product reviews and prices. www.cnet.com 2. BlackBerry smartphone. http://na.blackberry.com/eng 3. BlackBerry health care solutions:
http://na.blackberry.com/eng/solutions/industry/healthcare/#tab_tab_partnersolutions 4. Apple iPhone. www.apple.com/iphone 5. Palm products: Centro and Treo
smartphones. www.palm.com/us/products/smartphones 3
 E DUC AT ION COM M I T T E E I N I T I AT I V E S
Drs. Lillian Kao & Carla Pugh, Co-Chairs of the Education Committee
For more than 15 years, the AAS has sponsored the annual Fundamentals of Surgical Research Course
(FSRC) for young academic surgeons. Th is course provides the tools for building a successful academic
research career. Originally, the FSRC was held before the AAS annual meeting; however, since the
creation of the Academic Surgical Congress (ASC) in 2005, the FSRC has preceded the fall meeting of
the American College of Surgeons. Th is past year marked the fi rst time the AAS Education Committee
was in charge of the course. Dr. Anees Chagpar and Past President Dr. Fiemu Nwariaku were the
co-chairs, and several committee members served as lecturers. The course was well received, and there
were 113 registrants—up from 111 in 2007 and 100 in 2006. Th anks to everyone for their assistance and
support, including Drs. Herb Chen and Siobhan Corbett, the AAS support staff, and the committee
members, lecturers, and registrants for making this an outstanding program once again. The Education
Dr. Lillian Kao Committee is grateful for the course feedback provided by the residents and lecturers and will continue
to fi ne-tune the course. Two major changes for the upcoming year will be to condense the course into
1 day’s worth of lectures and to separate the basic science and clinical research components. Next year,
Dr. Adam Berger will be the FSRC director.
This year at the ASC, the AAS and Society of University Surgeons Education Committees will co-sponsor a
panel session on Friday, February 6, 2009, entitled Surgical Education in the Internet Era. Panel topics will
include presentations regarding the Surgical Council on Resident Education (SCORE) and the National
Surgical Curriculum—from the developer’s and the user’s perspectives. The session will also include historical
and futuristic perspectives on the use of web-based and other computer technologies in surgical education. In
keeping with a tradition started last year, the committee will compose a position paper based on the panelists’
presentations. These position papers are the start of an ongoing effort on behalf of the committee to produce
enduring educational materials.
With regard to SCORE and the National Surgical Curriculum, the AAS has been invited by the American
Board of Surgery to contribute to this important initiative. Education Committee members have volunteered
Dr. Carla Pugh to form the initial AAS working group, led by Drs. Daniel Scott and Anees Chagpar, with the goal of
completing 16 modules for the basic science curriculum by July 2009. This project, which combines the
efforts of multiple organizations and regulatory agencies in surgery, has the potential to greatly improve
and standardize both the training and evaluation of surgical trainees in the future. We anticipate that our
involvement in this important project will be ongoing.
In accordance with the AAS’s mission of being a major contributor and leader in the field of surgical
education, we proudly present Drs. Clifford Cho and Carmen Solorzano as the new co-chairs of the
committee and look forward to their success. We hope to see you all at the ASC in Florida this February,
including at our panel session!

L E A DE R SH I P C OM M I T T E E U PDAT E
Drs. Peter Nelson & Eric Kimchi, Co-Chairs of the Leadership Committee
This has been a good year for the Leadership Committee, and we appreciate the hard work of current
committee members Drs. Christopher Anderson, Alessandro Fichera, Niraj Gusani, Alysandra Lal, Paul
Mosca, Louis Nguyen, and Seth Spector.
Dr. Peter Nelson
The highlight of the year for our committee is the fall Career Development Course (CDC), and the session
held this past October was no exception. We had a great complement of attendees and speakers. The
program was highlighted by Dr. Keith Lillemoe’s spectacular keynote address, in which he gave us a
candid look at his own personal path to academic success. Topics covered what it means to be a surgeon-
scientist; how to negotiate for a job; how to choose or be a mentor; how to write a grant or biosketch; the
importance of tenure; and how to balance one’s professional and personal life. Those of you who attended
can verify that the course covered every topic relevant to trainees and young faculty members pursuing a
career in academic surgery and that each of the topics resulted in a very productive interactive discussion.
If you couldn’t attend the 2008 CDC, we strongly recommend that you consider attending the fall 2009
course and that you urge your trainees and junior faculty to do so. Based on feedback from this year’s
course, the 2009 CDC will be a 1-day aff air that will nicely complement the Fundamentals of Surgical
Research Course and will run sequentially with it, enabling attendees to participate fully in both events.
These events will offer something for everyone! Continued…
Dr. Eric Kimchi 4

