Southern Thoracic Surgical Association Research Articles

Impact of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association James W. Brooks Scholarship

BackgroundMedical students and general surgery residents often do not get exposure to cardiothoracic surgery (CTS) because of a decreased emphasis on CTS rotations during their training. The Southern Thoracic Surgical Association (STSA) began offering the Brooks Scholarship to medical students in 2010 and general surgery residents in 2014 to promote CTS. This study examines the impact of the scholarship. MethodsWe examined the history of the award and how STSA administers the award. Next we examined the impact of the award by evaluating the number of medical students and residents who are tracked to complete a CTS program. Finally we performed an analysis of the academic output of the awardees who have completed or were tracked to complete a CTS program. ResultsThe scholarship was developed to honor the memory of past STSA President Dr James W. Brooks. The award is administered through the STSA scholarship committee and provides medical students and residents funds to attend the STSA annual meeting and the opportunity to spend time with a mentor during the meeting. Eighty-eight percent of medical student recipients (21/24) and 100% of general surgery resident recipients (15/15) have completed or are on track to complete a CTS program. The 36 recipients going into CTS have published a total of 823 papers and 9240 articles have cited those papers. ConclusionsThe STSA medical student and general surgery Brooks scholarship awards were associated with completing or pursuing a career in CTS. STSA should continue the Brooks scholarship to attract talented medical students and residents to CTS.

George Daicoff: A Pioneering Surgeon and Humanitarian of The Southern Thoracic Surgical Association

George Daicoff was a true pioneer who excelled in patient care, research, teaching, and advocacy; he performed cardiac surgery on thousands. He trained at Mayo Clinic under the tutelage of John Kirklin in 1966. He served on the faculty at University of Florida from 1967 to 1977 and became Chief of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at University of Florida. He then served as Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery at All Children's Hospital from 1977 to 1998. In 1972, he was one of 13 founding members of the Congenital Heart Surgeons' Society (CHSS), and in 1973, he was one of 10 surgeons to attend the first meeting of CHSS. Dr Daicoff won the 1970 Southern Thoracic Surgical Association President's Award for best scientific paper, and the 1996 Southern Thoracic Surgical Association Osler Abbot Award. In 2015, the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association Congenital Heart Surgery President's Award was named the George Daicoff Award.

In Memoriam: Charles Ross Hatcher Jr, MD, 1930-2021

Raised in a small Georgia town, Charles Ross Hatcher Jr was trained by surgical legends Alfred Blalock and Francis Moore and developed into a superior cardiac surgeon at Emory University. Years before others, as President of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association (1983-1984) and The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (1986-1987), he recognized and spoke of the challenges facing medicine and our specialty. He focused in the last half of his career on the delivery of value in patient-centered health care and participation in the governance of health care.

Representation of Women in the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association: Evidence for Positive Change

Despite increases in female representation within the cardiothoracic surgical workforce and societal memberships, our previous work has demonstrated that at the national level, women's roles have remained stagnant among conference presentations and leadership opportunities. In this study, we sought to identify whether similar findings exist at the regional level, specifically within the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association (STSA). STSA Annual Meeting Program Books from 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018 were reviewed for women's representation among oral abstract authors, invited speakers, moderators, STSA leadership, and award recipients. Differences between the sexes and time points were assessed with χ2 analyses and t tests, respectively. In 2003, women accounted for 4 of 102 authors (3.9%), including 2 of 51 (3.9%) presenting and 2 of 51 (3.9%) senior roles. From 2003 to 2018, increases in female authorship were observed, with 18 of 85 (21.2%) presenting and 13 of 85 (15.3%) senior author positions filled by women (P= .017 and P= .072, respectively). Compared with men, women consistently accounted for fewer invited speakers (P < .050 for all years). Although women represented fewer session moderators (P < .050 for all years), a significant increase was observed over time, from 0 of 2 (0.0%) in 2003 to 18 of 105 (17.1%) in 2018 (P= .009). Compared with 2003, women also increased significantly among STSA committee members in 2018 (0 of 7 [0.0%] vs 6 of 40 [15.0%], P < .001). Over the last 15 years, women have been increasingly represented among STSA Annual Meeting presenting authors, session moderators, and committee members. However, opportunity for greater emphasis on diversity and inclusion exists, particularly among invited speakers and STSA leadership.

