SAGES Welcomes New Board of Governors, Officers and President Dr. Michael Brunt - Enhanced Patient Safety and Improving Surgical Outcomes to be Top Priorities
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) April 29, 2014 -- The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) announced the election of L. Michael Brunt, M.D., as its new president on April 5th as part of the SAGES Annual Meeting. Dr. Brunt is Professor of Surgery, Director of the Minimally Invasive Fellowship Program and Co-Director of the Washington University Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery in St. Louis, Missouri. He has won several teaching awards including the Distinguished Clinician Award from the Washington University School of Medicine and the 2013 Philip J. Wolfson Outstanding Teacher Award from the Association for Surgical Education. He is listed annually in Best Doctors in America and Guide to America’s Top Surgeons.
“It is a tremendous honor and privilege to serve as SAGES President for the coming year and I continue to be amazed by the incredible energy, vitality and forward progress of our society,” said Dr. Brunt. “A number of important initiatives that have been undertaken by our society over the last 2 to 3 years are gathering momentum including the Open to MIS initiative educating patients about the benefits of minimally invasive surgery, and our SMART program which brings together best practices in anesthesia, nursing, nutritional management and physical therapy to speed up recovery after surgery. In line with our patient safety initiatives, I have formed a Safety in Cholecystectomy Task Force with the goal of reducing the number of biliary injuries that occur during this most common of surgical procedures,” Dr. Brunt said.
Dr. Brunt has been a member of SAGES since 1992 and has served on the Board since 2006. He served as SAGES Treasurer from 2010-2013 during which time he chaired the Finance Committee. Most recently, Dr. Brunt directed and produced the George Berci documentary film “Trials, Triumphs, Innovations” which premiered at the 2013 SAGES meeting. He previously chaired the Continuing Education Committee and was Program Chair for the 2009 Annual Meeting in Phoenix. He developed and directed the SAGES Grand Rounds Master Series, is a SAGES representative to the Surgical Council on Resident Education (SCORE), and a member of the FUSE Task Force. He has served on the Board for the SAGES Education and Research Foundation and is on the Editorial Boards of Surgical Endoscopy,Journal of Laparoendoscopic Surgery and Advanced Surgical Techniques and Annals of Surgery.
Additionally, Brian J. Dunkin, M.D., FACS, has been elected President-Elect of SAGES. Dr. Dunkin is Head of the Section of Endoscopic Surgery at Methodist Hospital Research Institute in Houston, Texas. He is Medical Director of the Methodist Institute for Technology, Innovation and Education (MITIE).
Additionally joining the SAGES Board this year will be Drs. Jon Gould, Brian Jacob, Marina Kurian, Allan Okrainec and Melina Vassiliou.
About SAGES
The mission of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) is to improve quality patient care through education, research, innovation and leadership, principally in gastrointestinal and endoscopic surgery. SAGES is a leading surgical society, representing a worldwide community of over 6,000 surgeons that can bring minimal access surgery, endoscopy and emerging techniques to patients worldwide.
Mary Cohen, SAGES, http://www.sages.org, 310-437 - 0555 Ext: 116, [email protected]
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