SAN DIEGO: Honorary Fellowship in the American College of Surgeons (ACS) was awarded to 12 prominent surgeons from around the world last night during the Convocation ceremony, which preceded the opening of the ACS Clinical Congress 2022. The Clinical Congress is one of the largest educational meetings of surgeons in the world.
Conferral of Honorary Fellowship in the ACS began in 1913 upon the founding of the College. Individuals selected for Honorary Fellowship generally practice outside of the United States, possess an international reputation in the field of surgery or medicine, and have provided distinguished humanitarian service in the field of medical science.
This year’s recipients are:
Prof. Mohammad Al-Qattan, professor of surgery and consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon at King Saud University; and a consultant to National Guard Hospital, King Faisal Hospital, and Research Center and National Care Industrial Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Ines Buccimazza, MBChB, FCS(SA), FACS, senior specialist in the department of surgery at the Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal; head of the clinical unit of breast and endocrine surgery at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital; and president of the Association of Surgeons in South Africa, Durban, South Africa
Prof. Reinhold Ganz, internationally recognized innovator and pioneer in hip preservation surgery; member in the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences; and chair emeritus at the University of Bern, Gümligen, Switzerland
Prof. Marco Montorsi, professor of surgery and rector of Humanitas University; appointed to Italy’s National Observatory for Medical Residency Training; member of the Superior Council for Health; head of the general surgery unit; and director of the department of general surgery at Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
Graham L. Newstead, MBBS, FACS, FRACS, FRCS, retired colon and rectal surgeon commonly credited with involvement in launching colon and rectal surgery as a specialty in Australia; and adjunct associate professor of surgery at the University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia
Fernando Rodriguez Montalvo, MD, PhD, FACS, retired general surgeon who dedicated much of his work to trauma surgery in Venezuela; and member of the Venezuelan Surgical Society, Venezuelan Oncological Society, Pan American Trauma Society, and International Hepato Pancreato Biliary Association, Caracas, Venezuela
Prof. Paulina Salminen, professor of surgery at the University of Turku; chief of surgery at Turku University Hospital; president of the Finnish Bariatric Surgery Society; member of the executive board for the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders; and editor-in-chief of the Scandinavian Journal of Surgery, Turku, Finland
Samuel Shuchleib Chaba, MD, FACS, general and endoscopic surgeon at the American British Cowdray Medical Center; and credited with introducing and promoting laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgery in Mexico and throughout in Mexico City, Mexico City, Mexico
Antonio Jose Torres, MD, PhD, FACS, chief of the department of surgery at University Hospital San Carlos; professor of surgery at the Complutense University of Madrid; principal investigator and board of trustees member of the International Federation for Obesity Surgery, Madrid, Spain
Petr Tsarkov, PhD, FASCRS (Hon), pioneer in extended lymph node dissection for colorectal cancer in Russia, as well as in extensive surgery for locally advanced and recurrent rectal cancer; director of the clinic of colorectal and minimally invasive surgery; and chair of the educative department of surgery at the Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
Laura G. Viani, BA, BCh, BAO, DMMD, MSc, FRCSI, president of the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI) in Ireland; consultant otolaryngologist and neuro-otologist to Beaumont Hospital and Temple Street University Children’s Hospital; RCSI Council Member and honorary associate professor; and honorary adjunct professor in the School of Medicine Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Peter-John Wormald, MD, FAHMS, FRACS, FCS(SA), FRCS(Ed), MBChB, professor and chairman of the department of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at the University of Adelaide based at the Queen Elizabeth & Royal Adelaide Hospitals in Australia; and fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, North Adelaide, Australia
Another highlight during the Convocation was the awarding of Fellowship in the ACS to surgeons from around the world. Fellowship is awarded to surgeons whose education and training, professional qualifications, surgical competence, and ethical conduct have passed a rigorous evaluation and have been found to be consistent with the high standards established and demanded by the College. During this year's ceremony, 2,355 surgeons from around the world were installed as Fellows of the American College of Surgeons (FACS): 1,496 are from the U.S. and Canada; 859 are from 75 countries from around the world; and 649 are female surgeons.
Sir Rickman Godlee, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, was conferred as the first ACS Honorary Fellow during the College's first Convocation in 1913. Since then, 503 internationally prominent surgeons, including the 12 chosen this year, have been named Honorary Fellows of the American College of Surgeons.
Editor’s Note: A photo and additional information on each of this year’s Honorary Fellows are available on request from the ACS Office of Public Information: pressinquiry@facs.org.
