In today’s Herand Abcarian Lecture, “We Have Come a Long Way…Where Do We Go from Here?” (8:00 am, in Room 153 Upper Mezzanine South), Ann C. Lowry, MD, FACS, will take attendees on a journey through time, offering personal and professional perspectives on the past, present, and future of surgery.
Dr. Lowry, a colorectal surgeon who has witnessed several decades of evolution in the field, plans to begin by describing a “generation of surgeons” that spans her 40-year career, starting from her training years to retirement. “Surgery in the early 1980s looked very different from what we see today,” she said.
In those years, enhanced technology and surgical tools, advancements in minimally invasive surgery, improved surgical training and education, and greater emphasis on patient safety and quality outcomes have drastically reshaped the landscape. But as Dr. Lowry will explain, some of the most profound changes have occurred not in the operating room, but in the structure of the surgical workforce and in how future surgeons are trained.
She will reflect on the rigors of her own training—long hours, minimal support, and a steep learning curve. The landscape is changing, however, with more focus on work-life balance. The current model, though much improved, still needs to adapt further, be more “welcoming to all,” and strike a better balance between fostering resilience and ensuring that trainees don’t burn out, according to Dr. Lowry.
Data will underscore much of her argument. Dr. Lowry will present statistics that show a looming shortage of surgeons, driven by an aging surgeon workforce, increased demand for surgical care, geographic disparities, and burnout and work-life balance concerns. She sees the imminent surgeon shortage as a key issue to address going forward, both in terms of workforce structure and training. The surgical field needs to find ways to attract and retain talent, and education programs must become more adaptable to meet the needs of the changing healthcare landscape.
Dr. Lowry hopes to inspire the next generation of surgeons and surgical educators to actively mold training and educational environments to better fit the demands of the future. As the audience contemplates the future of surgery, one message will be clear: the journey is far from over, and the responsibility to shape it lies with them.
This lecture, established in 2006 to honor the outstanding contributions of colon and rectal surgeon Herand Abcarian, MD, FACS, FASCRS, will be available for on-demand viewing shortly after the live presentation.