History of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association President’s Award for Best Scientific Paper

The President's Award for best scientific paper is presented to esteemed members at each Southern Thoracic Surgical Association annual meeting to stimulate friendly scientific competition. Between 1964 and 2015, 58 awards were presented for clinical expertise in general thoracic surgery (18), adult cardiac surgery (25), and congenital heart surgery (15). Manuscripts were published by The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, and the average number of subsequent citations in professional medical journals as a measure of scientific importance was 43.7 ± 60.2. A seemingly prosaic addition of a yearly scientific award has had an enormous impact on the scientific community and membership participation.

2015 Annual Meeting Southern Thoracic Surgical Association

2015 Annual Meeting Southern Thoracic Surgical Association

Should a Thoracic Surgeon Transfer a Complicated Case to a Competing Medical Center Against the Hospital’s Order?

Robert M. Sade, MD The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law several years ago, but the future of the emerging health care system remains unclear. The law is not popular and the political outlook for many of its key components is in doubt. Certain aspects of health care can be predicted with considerable confidence, however: an increasing role for bureaucracies and decreasing power of physicians. These trends pose dilemmas for surgeons, particularly when a conflict of loyalties is created when hospital administrators demand that physicians place the interests of the medical center before the interests of patients. The question of how to respond to such conflicts of loyalties was debated at the 61st Annual Meeting of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association. The session focused on the case of a surgeon faced with a complex clinical situation that would require operative management, either in her own hospital, as demanded by an administrator, or in a competing hospital after referral to a surgeon more experienced in handling such cases. A Case of Divided Loyalties Dr. Elizabeth Black, a young cardiothoracic surgeon in a 400 bed community hospital, receives a call from the emergency department regarding a patient with a confirmed diagnosis of perforated esophagus, which occurred more than 24 hours ago. The patient is stable, but has early sepsis and multiple co-morbidities, including alcohol abuse. The hospital where the surgeon works has 2 groups of cardiothoracic surgeons in competition with one another, all of whom do cardiac surgery and most of whom also do some general thoracic surgery. None of the surgeons has special expertise with esophageal surgery — they generally refer elective esophageal cases to a large university hospital 50 miles away, which has an international reputation in the management of esophageal disease. Dr. Black feels it would be in the patient's best interest to be transferred to the university hospital instead of caring for him locally. When arrangements for transfer are begun, the hospital administrator informs the surgeon that she must accept the patient and care for him. The hospital is in the same market catchment area as the university and does not wish to lose patients to its competitor, especially a patient who has already been seen in its emergency department. Dr. Black feels uncomfortable in accepting this patient, and does not feel confident in her ability to optimize his chances of survival. Nonetheless, financial arrangements and competition with the other group of surgeons make it very difficult to refuse the hospital's demand – she is board-certified and through her education and training, she knows the correct care of the patient, and has done similar cases as a resident. The patient's social situation (no apparent family members) and current medical condition do not allow him to make an informed decision about his locus of care. In case of a bad outcome, legal repercussion are highly unlikely. Dr. Black asks two of her out-of-state surgical colleagues to advise her on what she should do.

Is Medical Student Interest in Cardiothoracic Surgery Maintained After Receiving Scholarship Awards?

