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ACS BOARD OF REGENTS HONORS F. DEAN GRIFFEN, MD, FACS,
WITH 2009 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
CHICAGO—The Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) has given F. Dean Griffen, MD, FACS, of Shreveport, LA, its highest honor, the College’s 2009 Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Griffen received the award earlier today, during the College’s 2009 Clinical Congress in Chicago, IL. Dr. Griffen is currently a professor of clinical surgery and director of undergraduate surgical education at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport.
The Board recognized Dr. Griffen with this award in appreciation of his staunch and devoted service as a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and for his leadership roles as Chair of the Board of Regents’ Committee on Patient Safety and Professional Liability, Vice- Chair of the Public Profile and Communications Steering Committee, President of the ACS Louisiana Chapter, and member of the ACS Board of Governors’ Committee on Professional Liability. Dr. Griffen was also acknowledged for his superb clinical activity as a Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy, his service as a general-thoracic-vascular surgeon at the Highland Clinic in Shreveport, LA, and, most recently, his services as a clinical professor of surgery at Louisiana State University Medical Center in Shreveport. Dr. Griffen was further recognized for his leadership role with the American College of Surgeons in bringing to the attention of its membership—through his ground-breaking work on the ACS Closed Claims Study—insights into ways to improve surgical care and decrease liability through professional behavior, conducting numerous seminars, postgraduate courses, and mock trials at the Clinical Congress on the issue of liability and professionalism. In granting the award to Dr. Griffen, the College also cited its “admiration of his natural leadership, integrity, vision, and service as a role model to surgeons both in the private and academic sectors, and his work in highlighting the issues of professionalism as a means of safer surgical practice. It is in recognition of his continued and dedicated service to and on behalf of the American College of Surgeons and the surgical community, that the Board of Regents is pleased to present Dr. Griffen this year’s Distinguished Service Award.”
Dr. Griffen received his medical degree in 1965 from Louisiana State University, New Orleans, and served as a general rotating intern (1965-1966) at Louisiana State University Medical Center, Shreveport. He completed a general surgery residency at Louisiana State University Medical Center in 1970, before serving in the US Navy (1970-1972), reaching the rank of Lieutenant Commander, aboard the USS Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Mayport, FL, and at the Millington Naval Hospital, Millington, TN. Dr. Griffen became a Diplomate of the American Board of Surgery in 1972.
After completing postgraduate training, Dr. Griffen devoted his career as a surgical educator to Louisiana State University, Shreveport, serving as clinical instructor of surgery (1972-1975), clinical assistant professor of surgery (1975-1978), clinical associate professor of surgery (1978-1992), and clinical professor of surgery (1992-2007). He has been a professor of clinical surgery at Louisiana State University, Shreveport, since 2007. Additionally, from 1972 until 2007, Dr. Griffen was a private practice surgeon, specializing in general, thoracic, and vascular surgery, at the Highland Clinic, Shreveport, during which time he and his partners introduced and pioneered the double-stapling technique for low rectal reconstruction. Dr. Griffen is also a staff surgeon at Christus Schumpert Highland Hospital, Willis-Knighton Medical Center, and Louisiana State University Medical Center, all in Shreveport.
Since becoming a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons in 1975, Dr. Griffen has made outstanding contributions to and on behalf of the College. He was a member of the Board of Regents Committee on Patient Safety and Medical Professional Liability (1999- 2006). He was a member of the Board of Governors (1993-1999) and served as a member (1993-1999) and Chair (1998-1999) of its Committee on Medical Professional Liability, member (1997-1998) and Vice-Chair (1998-1999) of its Nominating Committee, and member (1994-1997) and Chair (1997-1999) of the Governors Committee on Physician Competence. Additionally, Dr. Griffen is Vice-Chair of the Public Profile and Communications Steering Committee (2006-present) and has been Chair of the Committee on Patient Safety and Quality Improvement (2002-2006), a member of the Health Policy Steering Committee (2007-present), and a liaison to the Program Committee (2003-2007). He has also been active within the College’s Louisiana Chapter, having served as Vice-President (1990), President-Elect (1991) and President (1992) of the chapter and a member of the chapter’s Credentials Committee (2000-2005). He currently serves on the chapter’s Board of Directors. Dr. Griffen also serves as the American College of Surgeons representative on the steering committee of Doctors for Medical Liability Reform.
In addition to Dr. Griffen’s involvement with the College, he has also been a leader in numerous surgical and medical organizations. He has served as president (1995), vice-president (1994), secretary (1989-1993), a member of the board of directors (1996-1999), and the archivist (2004-present) of the Southern Society of Clinical Surgeons; treasurer (2000), secretary (2001), president-elect (2002), and president (2003) of the Surgical Association of Louisiana; vice- president (1980) and president (1981) of the John C. McDonald Surgical Society; president of the Shreveport Medical Society; member (2001-2004) and chair (2004-2007) of the Louisiana Patients’ Compensation Fund oversight board, and first vice-president (2006) of the Southern Surgical Association. He is also a member of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons and the Louisiana State Medical Society.
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 to improve the care of the surgical patient. 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 75,000 members and it is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.
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