Meeting Brochure and Full Agenda
Special Note to Yale Faculty, Residents, Students and Staff: Yale IT has blocked access to JOTFORM, the vendor we and many other Chapters use for abstract submission. Please use a computer that is not attached to a Yale network to submit your abstract. We have not been successful with our appeal to Yale IT.
Note that Medical Student papers will now be presented in Grand Salons ABC
The tabs below contain the abstracts for the individual competition. This tab contains the full PDF of the program book and a copy of the meeting agenda. Both can be downloaded.
Meeting Agenda
Full Meeting Program Book w/ COI Disclosure
Supported by Connecticut Chapter of The American Society of Bariatric And Metabolic Surgery
Moderator: Darren Tishler, MD, FACS, FASMBS, Chief, Bariatrics, Hartford Hospital, Past President, Connecticut Chapter of The American Society of Bariatric And Metabolic Surgery
Judges: Connecticut Chapter of The American Society of Bariatric And Metabolic Surgery
Hosted by the Connecticut Commission on Cancer
Moderator: Eric Dong, MD, FACS, Nuvance Health, Danbury
Judges: James McClane, MD, FACS, Nuvance Health, Norwalk and Susana Vargas-Pinto, MD, Nuvance Health, Danbury
General Surgery
Moderator: Shawna Kettyle, MD, FACS, Hartford HealthCare Medical Group
Judge: Alan Meinke, MD, FACS, Nuvance Health Norwalk Hospital, Past President, CTACSPA
Pediatric Surgery
Moderator: : Christine Finck, MD, FACS, Surgeon-in-Chief, Chief, Division of Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery, The Peter J. Deckers Endowed Chair in Pediatric Surgery, Connecticut Children’s
Moderator: Scott Kurtzman, MD, FACS, Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education & Designated Institutional Official, Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
Judge: Kathy LaVorgna, MD, FACS, Chair of Surgery, Nuvance Health – Norwalk Hospital
Quick Shots
Co-Moderators & Co-Judges: Roselle Crombie, MD, FACS, YaleNewHavenHealth, Bridgeport Hospital & David S. Shapiro, MD, MHCM, FCCM, FACS, Chief Medical Officer, Saint Francis Hospital | Trinity Health Of New England, Associate Professor, University of Connecticut School of Medicine & Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine Quinnipiac University
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Moderator:
Judge:
Moderator: Jonathan Blancaflor, MD, FACS, Assistant Professor of Surgery (General, Trauma & Surgical Critical Care); NSQIP Surgeon Champion, Surgery; Director Robotic Surgery Program, Surgery; Director of Robotic Surgery, Surgery
Judge: Kristen Glasgow, MD, FACS, YaleNewHavenHealth, Northeast Medical Group
Supported by the Connecticut on Trauma
Moderator: Kevin Schuster, MD, MPH, FACS, FCCM, Associate Professor of Surgery (Trauma), Yale School of Medicine, Chair, CT Committee on Trauma, President, CT Surgical Quality Collaborative
Judges: CT Committee on Trauma
9:00AM Resident Paper Competition
The Future of Surgery
Under the leadership of Dr. Roselle Crombie, the committee has recruited some excellent speakers who will be exploring the future of surgery through unique lenses:
11:00 AM Distinguished Guest Lecture
Thomas Agresta MD, MBI: AI in Medicine and Sugery: A Brief Summary – What’s Here, What’s Hype, What’s Next
Chairman, Professor and Director of Medical Informatics Family Medicine
Director of Clinical Informatics Center for Quantitative Medicine
Dr. Agresta is a seasoned family physician, educator, administrator, researcher and innovator with a history of bringing together multidisciplinary teams to focus on developing novel methods for creating, using and evaluating technology in both clinical and teaching settings.
He has a bachelors in biomedical engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology, a medical degree from New Jersey Medical School and a masters in biomedical informatics from Oregon Health Sciences University. Dr. Agresta completed his Family Medicine residency at St. Francis Hospital.
He oversees the Electronic Medical Record for the Family Medicine residency clinic and has held state level leadership roles in adoption and implementation for Health Information Exchange and Electronic Health Records including being a founding Director and Vice Chair/Treasurer of the Health Information Technology of CT.
He has co-led the development of the newly formed Biomedical Informatics Division (BMID) within the Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science for the University of Connecticut. He is also the section leader for Informatics in the Connecticut Institute for Primary Care Innovation, a joint venture between the University of Connecticut and St. Francis Hospital. He has research interests in using technology to enhance the care of patients as well as the experience and efficiency of providers.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe at least 5 examples of AI currently being used in Medicine today.
- Discuss the promise and hype for short term AI use in Medicine.
- Discuss at least 3 types of risks introduced through AI tools and several approaches to mitigate them.
- List several resources to expand their knowledge and skills to assist their organizations as they adopt AI tools.
1:30 PM James Foster MD, FACS Memorial Lecture
Julie Freischlag, MD, FACS: The Future Landscape of Vascular Surgery
Chief Executive Officer of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Chief Academic Officer and Executive Vice President of Advocate Health, and Executive Vice President for Health Affairs at Wake Forest University and Dean of Wake Forest School of Medicine.