Medical student exposure to cardiothoracic surgery has been facilitated by many scholarship opportunities. This study reviews the long-term interest of students at our institution who have received such support. After the first or second year of medical school, participants were selected to receive scholarships for clinical or research activities in cardiothoracic surgery ranging from 4 to 8 weeks in duration. These were funded by the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Southern Thoracic Surgical Association, or a private family donor. Over time, each student's scholarship type, current interest in cardiothoracic surgery, and current education or career status was prospectively monitored in an institutional database. Since 1999, 45 students received scholarships. Eight (18%) were funded by the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, two (4%) by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons one (2%) by the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association, and 34 (76%) by private donors. The median follow-up of graduated students is 7 years. Of the 20 (44%) with an active current interest in cardiothoracic surgery, 2 are faculty, 1 is a fellow, 1 is in an integrated 6-year program, 11 are in general surgery residency and are planning to apply to cardiothoracic surgery fellowship, and the remaining 5 are in medical school and planning a cardiothoracic surgery career. Of all former medical students who received cardiothoracic surgery research scholarships and who have now made a career choice, 17.4% chose cardiothoracic surgery. More than one-third of medical students who received scholarships in cardiothoracic surgery maintained their interest over time, and more than half maintained interest in a surgical field. Although long-term data are scarce, it remains critical to foster mentoring relationships with students over time to guide their career choices.

50th Anniversary Landmark Commentary on Trinkle JK, Richardson JD, Franz JL, Grover FL, Arom KV, Holmstrom FM. Management of flail chest without mechanical ventilation. Ann Thorac Surg 1975;19:355–63

Dr Kent Trickle’s landmark paper in the April 1975 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery was emblematic of his life [1]. He gravitated to and inspired smart people and was energized by questioning the status quo. Dr Trinkle was nearly shouted off the stage during the negative discussion after his presentation of this paper at the 1974 Southern Thoracic Surgical Association meeting. Indeed, the published commentary [2] for the article attempted to downplay the paper’s applicability. However, the premise of this paper has changed how physicians view inflammation, pulmonary edema, and lung water caused by injury.

2014 Annual Meeting Southern Thoracic Surgical Association

2014 Annual Meeting Southern Thoracic Surgical Association

2013 Meeting Southern Thoracic Surgical Association

2013 Meeting Southern Thoracic Surgical Association

Carolyn Elaine Reed, MD March 4, 1950–November 16, 2012

Carolyn Reed, 48th President of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, was an accomplished surgeon, an outstanding educator, a dedicated investigator, a role model for both women and men in surgery, and a national leader in our specialty of cardiothoracic surgery. She filled all of these roles extremely well, but most important to her was her role as a physician who truly cared about her patients, friends, and colleagues as was apparent in her 2007 Southern Thoracic Surgical Association Presidential Address, "Patient Versus Customer, Technology Versus Touch: Where Has Humanism Gone?"

Prisoners on Death Row Should Be Accepted as Organ Donors

Ten years ago, Christian Longo had been deeply enmeshed in a career of minor crimes and crushing financial burdens that had led to bankruptcy. He saw only one way out: relieving his family, his wife Mary Jane and their three children, of their dependency on him. He strangled Mary Jane and 2-year old daughter Madison, put them into suitcases and threw them into Yaquina Bay in Newport, Oregon. He stuffed his 3-year old daughter Sadie and 4-year old son Zachery into pillow cases, weighted them down with rocks, and threw them, still alive, into a nearby pond where they drowned. His crime was discovered when Zachery's body floated to the surface of the pond. He was placed on the FBI's 10 most wanted list, was found two years later living with his girlfriend in Cancun, Mexico, and was arrested, brought back to Oregon, put on trial, found guilty on four counts of murder, and sentenced to death. Several months ago, he wrote an editorial that was published in the New York Times: “Giving life after death row.”1 The editorial began with these words: “Eight years ago I was sentenced to death for the murders of my wife and three children. I am guilty. I once thought that I could fool others into believing this was not true. Failing that, I tried to convince myself that it didn't matter. But gradually, the enormity of what I did seeped in; that was followed by remorse and then a wish to make amends.” He continued: “There is no way to atone for my crimes, but I believe that a profound benefit to society can come from my circumstances. I have asked to end my remaining appeals, and then donate my organs after my execution to those who need them.” He went on to say, “And yet, the prison authority's response to my latest appeal to donate was this: `The interests of the public and condemned inmates are best served by denying the petition.'” Longo claimed that half of the other inmates on death row wanted to do the same and that there was no valid reason to prohibit them from donating. The question of who was right, the condemned prisoner or the prison parole board., was debated at the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association Annual Meeting in November 2011. by Dr. Shu Lin, who sided with the prisoner, and Dr. Jay Pal on the side of the parole Board.

