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Meet the 2022 Honorary Fellow Nominees

Each year the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) recognizes up to six (6) Honorary Fellows. Honorary Fellowship is designed to honor individuals, regardless of specialty, recognizing outstanding achievements and contributions made to fields related to Colon and Rectal Surgery. Nominees for Honorary Fellow should have significantly contributed to peer-reviewed literature and/or introduced, fostered and/or advanced innovation and/or education in the specialty of colorectal surgery; demonstrated significant and/or sustained leadership within their national or regional society; developed and promulgated significant clinical and/or research and/or technological advances in the field of colon and rectal surgery.

The ASCRS Nominating Committee submits the following slate of 2022 Honorary Fellows for election at the Society's Annual Business Meeting.

Professor Susan Clark
  • Adjunct Professor of Surgery Imperial College, London. Consultant Surgeon St. Mark’s Hospital
  • Director of St. Mark’s Hospital Polyposis Registry. Administrative Director of International Society of GI Heredity Tumours.
  • Clinical focus in that area and complex reconstructive surgery
  • Extensive research publications in colon cancer genetics including desmoid tumours, colon cancers and ileoanal pouch.
  • President of Section of Coloproctology, Royal College of Medicine 2020-21
Professor Garcia-Granero
  • Professor of Surgery University of Valencia, Spain. Chair of Digestive and General Surgery
  • President of Spanish Association of Coloproctology (2006- 2007) and Spanish Association of Surgeons (2018-2020)
  • Multiple research trials and publications (approximately 175 publications)
  • Involved in Spanish and European surgical education and certification exams
Professor Peter Sagar
  • Professor of Colorectal Surgery, The University of Leeds; Consultant General and Colorectal Surgeon, St James’s University Hospital, Leeds, England.
  • President Association of Coloproctology of GB & Ireland 2021., member of James IV Association of Surgeons
  • Research interests: locally advanced and recurrent rectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease. management of retrorectal tumours. Chief investigator Laparoscopic emergency colorectal surgery (LaCES 2 study – NIHR grant £1.6million)
  • Over 300 national or international presentations. 200 + papers published in peer reviewed journals and 30 book chapters.
Dr. Francis Seow-Choen
  • Senior Consultant Surgeon, Department of Colorectal Surgery, Singapore General Hospital, 1996-2004
  • Head, Department of Colorectal Surgery, Singapore General Hospital, 1994-2004
  • Medical Director, Seow-Choen Colorectal Centre, 2004-present
  • President, Eurasian Colorectal Technology Association 2008-09, Re-elected 2009-13, President 3rd Biennial Congress of the ECTA Singapore Raffles Convention Centre Nov 6-9 2013, President, Society of Colorectal Surgeons Singapore, 2005-6, President, Asian Federation of Coloproctology, 2004-2005
  • Member of 17 Editorial Boards of surgical journals
  • Ran and published 14 randomized clinical trials
Professor Robert Steele
  • Chair Department of Surgery University of Dundee 2003-2017, Senior Research Professor 2017- present
  • Past President of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland. Member of the James IV Association of Surgeons, named Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2018.
  • PI of QUASAR and MRC CR07/NCIC-CTG C016 trials.
  • 327 publications (H index 80) with focus on colon cancer and screening
  • Advisor to health systems and governments in 8 countries about screening programs.

Meet the 2022-2023 Executive Council Proposed Slate of Officers and Members-at-Large

The ASCRS Nominating Committee submits the following slate of Executive Council Officers and Members-at-Large for election at the Society’s Annual Business Meeting on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. 



President: Conor P. Delaney, MD, PhD
Dr. Delaney is CEO and President for the Cleveland Clinic Florida Region having previously served as Chairman of the Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. He has served on many ASCRS committees, in addition to terms on Council, and as Treasurer. Dr. Delaney also serves on committees for many national and international societies and editorial boards, and was president of the Midwest Surgical Association and the International Society of Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery. He has lectured and published extensively in colorectal surgery, and currently holds the Robert and Suzanne Tomsich Distinguished Chair in Healthcare Innovation.