Julie A. Freischlag, MD, FACS, FRCSEd(Hon), DFSVS, MAMSE, is chief executive officer of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, chief academic officer of Advocate Health and executive vice president for health affairs of Wake Forest University. As a member of the executive leadership team, she is responsible for the academic core of Advocate Health, the third largest nonprofit integrated health system in the United States. In this role, she oversees research and discovery for the entire Advocate Health system, including all educational and research programs at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Atrium Health Cabarrus College of Health Sciences and Atrium Health Carolinas College of Health Sciences. As CEO of Wake Forest Baptist, Freischlag has overall responsibility for the health system’s clinical, academic and innovation enterprises and its annual operating budget of more than $4 billion.
Her national leadership includes serving as the 2021-2022 president of the American College of Surgeons, a former governor and secretary of the Board of Governors and a regent and past chair of the Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons. She is the past president of the Society for Vascular Surgery and the Society for Vascular Surgery Foundation, and past president of the Association of VA Surgeons and the Society of Surgical Chairs. Freischlag was the editor of JAMA Surgery for 10 years (2005-2014) and is currently a member of the JAMA Oversight Committee and the editorial boards of the Annals of Vascular Surgery, Journal of the American College of Surgeons, British Journal of Surgery and the Journal of the American Medical Association. Currently, Freischlag serves on the Board of Directors of the Association for American Medical Colleges, National Institute of Health Clinical Center Research Hospital Board and Aga Khan University Board of Trustees. She is also chair of the Health Services Committee, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Board of Visitors and the University of Illinois Health Advisory Council. Most recently, the Association of American Medical Colleges named Freischlag as chair-elect of its board of directors, with her term to begin in November 2024.
Learning Objectives:
- To explore the importance of preventive care in vascular surgery
- To learn strategies to build inclusive cultures that benefit both surgical teams and patients
2:30 PM Distinguished Guest Lecture
Matthew P. Schiralli, MD, FACS: Providing Quality Care to the Geriatric Patient
Vice President of Medical Staff at Newark-Wayne Community Hospital, Rochester Regional Health
Dr. Schiralli is a lifelong resident of western New York, earning his bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester and his medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. Dr. Schiralli returned to Rochester to complete his surgical residency the University of Rochester.Dr. Schiralli has presented projects and published articles related to surgical education, wound care and mechanical circulatory support. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery.
Unity Hospital, a part of Rochester Regional Health was the first hospital to earn the American College of Surgeons Geriatric Surgery Verification, Level 1. in 2021. “We have created a new standard of care at Unity, a better way of approaching the individual needs of the community,” said Matthew Schiralli, MD, FACS, director of the geriatric program and Rochester Regional Health’s chief of surgery, eastern region. “By assessing preoperative risks, we are able to provide anticipatory care that is tailored to older adults to help them meet their individual goals of surgery.”
Learning objectives:
- By the end of this lecture, learners will be able to assess the unique physiological and psychosocial challenges faced by geriatric surgical patients.
- After this lecture, participants will be able to develop a comprehensive perioperative care plan tailored to the specific needs of geriatric surgical patients.
- By the conclusion of this lecture, attendees will be proficient in communicating effectively with geriatric surgical patients and their families to facilitate shared decision-making and ensure informed consent.
11:45 AM Chapter Business Meeting
- Special Update from the American College of Surgeons from Julie Freischlag, MD, FACS
12:30 PM Fellowship Luncheon with Exhibitors
3:15 PM Combined Women in Surgery, Resident, Medical Student, and Young Surgeon Lecture
Roselle Crombie, MD, FACS: Navigating the Bully in the Surgical Playground
YaleNewHavenHealth Northeast Medical Group, Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, Bridgeport Campus
Learning objectives:
- At the end of this lecture, participants should be able to identify the common signs and manifestations of workplace bullying in surgical settings and distinguish between constructive criticism and bullying behaviors.
- By the conclusion of this lecture, attendees should be able to describe effective strategies for addressing workplace bullying incidents when they occur, outline proactive measures and policies that can be put in place to prevent bullying in surgical environments, and Discuss the importance of creating a culture of respect and professionalism within the surgical team.
- After attending this lecture, participants should be able to demonstrate empathy and communication skills when supporting colleagues who have experienced bullying, understand the role of leadership in promoting a healthy workplace culture and intervening in bullying situations, and develop a personal action plan for contributing to a positive and respectful surgical playground.
4:15 PM 15th Annual Surgical Skills Competition
We have changed our CME procedures slightly this year. Please use the link or QR Code to claim CME within 30 days of the meeting. After you hit submit a CME certificate will be emailed to you. Please print and keep this Certificate. If you do not see it, please check your spam.
You will receive a secondary survey 60 days from the meeting date which is optional to return.
We will report your CME information to the College. They will post it to your MyCME portal 3-4 mos after the end of the meeting.
To claim your CME credits scan the QR code below. You will need your ACS Membership number to complete the survey.
Alternatively, you can click on this link
Exhibitors
The Connecticut Chapter of the American College of Surgeons recognizes and thanks the following for their monetary commercial support of this educational activity:
Astra Zeneca
Baxter
CSL Behring
Pacira BioSciences, Inc.
Takeda Pharmaceutical
TelaBio
Urgo Medical
Surgical Skills Competition
3M + KCI
Avita Medical
Boston Scientific
Ethicon
Intuitive Surgical – Da Vinci and Ion
KARL STORZ ENDOSKOPE
Medtronic Advanced Surgical Technologies
Olympus
SimuLab
Stryker Endo
W. L. Gore
Order of Presentation