2011 Meeting Southern Thoracic Surgical Association

The Fifty-eighth Annual Meeting of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association was held at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort in San Antonio, Texas, November 9–12, 2011. The President was Joseph S. Coselli, MD (Houston, TX). Officers elected for the coming year are as follows: President, Walter H. Merrill, MD (Jackson, MS); President Elect, Robert J. Cerfolio, MD (Birmingham, AL); Vice President, Erle H. Austin, MD (Louisville, KY); Councilor, Shanda H. Blackmon, MD (Houston, TX); Councilor, Jennifer S. Lawton, MD (St. Louis, MO). The following applicants were elected to active membership: Masoud A. Alzeerah Amarillo, TX Carl L. Backer Chicago, IL Tammy M. Baxter Miami, FL David P. Bichell Nashville, TN Joel S. Corvera Indianapolis, IN Joseph Dearani Rochester, MN Emily A. Farkas Saint Louis, MO Felix Fernandez Atlanta, GA Tom Hamilton San Antonio, TX David Hart Bloomington, IN Keith A. Havenstrite Tacoma, WA Charles W. Hoopes Lexington, KY Lauren C. Kane San Antonio, TX Minoo Kavarana Charleston, SC Sandeep J. Khandhar Falls Church, VA Jae Hyun Kim Gyeonggi-do, South Korea Bret A. Mettler Nashville, TN Philip S. Mullenix Bethesda, MD Cyrus J. Parsa Durham, NC Allan Pickens Atlanta, GA T. Brett Reece Aurora, CO Jose R. Rodriguez Lima, OH Randy M. Stevens Philadelphia, PA Chadwick W. Stouffer Knoxville, TN Donald E. Stowell Oklahoma City, OK John S. Thurber Bethesda, MD Betty C. Tong Durham, NC Courtnye A. Walker Ft. Smith, AR Matthew L. Williams Louisville, KY The following applicants were elected to resident membership: Keki R. Balsara Johns Hopkins Amanda L. Eilers UTHSC San Antonio Stephen J. Huddleston Johns Hopkins Jeremiah T. Martin Duke University Russell L. McElveen University of Mississippi Medical Center HelenMari L. Merritt UTHSC San Antonio Gregory Duncan Rushing Johns Hopkins Christopher Sciortino Johns Hopkins Neel R. Sodha Johns Hopkins Chad N. Stasik UTHSC San Antonio Minh P. Tran Johns Hopkins Robert D. Stewart, MD, received the Clifford Van Meter President's Award for best scientific paper presented at the 2011 meeting for his paper titled “Contemporary Fontan Operation: Association of Type of Cavopulmonary Connection with Early Outcome.” The Hawley H. Seiler Residents Award was awarded to Sameh M. Said, MD, for his paper and presentation titled “Is There a Real Advantage of Pericardial Bioprostheses in Elderly Patients Undergoing Aortic Valve Replacement?” The Fifty-ninth Annual Meeting will be held at the Naples Grande Beach Resort in Naples, Florida, November 7–10, 2012. Co-Chairs of the 2012 Program Committee are Richard K. Freeman, MD, and Stephen R. Hazelrigg, MD. Co-Chairs of the 2012 Postgraduate Committee are Richard Lee, MD, and Mitchell J. Magee, MD. Chair of the 2012 Membership Committee is Vinay Badhwar, MD.

Must Surgeons Tell Mitral Valve Repair Candidates About a New Percutaneous Repair Device That Is Only Available Elsewhere?