President-Elect: Matthew G. Mutch, MD
Dr. Matthew Mutch is the current Chief of the Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, MO.  He also serves as the Secretary for ASCRS, is a board member of the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and is an associate editor for Diseases of Colon and Rectum.  He has also served as the Chair of the Committee on Committees and Self-Assessment committees, and was the Program Chair for the 2010 ASCRS Annual Meeting.


Past President: Thomas E. Read, MD
Thomas E. Read, MD serves as the Cracchiolo Family Professor and Chief, Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery at the University of Florida College of Medicine. Dr. Read has served as Chair of several ASCRS committees, including as Program Chair for the 2007 annual meeting, and represented our specialty at the American College of Surgeons, serving as Chair of the Advisory Council and as specialty Governor.  He has also served as President, and Chair of the Examination Committee, of the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery. Dr. Read has an interest in editorial work, having served as Co-Editor of Diseases of the Colon, and currently serves as the colorectal Associate Editor for Annals of Surgery and Editor-in-Chief of Seminars in Colon and Rectal Surgery. Dr. Read has been fortunate to participate in the training of many outstanding physicians and is grateful to have been the recipient of 20 awards for teaching, education and mentorship.

Vice President: Sonia Ramamoorthy, MD
Dr. Sonia Ramamoorthy is the Chief of the Division of Colorectal Surgery at UC San Diego Health System. She served as Member-at-Large on the ASCRS Executive Council from 2016-2019 and as ASCRS/Research Foundation Treasurer from 2020-2021. She is the founding director of the ASCRS Leadership and Professional Development Program and has served on several ASCRS committees including New Technology where she was Chair from 2013-2016 and as Assistant Program Chair of the Tripartite meeting in 2017. Dr. Ramamoorthy is currently completing her MBA at the Radys School of Management at UCSD.  

Secretary: Najjia N. Mahmoud, MD
Dr. Najjia Mahmoud is Chief of the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. She is immediate past President of the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery and is a current Member-at-Large of the Executive Council of ASCRS.  She has served as Chair of Continuing Certification at the ABCRS and has been involved in numerous committees at ASCRS. She has also served on the Board of Trustees of the Research Foundation and as Vice-Chair of the 2008 Annual Tripartite Meeting.   


Treasurer: Kirsten B. Wilkins, MD
Dr. Wilkins completed her colon and rectal residency at Robert Wood Johnson in New Jersey in 2003. Since that time, she has been honored to train the colorectal residents of that same program. She currently serves as the Assistant Program director and is head of resident research. Besides running a very busy clinical practice and training the fellows, she has been very active in the New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania Societies of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. She is Past- President for both the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Societies.  She has served on many committees of the American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons. She was the Program Chair for the ASCRS Annual Meeting in Los Angeles in 2016. She is currently the Chair of the Self-Assessment Committee, Vice-Chair of the Leadership Task Force and former Chair of the Committee on Committees.

President, Research Foundation of the ASCRS: Elizabeth C.Wick, MD
Dr. Wick is a professor of surgery, Vice Chair of Quality and Safety in the Department of Surgery, and Co-chair of the Department's Research Committee. Dr. Wick is an experienced laparoscopic surgeon and treats the entire spectrum of colorectal conditions including diverticular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, colon and rectal cancer, anal cancer, and perianal disease with a patient-­centered approach. Dr. Wick is a recognized national leader in research to reduce surgical site infections and formulating strategies for improving perioperative care. She has published more than 75 articles in this area and is frequently invited to speak and share her expertise with other hospitals. Most recently, she led an AHRQ-funded national collaborative to improve surgical safety and reduce surgical site infections in 250 hospitals across the US and abroad. 



Members-at-Large
2020-2023
Liliana Bordeianou MD, MPH is the Chief of the Colorectal Surgery and the Pelvic Floor Disorders Centers at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Co-Chair of the Mass General Brigham HealthCare Colorectal Surgery Collaborative. Dr. Bordeianou served on and led as vice chair or chair, several ASCRS committees. Most recently, Dr. Bordeianou serves as the founding chair of the ASCRS Steering Committee on Pelvic Floor Disorders and the Chair of the Pelvic Floor Disorders Consortium. She is also a member of the editorial board for the Diseases of Colon and Rectum and an examiner for the American Board of Colorectal Surgery.

