Highlights from the 2023 Surgical Simulation Summit
The 16th Annual Meeting of the American College of Surgeons Accredited Education Institutes Consortium was held in-person for the first time since 2020. More than 200 individuals participated in a variety of interactive sessions about the latest advances in simulation-based surgical education during the three-day event in Chicago from March 3-5, 2023.
In spring 2022, Program Chair Alexander Perez, MD, FACS, outlined with AEI leadership and staff his rationale for a meeting that promoted interprofessional education and training within the surgical team. Dr. Perez was also interested in advancing the wellness of the surgical team and developed a new abstract category called Team Wellness, which addressed this topic with simulation-based education of non-technical skills (professionalism, teamwork, communication, stress management, empathy, resilience, etc.) and impact measurement.
Keynote Address and Special Panel
This year’s Summit kicked off on Thursday with the Annual update on the ACS-AEI Consortium, followed by an inspirational Keynote Address, “Delivering on the Promise of Simulation-based Surgical Education: On the Edge of a Dream” by Richard K. Reznick, MD, FRCSC, FACS, FRCSEd (Hon), FRCSI (Hon), FRCS (Hon), Professor of Surgery and Dean Emeritus, Queen's University, and Immediate Past President, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
A special panel complemented the Keynote Address by exploring the current state of scholarship in the field of simulation-based surgical education. Three panelists, Carla M. Pugh, MD, PhD, FACS, MAMSE, David A. Rogers, MD, MHPE, FACS, FAAP, and Dimitrios Stefanidis, MD, PhD, FACS, shared their expertise and unique perspectives.
Original Works Papers Session
This session, moderated by Tamara L. Owens, PhD, MEd, CHSE, consisted of five cutting-edge scientific podium presentations from original research not previously published or presented.
Interprofessional Education Papers Session
This session of podium presentations, moderated by Susan Carter, MD, FACOG, FACS, had abstracts representing collaborative research studies or solutions implemented to address a particular challenge or need.
Innovations in Simulation-Based Education Session
This session had innovators presenting preliminary research using simulators, curricula, and technology in a forum modeled after the popular show “Shark Tank.”
Best In Show Award
Congratulations to Daniel S. Oh, MD, FACS, the 2023 recipient of the Best in Show Award for his presentation, “Comparison of GEARS with Objective Performance Indicators for Assessment of Skill During Robotic-Assisted Thoracic Surgery.”
Poster Rounds Session
This moderated and popular session was featured again to offer attendees a more interactive experience with researchers.
Congratulations to our Poster of Distinction Recipients:
- Use of Simulation for a Combined Residents as Educators and Mistreatment Workshop for General Surgery Residents.
Rachel M. Jensen, MD, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- The Impact of Implementation of a Robotic Surgery Curriculum and Gamification on Robotic Simulator Usage in a General Surgery Residency.
Nicole Brooks, MD, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
- Comparing Different Quantitative Approaches to Establish Virtual Reality Simulation Benchmarks for a New Surgical Robot.
Mark Brentnall, MS, Surgical Science North America, Seattle, WA
AEI Fellows Session
Since its inception in 2012, the Fellowship Program of the ACS-AEI Consortium has grown to twenty accredited programs with ninety-two graduated fellows. This session featured presentations from Fellows describing their in-progress work and ongoing projects.
Team R.E.S.P.E.C.T – Management, Operations, Research and Education “MORE” Session
The interprofessional members of the Administrative and Management Committee shared lessons learned and best practices related to team building in this timely session. Concepts of Team Respect were explored, including team roles, engagement, satisfaction, professional development, equity, communication, and teamwork.
ACS-ASA Collaborative Session
The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) teamed up again to examine how simulation can be used to address quality improvement. The session featured a special Keynote Address by Amy Lu, MD, MPH, Chief Quality Officer for UCSF Health, followed by a Reactor Panel with May Pian-Smith, MD, MS, and Douglas P. Slakey, MD, MPH, FACS, MAMSE. Breakout exercises tasked participants with defining opportunities for the ACS-AEI Consortium and the ASA Simulation Education Network to collaborate in improving patient care.
