Highlights

SSAT Establishes Public Service Award; Nominations Now Being Accepted
The SSAT Board of Trustees, at its May 2008 meeting, voted to establish the SSAT Public Service Award, to recognize an individual or organization from the lay community that has impacted the public by promoting or creating awareness of gastrointestinal health. The recipient should have dedicated considerable time and/or expertise to significantly impact the advancement of the lay public to understand or cope with problems of gastrointestinal health. Individuals/Organizations from the public as well as from the private sectors are eligible. Nominations are due by September 22, 2008, and each must include: 1) a letter of recommendation from an SSAT member that summarizes the specific accomplishments of the nominee, and 2) the curriculum vitae of the individual or resume of the organization. Read the complete SSAT Public Service Award details now!

SSAT Foundation Establishes the Carol and Tom R. DeMeester U.S./Canadian Traveling Fellowship Endowment Fund
The Board of Trustees of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract Foundation is pleased to announce the establishment of the Carol and Tom R. DeMeester U.S./Canadian Traveling Fellowship Endowment Fund. In announcing the establishment of this endowment fund, the Foundation Board is asking the Society membership to consider a generous donation to the DeMeester Fellowship Fund at this time. Furthermore, at its May 2008 meeting, the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract Board of Trustees voted to match all donations to the DeMeester Fellowship, as well as the SSAT Foundation, dollar-for-dollar, up to $100,000. Thus, your generous gift now can be twice as valuable. Make a donation today! The Foundation welcomes secure online donations via credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express), as well as gifts of checks and securities.

The Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract Foundation was founded in 2000 to support the mission, goals and objectives of the SSAT by serving as its fundraising and marketing arm. Since its inception the Foundation has received financial support from the Society and its members that vastly exceeded all expectations. That continuing commitment has advanced our efforts to build the base for extraordinary research and education opportunities that will go on in perpetuity. More...

News from the 2008 Annual Meeting
The SSAT's 49th Annual Meeting took place from May 17 – 21, 2008, in San Diego, California, during Digestive Disease Week.

2008 Postgraduate Course: Unresolved Problems and Evolving Solutions in Surgical Gastroenterology
CD-ROM Syllabi and Notebooks from the 2008 Postgraduate Course are now available for $50 each. Get your copy of "Unresolved Problems and Evolving Solutions in Surgical Gastroenterology" today! This recording features the synchronized audio, PowerPoint, and video of each speaker. This course reviews a selection of topics vital to the gastrointestinal specialist. Although the emphasis is on surgical problems, a multidisciplinary approach is presented to provide diagnostic and treatment options. Viewers of the CD-ROM Syllabus will be able to: have a clear understanding of the current evaluation and surgical options to treat colorectal metastases to the liver; understand how to prevent and treat acute bile duct injuries of differing severity; manage a wide variety of acute lower GI emergencies; diagnose and manage both benign and malignant bile duct strictures; recognize patterns of esophageal dysmotility and manage selected complications; and manage benign esophageal strictures and perforations.

JOGS Online Access and Manuscript Submission
The Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery (JOGS) articles are now published Online First in electronic form weeks before distribution of the print journal—even before the print issue and page numbers have been assigned. This is not a preprint service, but rather the publications in their final form. SSAT members in good standing are just two steps away from accessing their JOGS subscriptions and reading both Online First articles and those in print publication: 1) Log into the Members Only Area, then 2) click on the JOGS cover.

JOGS now offers its authors a web-based manuscript submission and review tracking system called Editorial Manager, which allows for quick and efficient processing of manuscripts. Read the revised Instructions to Authors, then log directly into Editorial Manager, where you may upload your manuscript files following the instructions provided on the screen.

GI Fellowship Matching Program
"A Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) fellowship is fast becoming the most coveted post-residency training position among surgical residents today. For a surgical resident, the career opportunities and subsequent clinical incomes are increasingly tied to the ability to procure post-residency MIS training. Some have already discovered how difficult it is to secure a MIS fellowship, experiencing vulnerability and lack of direction through the process. To address this and other related needs, a group of minimally invasive surgical fellowship directors organized to form the MIS Fellowship Council." More...