Featured Programming

TeLinde Lecture | Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS
Surgeons: More to Unite Us Than Divide Us
Tuesday, March 29, 2022 | 10:30 am – 11:15 am CT

Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS is the executive director of the American College of Surgeons and a clinical associate professor at the University of Chicago Medicine. She was previously director of the Division of Member Services at the American College of Surgeons, and prior to joining the College, Dr. Turner spent eight years in full-time academic practice on the faculty of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where she was the surgery residency program director. Roles in national professional organizations or institutions include member of the Board of Directors of the Council of Medical Specialty Societies, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, and OceanFirst Bank (OCFC), chair of the American College of Surgeons’ Delegation to the AMA House of Delegates, chair of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons Foundation Fund, past chair of the AMA Council on Medical Education, past chair of the Surgical Section of the NMA, and past president of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University, Dr. Turner continued her training as an intern and resident in surgery at Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC. Her fellowship training in minimally invasive and laparoscopic surgery was completed at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Weill-Cornell University School of Medicine, and Columbia University School of Medicine in New York City. Her MBA was completed at the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business. Dr. Turner is board-certified in surgery, is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and member of the American Surgical Association, Southern Surgical Association, Southeastern Surgical Congress, Society of University Surgeons, Association of Women Surgeons, Latino Surgical Society, and an honorary member of the Asociación Colombiana de Cirugia.

Mark D. Walters Lectureship | Marta A. Crispens, MD, MBA
Restructuring Gynecologic Surgical Education: It’s a Matter of Equity
Monday, March 28, 2022 | 9:50 AM to 10:30 AM CT

Marta A. Crispens, MD, MBA, is the Director and Professor of Gynecologic Oncology at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. She has been at Vanderbilt for 18-years.

Dr. Crispens received her medical degree from the University of Alabama School of Medicine. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System and fellowship at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

She has authored numerous research articles and publications, and has received several honors and awards, including being named one of Castle Connolly Regional Top Doctors and an Exceptional Women in Medicine 2019-2020 recipient.

Dr. Crispens’ research emphasis is on cellular and molecular mechanisms of adhesion formation in an vivo model, with a focus on adhesions formed in response to surgical injury and endometriosis. She led the working group that developed the best practice guidelines for the multidisciplinary management of patients with placenta accreta spectrum.

Panel Discussion: Innovations in Training Gynecologic Surgeons
Monday, March 28 | 12:55 PM - 1:40 PM CT

Carl Zimmerman, MD Moderator

Cecile Ferrando, MD Panelist

Doug Miyazaki, MD Panelist

Karl Tamussino, MD Panelist

The body of knowledge that an OBGYN trainee is asked to master has grown exponentially to the point that it is not manageable. Specialization is a result. Case numbers are down, and fewer gynecologists are performing major cases. We are training people to perform surgery who will never use the skills.  Society of Gynecologic Surgeons is uniquely positioned to bring the stakeholders together from within our membership. How can we promote evidence-based decision-making as related to the route of surgery, especially for hysterectomy? The separation of OB and GYN is always ripe for discussion. Do we need to realign the scope of the fellowships? Should we consider enhancing the Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery training with a more comprehensive curriculum and, of course, with the least invasive approach, vaginal surgery, and create a “Benign Gynecology” fellowship? How does tracking play a role in the future? Is surgical simulation the answer? How should we ensure skills established during training do not go to waste after residency? What is the best strategy to maintain and even improve surgical skills after training? How are the decision-makers responding to these ideas? In this exciting panel, experts will present their experiences from a variety of different perspectives.

Panel Discussion: Operating Room Safety and Efficiency
Tuesday, March 29 | 12:25 PM - 1:10 PM CT

Oz Harmanli, MD Moderator

Kenneth Catchpole, PhD Panelist

Teodor Grantcharov, MD Panelist

Jason Wright, MD Panelist

The focus of this panel is safety and efficiency in the operating room (OR). OR is a complex environment with ever-advancing technology. A successful surgery completed without complications in an optimal time depends not only on the surgeon’s experience, skills, and knowledge but also numerous other structural, human, and non-technical factors that the surgeon has no control on. As in any field dealing with human life, team dynamics and communication play a critical role in the OR. Research has indicated the benefits of forming dedicated teams, reducing handoffs, and innovative modalities which constantly and systematically monitor potential breakdowns and propose solutions for the detected problems. Finally, who should do your loved one’s hysterectomy? The panel will also attempt to answer this question with the accumulating evidence about the impact of surgeon’s volume on operative outcomes with an overall diminishing number of hysterectomies but an increasing number of approaches.

SGS Women's Council Presentation - (Ticketed Event) Live Only
Impact of Texas Legislation on the Physician/Patient Relationship
Sunday, March 27th -  8:30 PM - 10:00 PM CT
Panelists: Eve Espey, MD and Lauren Thaxton, MD

Delivering Family Care in Texas - Lauren Thaxton, MD

Impact on Training Programs/Learners, Patients, Providers Inside and Outside of Texas - Eve Espey, MD.