Craig A. Reickert, MD, MBA serves as the Division Head of Colon and Rectal Surgery and Vice-Chair of Clinical Operations in the Department of Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI. He has previously served on multiple ASCRS and ACS committees and is currently the Vice-Chair of the Continuing Education Committee.



Elizabeth C. Wick, MD is a professor of surgery at the University of California, San Francisco where she also serves as Vice Chair for Quality and Safety in the Department of Surgery. She combines clinical work with research in perioperative quality and safety and has been continuously funded by the NIH and AHRQ since 2010. Liza is currently leading a national collaborative aimed at accelerating adoption of enhanced recovery principles, AHRQ Safety Program for Improving Surgical Care and Recovery.



2021-2024
Debra H. Ford, MD is Associate Professor of Surgery, Head of the Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery and the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, DC.  In addition, she is the founding medical director of the Howard University Health Sciences Simulation and Clinical Skills Center (ACS AEI). She currently serves on the ASCRS Membership Committee and has previously been a member of the following ASCRS Committees: Awards, Program, Young Surgeons, Resident, and Self-Assessment.

Jonathan A. Laryea, MD serves as Chief of the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery and Professor of Surgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.  He is also the Medical Director of the Cancer Service Line at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. He is the Vice Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee of ASCRS. He previously served on the Young Surgeons Committee, Fundamentals of Rectal Cancer Committee, CARSEP Committee, Program Committee and the Diversity Taskforce.

Scott R. Steele, MD, MBA serves as the Chair of Department of Colorectal Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH. He is the President-elect of the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery and serves as a Co-Editor for Diseases of the Colon & Rectum. He has previously served on multiple ASCRS committees and been the Vice-Chair or Chair of four, as well as serving as the Vice-Chair of the 2017 Annual Meeting. 



2022-2025
Glenn Thomas Ault, MD, MSEd serves as the Physician Director of Graduate Medical Education and the Designated Institutional Official at Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California. He is a Professor of Surgery, the Past-President of the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery and currently serves as Chair of the CRS Review Committee at the ACGME. He previously was a program director for the CRS residency at USC for over 10 years.  He currently serves on the Continuing Education Committee of the ASCRS and has previously been a member of the following ASCRS committees: Operative Competency Evaluation, Regional Society, and Residents.

Jennifer S. Davids, MD is an Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Massachusetts, where she serves as the Program Director of the Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship.  Dr. Davids is on the editorial board of Diseases of the Colon and Rectum and is an Associate Examiner for the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. In the ASCRS, she has served as Chair of the Young Surgeons Committee, Vice-Chair of the Social Media Committee, and as a member of the Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee, Industry Relations Committee, and numerous task forces.


Dr. Alessandro Fichera is the Division Chief of Colorectal Surgery and the Surgery Safety and Quality Officer at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. He serves as Section Editor for Diseases of the Colon & Rectum. He is the current chair of the ASCRS Video Based Education Committee, member of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Committee and he has previously been a member of the following ASCRS Committees: Awards, Program, Young Researchers, Regional Society, Residents, Membership, International, Research Foundation, and Fundamental of Rectal Cancer Surgery.




Nominations for the Members-at-Large, President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be made by the Nominating Committee in accordance with the procedure set forth in Article X, Section 1(B) of the Bylaws.

Read the 2021 ASCRS Business Meeting Minutes ahead of this year's meeting on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. 

Other Nominations

View the 2022 nominees for ASCRS Fellow and International Fellow, as well as the 2022 Honorary Fellow nominees.

American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Launch Educational Portal on Digital Platform

ASCRS U supports lifelong learning for colorectal surgeons with point-of need guidance, self-assessment education, and community-based mentorship

The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) announces the launch of ASCRS U – a premier educational resource available for colorectal surgeons and trainees. 

