Dr. Robert E. Berry, MD, FACS

Dr. and Mrs. Robert E. Berry

In 1971, Roanoke Memorial Hospital (now Carilion RMH) in Roanoke, Virginia invited me to become Director of Surgical Education for a new surgical residency program, a position that also carried an appointment as assistant professor of surgery on the University of Virginia’s surgical faculty.  The Chairman of Surgery at UVA at that time was William H. Muller Jr., MD, FACS, who became President of the College in 1979, and with whom it was a pleasure and honor to be associated.  Soon after my arrival in Virginia, Dr. Muller reactivated the Virginia Chapter of the College, and I was privileged to attend that meeting.  R. Scott Jones, MD, FACS, my next distinguished and respected chief, succeeded Dr. Muller at Virginia as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery, and subsequently became President of the College in 2001.   At the meetings of the Chapter and the Clinical Congress, I learned more about surgical education and the functions of the residency program director, and also enriched my clinical knowledge and acumen through the educational courses and symposia I attended. 

At the Chapter meetings, I was privileged to serve in many capacities that led to my election as Governor-at-Large from Virginia to the Board of Governors in 1992.  Mr. Jack Lynch, then Director of the ACS Organization Department, asked me to serve on the Committee for Development that had only recently been formed.  The committee meetings educated the members about the College development program that funds the fellowship and scholarship program of the College, a program that benefits and improves the lives of young surgeons, faculty, and residents alike; similarly, the program benefits unknown numbers of patients as a result of the work of these young surgeons. 

Margy’s and my education in undergraduate college and my attendance in medical school were provided by scholarships.  The philanthropy of people whom we will never know afforded the education that allowed me to become a part of the noblest profession.  We received scholarships and wanted to return that privilege to others.  To us this is truly "giving back" a token of what we received.  Our experience in working with the Committee on Development convinced us that the American College of Surgeons is a good steward of funds, investing them wisely, choosing qualified and worthy recipients, and maintaining the lowest possible administrative costs.  The future of the surgical profession depends significantly upon the training of qualified surgical clinicians, educators, and researchers.

My records show that I have attended every Virginia Chapter meeting and Clinical Congress since at least 1974. The meetings have been a significant source of clinical information that was utilized in my surgical practice.  The College held the meeting Seminar- Residency Review Committee for Surgery in 1974.  This seminar and other symposia that followed were convened for program directors in surgery to familiarize them with the activities and actions of organizations, such as the (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), Residency Review Committee (RRC), and the American Board of Surgery (ABS), that influenced, supervised, and accredited the residency training programs.  The American College of Surgeons has been involved since its inception with all aspects of surgical education and the problems associated with training surgeons.  From these early meetings and the interest and action of College leaders like C. Rollins Hanlon, MD, FACS, and Dominic A. DeLaurentis, MD, FACS, the Association of Program Directors in Surgery was initiated.  There is no way for me to relate fully in a few words the inestimable value the meetings of the College have been in my career as a surgical program director.  Suffice it to say that without the knowledge gained through the College, I would likely have experienced little success as a program director.  An additional benefit was the camaraderie demonstrated by the Fellows.  Within the various meetings of the Clinical Congress and Chapter, committee meetings as well as symposia, panel discussions, and lectures, the camaraderie of the Fellows is always apparent.  Nationally and internationally known surgeons, academic celebrities, and College leaders associate with any and all of the Fellows with whom they come in contact.  At the College, interaction of Fellows is apparent, regardless of background, status, or nationality. 

The eyes and mind of the surgeon observe and evaluate while the hands of the surgeon feel and minister to the afflictions and distresses of the patient.  The surgeon is a giving person, returning to patients and the community that which has been given through beneficence, education, and experience.  There is no discipline of the medical profession, indeed no profession that has given more to the individual surgeon.  We, the surgeons, are the recipients of the generosity of those individuals and families who invested in our education, of those educators and surgical innovators who shared their knowledge and discoveries with us, and those patients who allowed us to invade their bodies in the hopes of curing or resolving their maladies.  The debt that we have accumulated can never be fully repaid, but each of us in some small way can offer, can give back, and can add to the legacy that created surgery.  By becoming a part of the philanthropic efforts of the American College of Surgeons, we can invest in the future of surgery, the future of surgical education, and the future of young surgeons or those who aspire to be surgeons; and yes, ultimately to excellent patient care.