WASHINGTON STATE CHAPTER

AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS

ABOUT US

MEETINGS

Officers

Bylaws

ABOUT US

NEW OFFICERS 2022-2023:

Please help us welcome the following new officers:

Allison Porter, MD (President) Mt. Vernon
Giana Davidson, MD (President-Elect) Seattle
Anjali Kumar, MD (Secretary-Treasurer) Spokane
Eduardo Smith-Singares, MD (Councilor) Richland
Lara Oyetunji, MD (Councilor) Seattle
Kristen Ohe, MD (RAS Representative) Seattle
Kristen Kolberg, MD (RAS Representative) Seattle

Mission Statement

“The Washington State Chapter, ACS seeks to engage Washington State surgeons in the activities of the American College of Surgeons.”

History

In 1913, the American College of Surgeons was founded, two years after the Seattle Surgical Society. In 1951, the Washington Chapter of the American College of Surgeons was established. Dr. Joel Baker was the first Chapter President. Subsequently, Dr. Baker became President of the American College of Surgeons (1970). Dr. Herbert Coe, Governor at the time of the founding of the Washington Chapter, was awarded the Distinguished Service Award of the American College of Surgeons in 1967.

Dr. Henry N. Harkins, first Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery, University of Washington, was a very active member of the Washington Chapter. Dr. Harkins' special interest was postgraduate education for the Surgical Resident Fellow, as well as members of the practicing community. He encouraged doctors in training to present scientific papers at the Annual Chapter Meeting. Now a full scientific session is devoted to presentation by residents and fellows. A special award for the outstanding paper has been established in Dr. Harkins' honor. The Annual Meeting is held in mid-June at various resorts throughout the Northwest.

The objectives of the Washington Chapter are as follows:

To foster a close fellowship among surgeons in the area through a common interest in the Chapter and in the activities of the College.
To provide for surgeons in all the various surgical specialties a common meeting ground where each may learn from the others.
To strive to obtain the highest standards of patient care in their communities.
To provide opportunities to further the education of Fellows, members of the Candidate Group, hospital house staffs and all practicing physicians in the area.
To devote particular attention to the younger surgeons by providing a forum for discussion of their professional and ethical problems and to orient them toward Fellowship in the College.
To cooperate with local trauma committees of the College by fostering programs concerned with traffic safety, emergency care of the injured and civil defense and by working with other citizens groups interested in these fields.
To give local support to College programs in control of cancer and to cancer clinics.
To maintain close working relationships with the local Governors of the College. The local Governors should be ex-officio members of the Council of each Chapter. - To cooperate with local medical societies and with worthy civic movements concerned with the health of the citizens. Membership in the Washington Chapter is open to all Fellows of the College residing in the area.

Dear WA ACS Membership,

Undoubtedly all of us are aware of the significant concerns the COVID19 pandemic is causing in our state and around the world. As we cope with how best to prepare and respond to uncertain times ahead I wanted to remind all of you that the ACS and the state chapter stand ready to support its surgeons and their institutions, in any way possible. By now you have all likely seen the recommendations from the Surgeon General, ACS and NIH recommending suspending elective surgical procedures. I understand how challenging this can be for a practice and institution to consider, particularly if few cases have been reported in your local area. However, prevention is the only measure of defense we have at this time. Consider the potential impact if a single unknowingly infected patient passes through your OR and the risks of this scenario.

Link below for your reference is a rather detailed paper describing the precautions and practices adopted in one large hospital in Singapore while dealing with the pandemic. I am sure your institution has knowledgeable professionals at work on infection control, but the OR is often an area of less focus for infectious control practices. Please let us know if there is any way we can support you in these challenging times.

Link to article -- Click here

Respectfully,

Matthew Eckert MD FACS

WA-ACS President

Message from the President

April 14, 2020

Dear Washington ACS Chapter Members,

I hope that this message finds all of you healthy and doing as well as possible during these unprecedented times. While our state appears to be beyond the predicted COVID-19 peak, we all know things can change and the process of moving forward remains uncertain and with heightened risk for healthcare providers. So, please be safe while continuing the important work you do.

The Oregon and Washington Councils have made the official decision to cancel the June 2020 WA/OR Meeting at Sun River. The OR Council is currently working with Sun River and its membership to decide whether to hold a late August/September meeting or cancel the 2020 meeting altogether. Sue and I will forward information as soon as it is available. If any members have opinions or suggestions regarding the scheduling please feel free to respond to Sue or myself and we can relay those comments to Dr. Kiraly and the Oregon Council.

If you have already made Sun River reservations for June, please call Sun River resort to process your refunds. If you have already registered for the meeting, the OR Chapter will forward your registration fees to the delayed meeting, or if you cannot/choose not to attend, will refund your registration. Please contact Mr. Harvey Gail (OR administrator), harvey@prsalem.com.

Pending the OR Council decision we will announce plans for handling WA abstracts for this year. Options include presentation at a later meeting, presentation in an alternative venue or possibly virtually. The WA cancer abstracts that are eligible for the CoC Competition will be reviewed and authors notified of their selection for the national competition.

Warmest regards,

Matthew Eckert MD FACS
President, WA State Chapter ACS

MEMBERS