V ISIT US ONLINE AT
www.aasurg.org
The Leadership Committee also coordinates the “Meet the AAS Leadership” luncheon for residents and
students who attend the Academic Surgical Congress. This year, the luncheon will occur on the first day of the
meeting, Wednesday, February 4th, from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM, immediately after the Society of University
Surgeons’ Presidential Address. All students, residents, and candidate members should be encouraged to
attend these events. For those of you who have a leadership role in the AAS, please plan to attend so that you
can meet these bright young people and support their development.
If you have any questions regarding the activities of the Leadership Committee, please contact either of us
(Eric: ekimchi@hmc.psu.edu; Peter: peter.nelson@surgery.ufl.edu). See you in Fort Myers!

JOU R NA L OF SU RGIC A L R E SE A RCH:

C R I T IC A L TO T H E M I S SION OF T H E A A S
Dr. Herb Zeh, Representative to JSR
The AAS was founded in the 1960s as an “ecumenical” organization dedicated to providing a forum for the
exchange of scientific ideas among a growing number of young academic surgeons.1 This concept is still the
main focus of the organization, as articulated in Article II of its constitution: “The object of this Association
shall be to stimulate young surgeons and surgical scientists to pursue careers in academic surgery and support them
in establishing themselves as investigators and educators. The Association shall provide a forum for senior surgical
residents, fellows and junior faculty members to present papers on subjects of clinical, laboratory or educational
research. . . .” To advance this goal of facilitating scientific exchange among young surgical scientists, the
AAS uses several resources, including the Academic Surgical Congress and the fall Fundamentals of Surgical
Research Course. Perhaps one of the most important resources available to the AAS leadership for fulfilling
this mandate is the Journal of Surgical Research (JSR).
Dr. Herb Zeh
Launched in 1977 as the official journal of the AAS, JSR is currently published by Elsevier. The journal
includes 14 issues a year, 1 issue being dedicated to the abstracts from the joint AAS/SUS Academic Surgical
“The object of this Congress. The editors’ objective is to publish articles concerning clinical and laboratory investigations relevant
to surgical practice and teaching. Special emphasis is placed on manuscripts concerning clinical investigations
Association shall be to or fundamental research that bear directly on surgical management, as these articles will have the broadest
appeal to surgeons and surgical researchers. Accepted articles do not originate solely from surgeons or surgical
stimulate young surgeons laboratories. JSR also publishes invited review articles and articles on education, leadership, and social issues
and surgical scientists that are relevant to the academic surgical community. The editorial board comprises leaders from all surgical
subspecialties who rotate on a 3-year basis. The journal receives more than 800 manuscripts a year, 50%
to pursue careers in originating from outside the United States. Because of its online submission and peer-review process, JSR is a
leader with respect to manuscript turnaround. The most recent Science Citation Index (“impact factor”) was
academic surgery 1.84, placing the Journal in the top 31% of the 139 surgical journals evaluated by this metric.

and support them in Over the 40-plus years of its existence, the AAS has remained true to the goal of its founding members
to provide a forum that will promote the growth of young surgical investigators. As a well-respected
establishing themselves periodical dedicated to advances in surgical science, JSR plays a critical role in fulfilling the overall
purpose of the AAS. Information regarding manuscript submission can be found on the journal’s website,
as investigators www.journalofsurgicalresearch.com.
and educators.
The Association shall
provide a forum for
senior surgical residents,
fellows and junior
faculty members to
present papers on subjects
of clinical, laboratory or
educational research. . . .” Reference: 1. Zuidema GD. Founding president’s address. The Association for Academic Surgery: its first decade. J Surg Res
1977;22:313-318.