More than 500 surgeons attended the ACS Leadership & Advocacy Summit, April 9–12, in Washington DC, and nearly 70 of those attendees were Residents and Fellows. This was my first time attending the Summit, and I was truly blown away by the quality of the educational content, the utility of political advocacy, and the plethora of networking opportunities.
The Leadership Summit on April 10 was full of excellent content ranging from conflict management and cultural dexterity to improving emotional intelligence and making the most of professional social media. We were taught the importance of identifying the true conflict and relating to the other party’s point of view prior to developing your strategy for conflict management. Adil H. Haider, MPH, MD, FACS, Center for Surgery and Public Health, recommended everyone visit the Project Implicit website and take an Implicit Association Test as a means to explore the idea of cultural dexterity. The four main pillars of emotional intelligence discussed were well-being, sociability, emotionality and self-control. Deanna Attai, MD, FACS, University of California, Los Angeles and Burbank Breast Care, shared her technique of posting medically relevant Facebook posts throughout the week while having more personal-related posts (gardening and sports) during the weekend, and she appropriately reminded us “Don’t lie. Don’t pry. Don’t cheat. Can’t delete!”
The Advocacy Summit was the big draw for me. I had not previously taken an active role in political advocacy and felt it was time to get informed and involved. April 11 was dedicated to arming Summit attendees with the details of pertinent medical legislation and preparing them for effective communication with legislators. According to a congressional survey, in-person visits with constituents are the most influential way to interact with members of Congress. Key strategies to employ during such meetings include clearly defining the problem at hand while also sharing a pertinent patient story, having one or two key points, and reiterating that you are advocating with the patient’s best interest in mind. On April 12, 217 meetings between surgeon attendees and congressional offices occurred!
While in DC, I was working on a podcast for the Resident and Associate Society Communications Committee, and I reached out to all of the Resident and Fellow attendees for their feedback on the Summit. In addition to meeting many new peers, I was also able to interact with the College leadership including David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, Executive Director of the American College of Surgeons, and Patricia L. Turner, MD, FACS, Director of the Division of Member Services, both of whom were delighted to have so many trainee attendees present.
Networking was a breeze during breaks at the meeting but also at the social events, which included a keynote dinner address by Chris Matthews of MSNBC detailing his predictions for the 2016 election and a beautiful evening on the top floor of The Hay Adams Hotel.
When I asked Dr. Hoyt, what advice he would give to Residents and Fellows who were not able to attend, he said “Come next year!” I myself hope to be back next year as well.
