Newswise — SAN FRANCISCO: Last night, Honorary Fellowship in the American College of Surgeons (ACS) was awarded to 12 prominent surgeons from around the world at the Moscone Center, San Francisco, Calif.  The Honorary Fellowships were presented at the Convocation, which preceded the opening of the ACS Clinical Congress 2019, one of the largest educational meetings of surgeons in the world. This year's recipients were:

Prof. Italo Braghetto, MD, MHA, FACS

Santiago, Chile

Professor Braghetto is medical director, Avansalud Clinic, and chairman, department of surgery, Universidad de Chile Clinical Hospital.

Prof. Laurence Chiché, MD

Bordeaux, France

Professor Chiché is professor of surgery and director, department of surgery, Bordeaux University.

Prof. Ian D.S. Civil, BSc, MBChB, FRACS, FACS

Auckland, New Zealand

Professor Civil is director of trauma services, Auckland Hospital, clinical director for the Major Trauma National Clinical Network, and clinical leader for the Safe Surgery New Zealand Expert Advisory Group for the Health Quality and Safety Commission of New Zealand.

Prof. John Hyland, MCh, FACS, FRCS(Eng), FRCSI, FRCSEd(Hon)

Dublin, Ireland

Professor Hyland is consultant general and colorectal surgeon, St. Vincent's University Hospital, and founder of the hospital’s Centre for Colorectal Disease.

Prof. Yoko Kato, MD, PhD

Aichi, Japan

Professor Kato is professor and chair, department of neurosurgery, Fujita Health University Banbuntane Hotokukai Hospital.

Prof. Marek Krawczyk, MD, PhD

Warsaw, Poland

Professor Krawczyk is professor and chairman, department of general, transplant, and liver surgery; and president, Medical University of Warsaw.

Prof. Antonio M. de Lacy Fortuny, MD, PhD

Barcelona, Spain

Professor Lacy is head of the gastrointestinal surgery service and chief of the minimally invasive surgery department at the Hospital Clínic.

Prof. Ari Kalevi Leppäniemi, MD, PhD

Helsinki, Finland

Dr. Leppäniemi is professor of surgery, abdominal center, Meilahti Hospital, and chief, division of emergency surgery and surgical critical care, University of Helsinki.

Prof. Neil Mortensen, MA, MBChB, MD, FRCSEng, FRCPSGlas(Hon), FRCSEd(Hon), FRCSI(Hon)

Oxford, United Kingdom

Professor Mortensen is professor of colon and rectal surgery, University of Oxford Medical School, and honorary consultant colorectal surgeon and a fellow of Green Templeton College.

Prof. Vijay Naraynsingh, MD, FACS

Kingston, Jamaica

Professor Naraynsingh is professor emeritus of surgery, University of the West Indies.

Prof. Kerstin Sandelin, MD, PhD, FACS, FRCS

Stockholm, Sweden

Professor Sandelin is professor of surgery, Karolinska Institutet, and chair of the National Quality Breast Cancer Register.

Prof. Panayotis Soucacos, MD, FACS

Athens, Greece

Professor Soucacos is professor of orthopaedic surgery, The Panayotis N. Soucacos Orthopedic Research and Education Center, Attikon University Hospital, University of Athens School of Medicine.

Presenting the Honorary Fellowships last night on behalf of the College was Ronald V. Maier, MD, FACS. The ACS sponsoring Fellows who nominated the Honorary Fellows included Juan Hepp-Kuschel, MD, FACS(Hon), Santiago, Chile; Henri Bismuth, MD, FACS(Hon), Villejuif, France; Ronald V. Maier, MD, FACS, Seattle, Wash.; John R. T. Monson, MB BCh, FRCS(Ire, Eng, Ed, Glas(Hon), FASCRS, FACS, Orlando, Fla.; Kazumi Kawase, MD, PhD, FACS, Tokyo, Japan; Marek Rudnicki, MD, PhD, DMSc, FACS, Chicago, Ill.; Steven D. Wexner, MD, PhD(Hon), FACS, FRCS, FRCSEd, FRCSI(Hon), Weston, Fla.; Dilip Vijay Dan, MB BS, FACS, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago; Hilary A. Sanfey, MB BCh, MHPE, FACS, Springfield, Ill.; and L. Scott Levin, MD, FACS, Philadelphia, Penn.

Another highlight during the Convocation was the awarding of Fellowship in the American College of Surgeons 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, 1,993 surgeons were admitted into Fellowship. Sir Rickman Godlee, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, was awarded the first Honorary Fellowship in the ACS during the College's first Convocation in 1913. Since then, 484 internationally prominent surgeons, including the 12 chosen this year, have been named Honorary Fellows of the American College of Surgeons.

"FACS" designates that a surgeon is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

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About the American College of Surgeons The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the quality of care for all surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 82,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. For more information, visit www.facs.org.

Editor's Note: Full citations and photos of each Honorary Fellow are available from the ACS Office of Public Information.  Email: [email protected]