The American College of Surgeons invites you to attend its 34th Annual Spring Meeting, which will be held April 23–26, 2006, at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, TX.

Objective

To emphasize its strong support of general surgery, the American College of Surgeons devotes its annual Spring Meeting to the interests and needs of the practicing general surgeon. The objective of this meeting is to provide three days of comprehensive learning on the latest clinical and practice management topics vital to providing optimal surgical care. At the conclusion of the Spring Meeting, participants will possess an enhanced understanding of the multiple facets of surgical care that can be used both to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the care of the surgical patient.

Program Highlights

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) will cosponsor joint sessions entitled the "ACS/SAGES 2006 Assembly: Inflammatory Bowel Disease" and "The Changing Face of Surgical Education: What Does It Mean to Surgeons in Practice?" on Wednesday, April 26. ACS and SAGES are holding their respective meetings in a back-to-back format at the same location. Responding to the needs of general surgeons, this format provides an opportunity for participants to attend two exceptional surgical meetings and view more diverse commercial exhibits cost-effectively within one trip. The ACS Spring Meeting convenes April 23–26, and the SAGES meeting dates are April 26–29. Participants can register for each meeting at each organization's respective Web site.

The Advisory Council for General Surgery has planned a program for the Spring Meeting that will be of interest to all general surgeons and residents. Beginning on Sunday, April 23, special programs for residents will be held. ACS Resident Members will present hypothesis-testing research at Clinical Abstract Presentations by Residents and unusual cases at Spectacular Cases from Residents. At Surgical Jeopardy, teams of surgical residents from across the country will compete with one another to test their surgical knowledge.

On Monday, April 24, 2006, ACS will present the Excelsior Surgical Society/Edward D. Churchill Lecture, featuring Jay L. Grosfeld, MD, FACS, and ACS Highlights from the 2005 Clinical Congress Video-Education Sessions in San Francisco, CA.

Sunday–Wednesday, April 23–26, general session highlights include: Current Evaluation of the Acute Abdomen; Management of the Geriatric Surgical Patient; Pay for Performance: What You Should Know; Using Best Evidence to Improve the Outcomes of Your General Surgery Patients; Upgrading Your General Surgery Practice; and Introduction of the ACS Web Portal for the Practicing General Surgeon.

For the first time, coffee service will be available to attendees at various times throughout the meeting. The meeting will be held at the Hilton Anatole located 20 minutes from the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. In addition to being a premier meeting facility, the hotel features tennis courts, an 80,000-square-foot spa and fitness center, boutiques, a private seven-acre park with jogging track, and several dining options.