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It is with sadness that I inform you of the death of Dr Burke Syphax yesterday July 19th. I look forward to sharing further details on expressions/ funeral arrangements and how we can celebrate the phenomenal life of this Howard institution.

Not only was Dr Syphax remarkable for his longevity---dying as he did some 5 months shy of his 100th birthday---his impact on our craft through his clinical mastery , research, and teaching and training of generations of medical students and surgical residents is incalculable. He has been part of the Howard family for over 80 years ---entering the undergraduate school in 1928.

Dr Syphax’s stabilizing influence –following the presence of 3 Chairs in 7 years (1950-1957) –is a seminal feature in the history of this Department. He was part of the first entering resident class in 1936---served on the faculty for some 60 years---and was Chairman of Surgery from 1957-1970.

His diagnostic wizardry in interpretation of clinical exam, xray and other studies earned him the nickname “Master of the Abdomen”. The many honors he has inspired include the annual Drew-Syphax lecture each March for 40 years---the renaming of the clinical service for minimally invasive and surgical endoscopy –the “Syphax service”—and in March 2010 –a “legacy” tribute dinner to him and his family.

We will provide further details as they emerge.  

The stories are heart-wrenching: a young girl with brick embedded in her skull; another girl miraculously pulled from the rubble 15 days after the earthquake; a baby born in a field hospital and then returned, two days later, with his mother to a "tent city" made of bed sheets and tarps. These are the kinds of cases that Henri Ford, MD, dealt with day after day on the front lines in Haiti.  Read more...

Selwyn Vickers, MD, Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine has been elected to the prestigious Institute of Medicine (IOM). Professor Vickers is an outstanding surgical leader, teacher, researcher, and surgical oncologist. He is a past President of SBAS and member of the Surgical Section of the NMA in addition to many other surgical and scientific societies. Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. New members are elected by current active members through a highly selective process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health. The newly elected members raise IOM's total active membership to 1,610.

Following is the web address to the Institute of Medicine where the announcement can be found:

http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=10122009a

Edward Barksdale, Jr., MD has been appointed to the Robert J. Izant, Jr., MD Chair in Pediatric Surgery at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland. There will be a reception and program in his honor on the Case Medical Center campus on Wednesday, November 11. Dr. Barksdale is Division Chief of Pediatric Surgery at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in the Case Medical Center and he is a Vice Chair in the Department of Surgery University Hospitals.

Please join us in congratulating both Dr. Vickers and Dr. Barksdale for these outstanding milestones in their careers as well as their stellar contributions to surgical education.

L.D. Britt, MD, MPH, FACS, FCCM—a general and trauma surgeon from Norfolk, VA—was named President-Elect of the American College of Surgeons during the Annual Business Meeting of Members held Wednesday afternoon at McCormick Place West. More Info @:
http://www.news-source.org/acs/2009/eDaily4/story1.htm

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) will be recognizing Wm. Lynn Weaver, M.D., FACS for his efforts and leadership with the ACS-High School Student Program over the past many years. Ajit K. Sachdeva, M.D., FACS, Director of the Division of Education for the ACS, will be presenting the award to Dr. Weaver during the annual ACS-High School Student Program luncheon on Wednesday, October 14th at 11:00 AM. The luncheon will be held at McCormick Place, West Building, Room 190 A&B. Please try and attend.

The deadline is quickly approaching for our Section to submit nominations for the CLAUDE H. ORGAN, JR., M.D., F.A.C.S. TRAVELING FELLOWSHIP AWARD. This fellowship opportunity is open to any member of the Surgical Section of the NMA, SBAS, or the Association of Women Surgeons. Nominees must have an academic appointment at a US Medical School at the assistant professor or associate professor level. SBAS already has 2 individuals who are being considered for nomination, and so we are asking for nominees from the Surgical Section as well. The original deadline for nominations was September 1st, but given our late start (due to a glitch in communications), we will accept nominations through next Friday, September 4th. Please submit your nominations to David Jacobs. M.D. ASAP, and they will be forwarded on to the Selection Committee. In addition to the nominee’s name, please also submit the following items:

• Nominee’s CV
• letter of intent
• letter of recommendation.

Click here for a flyer

2009 Scientific Assembly Certificates of Attendance

Now Available!
Attendees to the 2009 National Medical Association Scientific Assembly held July 25 - 29, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada may now print their certificates of attendance online. To obtain credit and complete your activity evaluations please click here.

In response to requests from the Committee for Young Surgeons of the ACS, childcare is now available for attendees of the October Clinical Congress of the ACS. The ACS subsidizes the childcare, and has provided this service for the last two years, but it has been somewhat underutilized. For more information, please follow the link below:

http://www.facs.org/clincon2009/social/campacs.html

Follow this link to view the presentation Dr. Ken Simon gave at our recent meeting in Las Vegas. For those of you who missed this presentation, CMS has, once again, proposed several changes regarding physician reimbursement, quality measurement, and other changes in consulting codes, cardiac and pulmonary rehab, and e-prescribing. Many of these proposed changes will likely directly impact your practice, either your clinical practice or the business side of your practice, or both. Members are encouraged to send written comments to CMS regarding these proposed policy changes. The deadline for receipt of your comments is August 31st, 2009. If you have questions, please contact Ken at ksimonesq@aol.com.

The 2009 National Medical Association Scientific Assembly Certificates of Attendance will be available online the week of August 17, 2009 (we have placed a notice on the NMA homepage). Unfortunately, we have encountered unanticipated delays in launching the website. Attendees will be able to obtain credit and complete activity evaluations online via the NMA’s homepage. Please accept our apology for any inconvenience that this delay may cause.