Association for Academic Surgery (AAS)
Inspiring and Developing Young Academic Surgeons
The Academic Surgeon is the official blog of the AAS. We post anywhere from one to three times a week and our contributors will focus on issues relevant to young academic surgeons, residents, fellows, and even medical students.
If you would like to contribute, please submit your post here: https://www.aasurg.org/the-academic-surgeon-blog-submission/
Mrs. Surles was my 9th grade algebra teacher. She was an impeccably dressed woman with piercing dark eyes that commanded attention and demanded excellence. She referred to her immature and precociously smug students, myself included, by our last names only and, in turn, created an environment of mutual respect and attention. Above her blackboard smattered …
Research by surgical residents and surgeons is essential to advancing the field. However, there are many obstacles to executing a good research project. As a health services analyst often working with surgical residents interested in research, I work with study data through all stages of a project and am familiar with data collection traps that …
When I started residency, I was convinced of two things: 1) I’d work really hard to learn how to be a good surgeon and 2) I’d find ways to keep doing the things that made me who I am. I planned to read on every patient, go to every operative case I could and—of course—practice …
I was sitting in the back row at the inaugural meeting for the Latino Surgical Society when the introductions around the room began. As each person introduced themselves, it felt as though their levels of prestige kept rising. First some residents, then fellows followed by attendings and chairs of their respective surgical specialties. Then it …
As I come to the end of my fellowship training, the thought of new beginnings is frequently on my mind. I knew from an early age I wanted to pursue a career in medicine. As a child growing up with a heart condition requiring frequent visits to the emergency room, I wanted to reciprocate the …
Join the October #AASchat on Tuesday, October 30th beginning at 8:00pm Eastern I probably should have said “No” to writing this blog post. I said yes, because I thought it would be easy. I’ll cut to the chase. My main failing at saying “No” is that, like most surgeons, I think I can just squeeze …
There has been slow attrition of surgeons from basic and translational science. Although external environmental pressures such as lack of funding, need for clinical productivity, and administrative duties play a significant role in this decline, there is also a lack of faith in our ability to succeed in the current environment1,2. Only 32% of surgical …
Recently while scrolling through my Twitter feed, I ran across an article on Senator Tammy Duckworth1. I can’t help but admire her tenacity and the sacrifices she has made for our country, plus I was intrigued by the headline that described her having a baby at age 50. The article describes how Duckworth spent her …
Here is a list of tips for writing a training research grant applications, such as the post-doctoral F32 fellowship: Pick the right funding agency. Certain funding agencies have higher paylines, more money available for postdoctoral fellows (you are one of these because you have an MD), or simply appreciate your research more than others would. …
Two AAS Committees are pleased to present informational videos on the AAS website. As part of an initiative to create useful web content for AAS members on a variety of subjects relating to academic surgery, the AAS Leadership Committee and the AAS Global Affairs Committee have produced videos on two great topics: Time Management Tips …
