Report ISS-Foundation

Michael G. Sarr, Secretary-Treasurer ISS Foundation

This year the ISSF supported 15 travelers from around the world (Nepal - 3, India - 3, Russia, Ecuador, Ghana, Pakistan, Malaysia, Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania, and Moldova) to attend the World Congress of Surgery 2019 in Krakow, Poland. The interaction with one another and with other delegates at the WCS 2019 was superb and far reaching and having read all the summaries from these enthusiastic, deserving, young surgeons and anesthesiologists, these travel awards were a success. The financial support for these awards came from the ISS/SIC, from generous donations to the ISS Foundation from members of the ISS/SIC, from Department Chairs of Surgery in the United States, and from many generous personal donations from the Japanese Chapter and the United States Chapter of the ISS/ SIC. Please see the summaries of two of these travelers that are at the end of this report. You will be very happy and interested to read them and to see just what a long-lasting impact these awards have given these travelers.

In addition, the ISSF had provided financial grants to the IAES and BSI for their outreach programs for 2017-2019. The in-country educational seminars and hands-on workshops put on by BSI and IAES were conducted in Malaysia (x2), Vietnam (x2), and Bangladesh. For more information about these fabulous educational experiences designed to teach the teachers in these countries, please see the ISSF website “Issfoundation-ISSF.org”. These outreach programs have helped to support excellent medical care delivery in selected places in these countries and to provide education to further develop skills for surgeons in the developing world. The type of outreach programs have in some ways been modeled after the tremendous work done by IATSIC in their NTMC course on trauma where the initial program leads to opportunities to “educate the educators”.

Michael G. Sarr Secretary-Treasurer ISS Foundation

Winners of the Travel Awards WCS 2019

Theophilus Teddy Kojo Anyomih, Ghana

These courses brought together authors, editors and experienced academic surgeons to share their experiences, mistakes, successes and to guide us and essentially mentor us. We interacted with them and learned from their experiences.

I aspire to be an academic surgeon involved in Global surgical research, contributing to improving surgical outcome worldwide especially in low- and middleincome countries like Ghana. After fulfilling experiences of tutoring medical students and junior doctors, I look forward to dedicating a good percentage of my time to teaching and mentoring young aspiring surgeons.

Attending the WCS 2019 was really an eye-opener and a great opportunity for me to learn from others who are already living my dreams. It offered me the opportunity to partake in two courses that have greatly improved my thoughts on academic surgery and my writing skills; Career Development for Academic Surgeons and the Writer’s Workshop.

Thanks to the writer’s course I have successfully reviewed my first article and looking forward to review more articles. Every student, resident or junior doctor looking at a career at academic surgery should definitely attend these courses. I could only get this opportunity because I was supported as a travel scholar.

I come from an area with very few academic surgeons. It was therefore great excitement and a rare opportunity to meet 100s of academic surgeons who were overly excited and willing to speak to and guide young doctors like myself. It was an honour to meet with Andrew Hill, Michael Sarr and Herbert Chen and the likes who said very encouraging words to me.

I got to give two oral presentations – this gave me the chance to share the work I have been involved in and confidence to present to a wider group of people with varying backgrounds and levels. I also had the chance to listen to other presentations and abstracts and learn from them.

I am honoured to have been selected as a travel scholar to the World Congress of Surgery 2019 – It would have been impossible for me to make it to the congress to learn the things that I learnt without financial support. I thank all those who contributed financially to help me make it to this congress, I am really grateful; I could otherwise have ever attended.

The ultimate beneficiaries of this scholarship are the patients who will be in my care and the students and young doctors I will mentor.

Thank you.

Theophilus Teddy Kojo Anyomih ISSF Travel Scholar WCS 2019

Sami Ullah Bhatti, Pakistan

It gives me immense pleasure and excitement while writing this review about the WCS 2019 which I attended in Poland during August as travel scholar.

Before I say anything I would like to thank and congratulate the conference organizers for organizing such a conference which I had never expected because I am Muslim and right during the conference days was our holy occasion of EID Ul Azha and it was very difficult for me to decide whether I should attend the conference or my holy days, but thank God I am happy that my decision to attend the conference was 100 % right and the whole credit goes to the conference organizers.

Conference started with Career Development Course which to me as young consultant was very informative and relevant not only on academic but also on intellectual levels. The curiosity, wisdom and thoughtful discussions and critiques in the course room will be remembered for long. I have a goal now and it has opened my mind that how can I progress and excel in my career and likewise my students and junior surgeons have benefited with my experience of attending the course as I have taught them as well which ever I learnt in that course.

Conference was very well decorated with very informative and educational lectures, videos and posters, explaining advancements in all surgical specialties. It has broadened my knowledge of surgical field and has made me well versed with most advanced surgical procedures and treatment modalities. Now I am more confident while teaching to undergraduate students and junior surgeons.

The best part of conference for me was the concept of Global Surgical Education program specially designed for low and lower middle income countries. It was really fantastic, eye opening and thought provoking for me to look at the goals, objectives and work of global surgical education group.

After attending this conference, I have realized that these societies are very essential and all of us must join them and support them to get the goals. Right during the conference, I decided and joined ISS/SIC and promised to myself that I will take part actively in the society activities and will work for the betterment of other fellow surgeons around the globe.

Another very important aspect of the WCS and ISSF which I came to know was to establish international connections and to establish a relationship among surgeons from various parts of the world and I don’t hesitate to say that ISS/SIC and WCS organizers have done this job very well, I met with delegates from all over the world both high and low income countries and helped me made new friends from international community.

Writer’s workshop was a masterpiece in itself because it was so well constructed that it addressed all the points according to the individual needs of participants and according to their competence levels. It has cleared many of my concepts and at least helped me a lot to organise my thoughts and I think I will be focused and target oriented in future while writing or publishing any manuscript or conducting any research. I have already planned to conduct a likewise course to educate and teach junior surgeons, and undergraduate students.

And obviously the grant was something without which I would never have been able to attend the conference. And I want to send my gratitude and regards to the selectors of award winners for honouring me with travel scholar award and I would recommend that award participant numbers should be increased so that more and more candidates can attend the conference and witness the great work being done.

Sami Ullah Bhatti ISSF Travel Scholar WCS 2019

The Wawel Castle, Krakow