Robert M. Sade, MD One of the persistent problems in achieving informed consent for surgical patients is the question of what should be covered in the disclosure component of the consent process. Certainly, one need not tell patients about every conceivable complication or about every possible alternative therapy that might be available for their specific illnesses. So what must be included? In particular, what alternative therapies should be described or must be described to patients? The problem has become a bit more complicated in recent years as the competitive aspects of cardiothoracic surgical practice have become more prominent and as some new technologies have been used as much for marketing surgical programs as for addressing patients’ needs. This issue was explored at the annual Ethics Forum session of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association meeting in 2010. A case was built around an actual new device that was still investigational at the time of the meeting, but set in the future (November 2011) at a time when Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval is presumed to have occurred. Case Richard Bishop, 60 years of age, has been known to have mitral insufficiency for 5 years, has recently developed shortness of breath, and his cardiologist at Lourdes Heart Center has found left ventricular dysfunction: ejection fraction 50%, end-systolic diameter 52 mm. He has referred Mr Bishop to his long-time colleague, Dr John Crowne, a cardiothoracic surgeon who has had excellent results with open mitral valve repair for more than 15 years. A competing institution, St. Bernadette Medical Center, on the other side of town recently participated in a multicenter trial of a new device, the Evalve MitraClip, which is deployed percutaneously for mitral valve repair. It was approved for clinical use by the FDA 3 months ago, in August 2011. St. Bernadette has been using the device with considerable success for 3 years. Published studies indicate that the device is 98% successful in reducing moderately severe (3+) or severe (4+) regurgitation to mild or none at 30 days after than procedure [1], but there is no information about long-term durability. Many heart centers want to use MitraClip and are training personnel in the technique, but only the original investigating institutions are up and running with experience in use of the device, so Lourdes Heart Center does not yet have clinical access to it. During his initial discussion with Mr Bishop, Dr Crowne realizes that no one in the cardiology department has mentioned the MitraClip to the patient, so he does not know what the patient’s preferences might be. He has read the limited number of published papers about the device and knows that its early success rate is excellent, no long-term results are available, and the FDA believes it is safe enough for clinical use. He wonders whether he is ethically obligated to tell the patient about the MitraClip and to offer referral to St. Bernadette as a treatment alternative.

2010 Meeting Southern Thoracic Surgical Association

The Fifty-seventh Annual Meeting of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association was held at Disney's Yacht and Beach Club in Orlando, Florida, November 3–6, 2010. The President was Keith S. Naunheim, MD (St. Louis, MO). Officers elected for the coming year are as follows: President, Joseph S. Coselli, MD (Houston, TX); President Elect, Walter H. Merrill, MD (Jackson, MS); Vice President, Andrew C. Fiore, MD (St. Louis, MO); Secretary Treasurer, David R. Jones, MD (Charlottesville, VA); Councilor, Neal D. Kon, MD (Winston-Salem, NC). The following applicants were elected to membership: Shahab A. Akhter Chicago, IL Geoffrey A. Answini Cincinnati, OH Edward Michael Bender Cape Girardeau, MO Louis Christopher Benjamin Baton Rouge, LA Malcolm V. Brock Baltimore, MD Subhasis Chatterjee Evanston, IL Joseph Brian Clark Hershey, PA Nilto C. De Oliveira Madison, WI Chadrick E. Denlinger Charleston, SC Todd M. Dewey Dallas, TX Melanie Edwards New Orleans, LA Peter I. Ellman Pinehurst, NC Lisardo Garcia-Covarrubias Miami, FL Eric L. Grogan Nashville, TN Michael E. Halkos Atlanta, GA Michael E. Jessen Dallas, TX Peter C. Kouretas Salt Lake City, Utah Nicholas M. Lopez Paducah, KY Hersh Maniar St. Louis, MO Michael E. Mitchell Milwaukee, WI Robert J. Moraca Pittsburgh, PA Charles Patrick Murrah Tallahassee, FL Anastasios C. Polimenakos Chicago, IL Basel Ramlawi Hassan K. Reda Lexington, KY Mahesh S. Sharma Dallas, TX Karen S. Thompson Rockford, IL William M. Yarbrough Charleston, SC Kenton J. Zehr Temple, TX Kenneth A. Kesler, MD, received the Clifford Van Meter President's Award for best scientific paper presented at the 2010 meeting for his paper titled “Survival Following Surgery for Metastastic Testicular Nonseminomatous Germ Cell Cancer to the Lung or Mediastinum: Risk Factor Analysis From a Single Institution Experience.” The 2010 Hawley H. Seiler Residents Award was presented to Castigliano M. Bhamidipati, DO, for his paper and presentation titled “Have Thoracic Endografting Outcomes Improved Since FDA Approval?” The Fifty-eighth Annual Meeting will be held at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country in San Antonio, Texas, November 9–12, 2011. Co-Chairs of the 2011 Program Committee are Rodney J. Landreneau, MD, and William H. Ryan, MD. Co-Chairs of the 2011 Postgraduate Committee are Richard H. Feins, MD, and Eric N. Mendeloff, MD. Chair of the 2011 Membership Committee is Reid W. Tribble, MD.

