Surgery News - April 2008 - (Page 14)

S U R G E R Y NEWS • A P R I L 2 0 0 8 NEWS FROM THE COLLEGE Institute to Focus on Surgical Policy, Data new Health Policy and Research Institute has been established to conduct research in many areas of health policy that promise to be increasingly important. George F. Sheldon, M.D., FACS, Zack D. Owens distinguished professor of surgery, University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, and past president of the ACS, has been appointed as director of the institute. Thomas J. Ricketts, Ph.D., deputy director DR. SHELDON of UNC’s Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Policy Research, is the administrative director. Initially, the Sheps Center will serve as headquarters for the institute, which is expected to move when the new building for ACS Washington Office staff is completed in 2010. Some work will continue to be carried out at the Sheps Center. “The Sheps Center has a long and distinguished record in conducting health policy research, so basing the ACS Health Policy Institute at UNC enables the College to begin our research quickly,” according to ACS Executive Director Thomas R. Russell, M.D., FACS. “[T]he need exists for scholarly, wellthought-out policies, based on the best evidence,” Dr. Sheldon said. “This collaboration should develop information and policy recommendations of use as we continue to participate constructively in health care reform.” For its first assignment, the insti- tute is studying the surgical workforce issue. “Most experts who have studied the issue believe that we are going to have a shortage of surgeons in the not-too-distant future,” Dr. Russell said. “We need to be able to address that, and the ACS Health Policy and Research Institute will play a very important role in providing the data needed to guide policy decisions on this and many other issues.” Some research related to surgical workforce issues has already been DR. RICKETTS conducted as a result of collaboration between the ACS and UNC, Dr. Sheldon noted. These projects will be credited jointly and co-branded with the ACS, he said. “There is growing pressure on physicians to document the work they do and to be as cost-effective as possible,” Dr. Ricketts added. “The institute will help develop the data that can show what surgeons are doing well and where there may be ways to reduce costs.” The institute has received requests for collaborative projects from other highly respected research institutes, including the Institute for Health Policy Change and the American Association of Medical Colleges Workforce Center. “We expect that the research program of the ACS Health Policy and Research Institute will be productive fairly rapidly because of these relationships and our access to this unique expertise,” Dr. Sheldon said. hrough the generosity of KCI USA, the ACS is offering a 2-year faculty research award to a general surgeon engaged in a research project addressing wound care management. The purpose of this fellowship is to acquire knowledge leading to new clinical applications or projects that will provide the medical community with a better understanding of the use of advanced wound-healing therapies. The fellowship award is $85,000 per year with the possibility of an extension for a second year if satisfactory progress is made. Research endeavors specifically sought are translational projects, such as new methods to mechanically stimulate wound healing, design of clinically applicable skin substitutes, methods to enhance specific, difficult-to-heal wounds related to general or extremity trauma, various soft-tissue injuries, quality limb salvage, or methods to reduce surgical intervention to heal a variety of wounds. General policies for granting the award are as follows: The fellowship is open to a Fellow or Associate Fellow of the College who has completed the chief residency year or accredited fellowship training within the preceding 10 years and received a full-time faculty appointment in a department of surgery or a surgical specialty at a medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education in the U.S. or by the Committee for Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools in Canada. The recipient may use this award for support of his or her research or academic enrichment in any fashion that the recipient deems maximally supportive of his or her investigations. Included may be faculty salary replacement, Research Fellowship Offered In Wound Care Management T support for clinical research personnel, supplies directly related to the research activity, consumable equipment, and research-related travel costs up to $2,000 per year. Application for this fellowship may be submitted even if comparable application has been made to organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, or industry sources. If the recipient is offered a scholarship, fellowship, or research career development award from such an agency or organization, it is the responsibility of the recipient to contact the College’s Scholarships Administrator to request approval of the additional award. Supporting letters from the head of the department of surgery (or the surgical specialty) and from the mentor supervising the applicant’s research effort must be submitted. This approval would involve a commitment to continuation of the academic position and of facilities for research. The applicant must submit a research plan and budget for the 2-year period of fellowship. A final narrative and financial report are also required. A minimum of 25% of the fellow’s time must be spent in the research proposed in the application. The fellow is expected to attend the Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons in 2010 to meet with the Scholarships Committee and to present a report to the Surgical Forum. The closing date for receipt of applications is May 1, 2008. To request an application form, contact Scholarships Section, American College of Surgeons, 633 N. Saint Clair St., Chicago, IL 60611-3211, or visit www.facs.org/ memberservices/research.html. Surgeons Investment Fund Adds Commodity Allocation Female Surgeons Urged To Participate in Survey atricia Turner, M.D., FACS, has received the Joan Giambalvo Memorial Grant from the American Medical Association’s Women Physicians Congress to pursue research into attitudes and opinions related to childbearing and pregnancy during general surgery residency. All female members of the ACS—regardless of age, position, or childbearing status—who have completed (or are completing) a 5-year general surgery residency are encouraged to participate in the survey. More than 1,300 responses have been received thus far for what is likely to be the largest study to date on this topic. For further information, or if you have not received an invitation, please contact Dr. Turner, division of general surgery, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, at pturner@smail.umaryland.edu. Surveys will be accepted until May 1, 2008. Register Now for June ACS NSQIP Conference he American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) will hold its third annual national conference from Sunday, June 22, through Tuesday, June 24, 2008, at the Boca Raton (Fla.) Resort & Club. Specialty training sessions on CPT coding, surgeon champion training, data display, and more will take place Sunday afternoon. The conference will also provide a forum for surgeons, nurses, and quality professionals to learn how to use ACS NSQIP for quality improvement activities, improve data collection and automation, and focus on a team approach. Registration, open as of April, is available on a first-come, first-serve basis due to space limitations. Registration will be guaranteed to the first 500 participants. For more information, including hotel information and conference fees, visit www.acsnsqip.org. 3% commodities allocation has been added to Surgeons Diversified Investment Fund (SDIF) in an effort to further align its asset allocation with that of the endowment of the American College of Surgeons. The new component allows SDIF shareholders to obtain exposure to various commodities, including industrial and precious metals, agriculture, livestock, and energy. Commodities exposure adds an asset class to SDIF that provides further diversification, and one that historically has a negative correlation to stocks and bonds. For more information about SDIF, contact Tom Kiley at 312-202-5019, tkiley@facs.org; or Savi Pai at 312-202-5056, spai@facs.org. An investor should consider the charges, risks, expenses, and investment objective carefully before investing. Read the prospectus carefully before you invest or send money. The prospectus can be downloaded at www.surgeonsfund.com, or call 1-800-208-6070 and a copy will be mailed to you. SDIF is distributed by Ultimus Fund Distributors, LLC, 225 Pictoria Dr., Suite 450, Cincinnati, OH 45246; 513-587-3400. P T http://www.facs.org/memberservices/research.html http://www.facs.org/memberservices/research.html http://www.surgeonsfund.com http://www.acsnsqip.org

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Surgery News - April 2008 Contents Comorbidities Sway Bariatric Outcomes Database Finds Gap in Dissection For Melanoma Future Surgeon Shortage Predicted Dexterity Demo Best for Bile? Health Policy Scan Plan

Surgery News - April 2008

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