Prior to the creation of ASCRS U, learning materials for colorectal surgeons were scattered across different locations, lacking organization, and not personalized. For surgeons with limited and highly valuable time, it was a challenge to stay up to date and maintain professional certification efficiently.

With ASCRS U, surgeons now have a single-entry portal to a wide variety of premier educational resources including references, guidelines, journals, courses, self-assessment banks, and video instruction. Powered by the flexible Unbound Platform, ASCRS U transforms the traditional learning management system into a sophisticated educational experience where surgeons can choose various educational modalities and absorb their contents at their own pace and on their device of choice.

The outcome of this partnership – utilizing Unbound Medicine’s expertise in solving knowledge problems and ASCRS expert colorectal surgery information – is a web and mobile app portal that provides four major educational pillars required for lifelong learning. These include resources to answer questions at the point-of-need, tools to stay up-to-date with the latest research, courses to maintain professional certification, and mentorship to learn from fellow surgeons.

"ASCRS leadership, member surgeons, and trainees needed a way to easily access and utilize a diverse set of specialty surgical knowledge anytime, anywhere," said Tom Read, MD, President of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. "ASCRS U is our vision for that educational future and because of its importance it will be provided as a benefit for all ASCRS members.”

“The vision we share with ASCRS is to change the way specialty surgery trainees master their field and experienced surgeons stay up-to-date in a rapidly changing environment," says Bill Detmer, MD, CEO of Unbound Medicine. "We are excited to disseminate the work of ASCRS surgeons who do a remarkable job as educators and providers of advanced specialty surgical care."

For more information Contact Unbound Medicine or visit ascrsu.com.

About ASCRS U
ASCRS U provides foundational colorectal knowledge with the continuously updated ASCRS
Textbook of Colon and Rectal Surgery, clinical practice guidelines, consensus statements, and
journal articles. Online courses such as Fundamentals of Rectal Cancer Surgery are provided
with associated CME credits. Self-assessment questions and answers are provided in both the
ASCRS Question Bank and the Colon and Rectal Surgery Educational Program (CARSEP XI).
Long-form learning is provided in the ASCRS Webinars and the Video Mentorship Series
provides intraoperative video-based coaching sessions, with the goal of sharing operative
techniques and improving procedural confidence. Via the Unbound Platform all these resources
are searchable, interlinked, personalizable and available both online and via downloadable
mobile apps.

About Unbound Medicine
Unbound Medicine builds digital products that answer clinical questions at the point of need.
With expertise in medical informatics, health technology, and medical publishing, our team has
delivered innovative mobile and web solutions to medical associations, health care institutions
and individual clinicians for more than 20 years. Additional information is available at
www.unboundmedicine.com.

Seven Societies Vote No on ANSI/AAMI Revisions on Endoscopic Processing

Changes to ST91 for Flexible and Semi-Rigid Endoscopes Create Obstacles to Implement Standards and Offer Impractical, Inappropriate or Conflicting Guidance
 
AASLD, ACG, AGA, ASCRS, ASGE, SAGES and SGNA are committed to initiatives focused on eliminating healthcare-associated infections through improved education about evidence-based practices. While our societies appreciated the opportunity to engage in the discussion around the 2021 revision of ST91 Flexible and semi-rigid endoscope processing in health care facilities, the joint GI societies remain concerned and do not support some of the finalized revisions to the standards and therefore voted negative on vote for approval.
 
Each of our societies has endorsed the Multisociety guideline on reprocessing flexible GI endoscopes and accessories, which provides evidence-based recommendations for the reprocessing of flexible GI endoscopes based on rigorous review and synthesis of the contemporary literature and application of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework, included significant input from the endorsing organizations, and achieved consensus through redistribution. The process of revising ST91 and the final output varied significantly from the standards for guideline development expected by our societies, which led to our casting and maintaining negative votes on the final revised version of ST91 Flexible and semi-rigid endoscope processing in health care facilities.
 