2009 Meeting Southern Thoracic Surgical Association

The Fifty-sixth Annual Meeting of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association was held at the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort in Marco Island, Florida, November 4–7, 2009. The President was Michael J. Mack, MD (Dallas, TX). Officers elected for the coming year are as follows: President, Keith S. Naunheim, MD (St. Louis, MO); President Elect, Joseph S. Coselli, MD (Houston, TX); Vice President, Richard L. Prager, MD (Ann Arbor, MI); Secretary Treasurer Elect, David R. Jones, MD (Charlottesville, VA); Councilors, Kevin D. Accola, MD (Orlando, FL), and Andrea J. Carpenter, MD (San Antonio, TX).The following applicants were elected to membership:William Michael Boedefeld IIBaton Rouge, LAWilliam BoltonGreenville, SCUmar Sekou-Toure BostonMemphis, TNPhillip Todd BurchSalt Lake City, UTJeffrey Todd CopeLancaster, PAJames Edward Davies, JrBirmingham, ALJohn DeelSo Charleston, WVMark GrohAshville, NCBenjamin HaithcockChapel Hill, NCAnthony Austin HoldenFlorence, ALWilliam Clifford KitchensAugusta, GAJonathan KrautWilmington, DESaqib MasroorMilwaukee, WIInder MehtaJackson, MSPeter MikhailGainesville, FLDouglas MinnichBirmingham, ALMuhammad MumtazNorfolk, VAAlden ParsonsHouston, TXVijay PatelAugusta, GAHimanshu PatelAnn Arbor, MIClifton ReadeChattanooga, TNJames Rowe ScharffChesterfield, MOMark SlaughterLouisville, KYMatthew Allen SteligaLittle Rock, ARRichard ThompsonLancaster, PANirmal VeeramachaneniChapel Hill, NCJennifer WalkerWilmington, DEHenry WaltersDetroit, MIBradley WolfMemphis, TNFriedrich Wilhelm Mohr of Leipzig, Germany was elected to Honorary Membership.Scott H. Johnson, MD, received the Clifford Van Meter President's Award for best scientific paper presented at the 2009 meeting for his paper titled “A Statewide Quality Collaborative for Process Improvement: Internal Mammary Artery Utilization.”The 2009 Hawley H. Seiler Residents Award was presented to Jeremiah G. Allen, MD, for his paper and presentation titled “Transcriptional Profile of Brain Injury in Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest and Cardiopulmonary Bypass.”The Fifty-seventh Annual Meeting will be held at the Disney Yacht and Beach Club in Orlando, Florida, November 3–6, 2010. Co-Chairs of the 2010 Program Committee are Michael H. Hines, MD, and Vinod H. Thourani, MD. Co-Chairs of the 2010 Postgraduate Committee are William L. Holman, MD, and Jennifer S. Lawton, MD. Chair of the 2010 Membership Committee is John A. Howington, MD. The Fifty-sixth Annual Meeting of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association was held at the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort in Marco Island, Florida, November 4–7, 2009. The President was Michael J. Mack, MD (Dallas, TX). Officers elected for the coming year are as follows: President, Keith S. Naunheim, MD (St. Louis, MO); President Elect, Joseph S. Coselli, MD (Houston, TX); Vice President, Richard L. Prager, MD (Ann Arbor, MI); Secretary Treasurer Elect, David R. Jones, MD (Charlottesville, VA); Councilors, Kevin D. Accola, MD (Orlando, FL), and Andrea J. Carpenter, MD (San Antonio, TX). The following applicants were elected to membership: William Michael Boedefeld II Baton Rouge, LA William Bolton Greenville, SC Umar Sekou-Toure Boston Memphis, TN Phillip Todd Burch Salt Lake City, UT Jeffrey Todd Cope Lancaster, PA James Edward Davies, Jr Birmingham, AL John Deel So Charleston, WV Mark Groh Ashville, NC Benjamin Haithcock Chapel Hill, NC Anthony Austin Holden Florence, AL William Clifford Kitchens Augusta, GA Jonathan Kraut Wilmington, DE Saqib Masroor Milwaukee, WI Inder Mehta Jackson, MS Peter Mikhail Gainesville, FL Douglas Minnich Birmingham, AL Muhammad Mumtaz Norfolk, VA Alden Parsons Houston, TX Vijay Patel