Message from the Chair
Congratulations to all of the new initiates to the Young Fellows Associaiton (YFA) and a warm welcome to all American College of Surgeons (ACS) Fellows, ages 45 and younger, who have become active participants in the YFA. Leaving the YFA Governing Council this year are two members who were instrumental in developing the YFA and raising awareness of the needs and concerns of young College members: Mark Savarise MD, FACS, Chair, Sandpoint, ID, and Sanjay Parikh MD, FACS, Seattle WA (previously in New York). They will be sorely missed, and we wish them the best in their continued involvement with the College. Also leaving the YFA as the American Medical Association liaison is Patricia Turner, MD, FACS, who on December 1 became the new ACS Director of Member Services. We are extremely excited about her new role and look forward to working with her at the local, state, and national levels.
Our goal this year is to increase awareness of the Young Fellows Association and to help you gain the tools you need to become more engaged in the College. We are in the process of developing a database of Young Fellows who would like to be more involved so that we can personalize our contacts and requests for your involvement on committees and projects. We will fill four positions on the YFA Governing Council in the summer of 2012. We welcome interested applicants. The 2012 Leadership Conference will take place in Washington, DC, in March, and we hope that you can join us. Please contact us at youngfellows@facs.org with your concerns, questions, thoughts, and ideas. The College is available to assist you in delivering high-quality surgical care in your community.
Laurel Soot, MD, FACS, Portland, OR
Chair, YFA Governing Council
Revised December 16, 2011