From the Chair, Board of Regents

Come to the 2004 Clinical Congress

Dear Colleague,

On behalf of the entire College, I would like to extend our warmest invitation to you to join us in New Orleans, October 10–14, 2004, for the 90th Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.

The program for this year has been developed in keeping with the College's 90-year tradition of providing excellence in educational offerings across a broad range of topics, from the core foundations of surgical practice to leading-edge innovation. The Program Committee has exerted an outstanding effort in designing an extensive array of sessions to meet the needs of general surgeons, surgeons in the specialties, and surgeons in training. An extraordinary group of clinicians, academicians, surgeon scientists, and experts in relevant fields has been assembled to create an exceptional learning opportunity.

Virtually every area of contemporary surgical practice will be addressed, including critical topics such as the acute abdomen, early breast cancer, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, soft tissue sarcoma, and perioperative pain. Innovative and leading-edge topics are also included, such as gene silencing, robotics, assessment of surgical innovation, findings of recent clinical research, and the role of surgeons in mass casualty events. In addition, sessions will be offered on competency-related issues such as practice-based learning and improvement, patient safety and teamwork, evidence-based surgery, management of the nonoperative aspects of the operating room, ethics and professionalism, economic morbidity and mortality conferences, and optimizing the learning environment for surgical training.

Choose from a myriad of postgraduate courses, including skills-oriented courses on topics such as ultrasound, stereotactic breast biopsy, bariatric surgery, computers, and personal digital assistants. Didactic postgraduate courses provide the opportunity for in-depth exposure to numerous clinical topics as well as issues in reimbursement and coding, review courses, and SESAP 12. Specialty sessions, multidisciplinary sessions, video-based educational sessions, and presentations of research being done by young investigators provide additional breadth and variety. Scientific and technical exhibits will also be offered.

During the past 90 years, the Clinical Congress has been a premier educational event for surgeons from across the continent. This year, the tradition continues in its finest form. Don't miss it!

With best wishes,

Edward M. Copeland III, MD, FACS
Chair, Board of Regents