Augusta, GA Himanshu Patel Ann Arbor, MI Clifton Reade Chattanooga, TN James Rowe Scharff Chesterfield, MO Mark Slaughter Louisville, KY Matthew Allen Steliga Little Rock, AR Richard Thompson Lancaster, PA Nirmal Veeramachaneni Chapel Hill, NC Jennifer Walker Wilmington, DE Henry Walters Detroit, MI Bradley Wolf Memphis, TN Friedrich Wilhelm Mohr of Leipzig, Germany was elected to Honorary Membership. Scott H. Johnson, MD, received the Clifford Van Meter President's Award for best scientific paper presented at the 2009 meeting for his paper titled “A Statewide Quality Collaborative for Process Improvement: Internal Mammary Artery Utilization.” The 2009 Hawley H. Seiler Residents Award was presented to Jeremiah G. Allen, MD, for his paper and presentation titled “Transcriptional Profile of Brain Injury in Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest and Cardiopulmonary Bypass.” The Fifty-seventh Annual Meeting will be held at the Disney Yacht and Beach Club in Orlando, Florida, November 3–6, 2010. Co-Chairs of the 2010 Program Committee are Michael H. Hines, MD, and Vinod H. Thourani, MD. Co-Chairs of the 2010 Postgraduate Committee are William L. Holman, MD, and Jennifer S. Lawton, MD. Chair of the 2010 Membership Committee is John A. Howington, MD.

2007 Meeting Southern Thoracic Surgical Association

2007 Meeting Southern Thoracic Surgical Association

Managing the demands of professional life

Our review summarizes the thoughts we shared in presenting the 8th annual Daicoff lecture. It is fitting, therefore, to begin with a few comments about George Daicoff. One of us (RU) first met George at a meeting, which might have been the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association. He was very kind and gracious, and made me feel welcome. We would like for each of you now reading this review to think, for a moment, of when you have had an experience like that from someone you didn't know well, and how it made you feel comfortable, and that maybe you "fit in." George, we thank you for that memory. Our field needs more graciousness. As all of us function in our everyday world, we should remember that we never know when our acts of graciousness one to another will be remembered and acknowledged. Our review summarises five concepts that we have found helpful in our work with similar groups of busy professionals. The first is mindfulness, sometimes referred to as being conscious of the present moment. It is an irony of the training of health care professionals that we are constantly being directed towards a future focus. We readily don the blinders of a professional life that keeps us focusing on what lies ahead. Although some element of this is essential for professional success, we run the risk of missing out on the richness of our everyday experiences. The second is intentionality. In our work with busy professionals, we have found that so many have drifted into the automaticity of patterned responses. This gets us in so much trouble because we forget that we always have choice. The third is mindsight. This is about empathy, and the ability to connect to the experiences of others. Mindsight is about connecting to our differences. The fourth is forgiveness and shared meanings. It is important to practice forgiveness, and to create shared meanings in relationships. These processes allow us to reconnect to people who have hurt, disappointed, or angered us. When we don't forgive, we create toxic relationships, both with ourselves and with others. It is the heaviness of resentment that prevents us from being at ease. The final concept concerns management of stress. We should learn to recognize when we are stressed. We cannot manage what we don't know. It is our belief that attention to these features will help you better manage the numerous demands of your life.