While the GI community awaits the availability of widespread, cost-effective alternative endoscopes and novel reprocessing technologies, it is critical for our patients that the focus of the national dialogue continues for the more salient issues of training, oversight and enhancement of cleaning practices and technologies.
 
Fundamentally, our societies remain concerned about the inability for healthcare teams to implement and operationalize this ST91 standard at the practice level due to its length, construction, internal redundancies, disparate definitions, and, at times, conflicting recommendations.
 
The full joint statement has been published online via Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
 
Represented Organizations AASLD, ACG, AGA, ASCRS, ASGE, SAGES and SGNA are committed to initiatives focused on eliminating healthcare-associated infections through improved education about evidence-based practices. The process of revising ST91 and the final output varied significantly from the standards for guideline development expected by our societies, which led to casting and maintaining negative votes on the final revised version of ST91 Flexible and semi-rigid endoscope processing in health care facilities. Fundamentally, our societies remain concerned about the inability for healthcare teams to implement and operationalize this ST91 standard at the practice level due to its length, construction, internal redundancies, disparate definitions, and, at times, conflicting recommendations.

ASCRS Annual Scientific Meeting COVID Statement from President Thomas E. Read, MD

Dear Friends and Colleagues,
 
The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) looks forward to welcoming everyone to the ASCRS 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting (Meeting) scheduled to be held in person from April 30 – May 4, 2022 in Tampa, Florida.
 
We wish to share our rationale for proceeding with the Meeting in person, and to address our current safety practices for the Meeting.
 
Rationale for In-Person Meeting
 
The decision to proceed with the Meeting in person was made only after carefully considering our attendees’ familiarity with the realities of COVID, the widespread availability of high-quality face coverings and vaccines, the interests of our members and our organization, and the emerging science regarding COVID. We also considered, and are encouraged by, other large societies’ in-person meetings over the last 2 years proceeding without significant outbreaks. We are confident we can also host a successful meeting and start to reestablish the social connections that make ASCRS a treasured society.
 
Safety Practices
 
ASCRS is adopting certain practices consistent with Florida law regarding COVID screening procedures designed to minimize the risk of an outbreak at the Meeting. Because public health guidelines and restrictions may change prior to the Meeting, our safety practices may likewise change.
  • Vaccination and Testing
    • We strongly recommend everyone attending the Meeting be fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID. Vaccination is our best defense against serious COVID related illness.
    • Regardless of vaccination status, all attendees are strongly encouraged to take a COVID test prior to attending the Meeting. ASCRS will provide a comprehensive list of facilities offering rapid antigen and PCR testing near the Meeting.
    • Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 prior to the Meeting must not attend. In addition, anyone who develops symptoms of COVID during the Meeting must leave the Meeting and avoid returning unless they obtain a negative test result.
  • Convention Center and Hotels
    • We encourage universal use of N95, KN95 and surgical masks while attending the Meeting, including all social events. ASCRS will provide KN95 masks at the Registration desk on-site at the Tampa Convention Center.
    • Seating capacity will be reduced in conference rooms to ensure social distancing. Attendees are encouraged to leave space between seats in meeting rooms.
    • Hand sanitization stations will be placed throughout the Meeting’s venues.
 
Unforeseen Events and Registration Reimbursement
  • We will refund the registration fees paid to ASCRS without penalty should registrants choose not to attend the in-person Meeting. As such, there is no need to delay registering for the Meeting!
  • Should you wish to cancel your registration, we ask that you notify ASCRS for a full refund.
  • It will be your responsibility to cancel all travel arrangements including hotel and airline reservations. ASCRS is not responsible for refund of costs associated with travel.
 
We appreciate your attention to the foregoing practices designed to help us all enjoy a safe and successful meeting.
 
We are excited about the amazing scientific content at the Meeting, and even more excited to reconnect with friends and colleagues in person.
 
If you have any questions, please contact ASCRS Customer Service at (847) 607-6410 or via email at: [email protected]
 
Sincerely,
 
Thomas E. Read, MD, FACS, FASCRS
ASCRS President 2021-2022
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