2006 Meeting Southern Thoracic Surgical Association

The Fifty-third Annual Meeting of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association was held at the Marriott Starr Pass Resort in Tucson, Arizona, on November 8-11, 2006. The President was Ross Ungerleider, MD (Portland, OR). Officers elected for the coming year are as follows: President, Carolyn Reed, MD (Charleston, SC); President Elect, John Hammon, MD (Winston Salem, NC); Vice President, Steves Ring, MD (Dallas, TX). Also elected this year was Councillor, Curt Tribble, MD (Gainesville, FL). Robert Cerfolio, MD (Birmingham, AL) will serve as Secretary/Treasurer for the next 4 years. The following applicants were elected to membership: Rashid Ahmad, MD Nashville, TN Douglas Appleby, Jr, MD Greenville, SC John Armitage, MD Fredericksburg, VA John Artrip, MD Portsmouth, VA Anthony Ascioti, MD Indianapolis, IN Christopher Baird, MD Charlotte, NC Michael Banker, MD Fredericksburg, VA Randy Brown, MD Cape Girardeau, MO Clay Burnett, MD Olathe, KS Paul Chai, MD Tampa, FL Robert Dabal, MD Jacksonville, FL Michael DeFrain, MD Columbia, SC William Douglas, MD Lexington, KY Jason Felger, MD San Angelo, TX Sanjiv Gandhi, MD St. Louis, MO Kristopher George, MD Cleveland, OH James Greelish, MD Nashville, TN Kristine Guleserian, MD Dallas, TX Lawrence Hamner III, MD San Antonio, TX Gavin Henry, MD Baltimore, MD Tain-Yen Hsia, MD Charleston, SC George Hughes IV, MD Durham, NC Kenneth Kesler, MD Indianapolis, IN David Ladden McComb, MS Eric Lambright, MD Nashville, TN Terry Lowry, MD Rochester, NY Blair Marshall, MD Washington, DC Jeffery Martin, MD Columbia, SC Linda Martin, MD Mountain View, CA Christopher Mascio, MD Louisville, KY Bassem Mora, MD Washington, DC Jeff Myers, MD Memphis, TN Carmelo Otero, MD San Antonio, TX V. Seenu Reddy, MD San Antonio, TX Evelio Rodriguez, MD Greenville, NC Joshua Rovin, MD St. Petersburg, FL The President's Award for best scientific paper at the 2005 meeting was presented to V. Seenu Reddy, MD, for the paper he presented titled “Longterm Results of the Endoscopic Atraumatic Coronary Artery Bypass.” In addition, the 2005 Hawley H. Seiler Resident's Award was presented to Edward Hickey, MD, for his paper and presentation titled “Use of a Miniaturized Circuit and Bloodless Prime to Avoid Cerebral No-Reflow Following Neonatal Cardiopulmonary Bypass.” The Fifty-fourth Annual Meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa in Bonita Springs, Florida, on November 8-10, 2007. Co-Chairs of the 2007 Program Committee are John Kern, MD, and Marc Moon, MD. Co-Chairs of the 2007 Postgraduate Committee are John Oswalt, MD, and John Puskas, MD. Chair of the 2007 Membership Committee is Martin McMullan, MD. Robert Cerfolio, MD Secretary/Treasurer