Following are assorted messages sent by ICSUS 2013 President, Dr. Gazi Zibari, during the course of his term as President.
4/10/13
Dear Colleague,
I have just returned from more than two weeks in Kurdistan of Iraq where I, along with a 17 member team, many of whom are also ICS Fellows, provided medical and surgical care to those in need. Our Surgical Team, which was co-sponsored by ICS, Operation Hope, the World Surgical Foundation and AHPBA performed very complex surgeries including; living related kidney and liver transplants, brain tumor resection, spine surgeries, ENT, HPB and digestive malignancies, splenectomies as well as trauma and emergency cases. In addition, our team conducted a scientific symposium that informed more than 100 local medical professionals of recent advancements in medicine and surgery. (You may view a copy of the symposium brochure on FICS Online by clicking on the Humanitarian link.) The team also taught an Ultrasound course for Surgeons as well as a mini version of Advanced Trauma Life Support. As I write this message I am preparing for another mission trip, this time to Honduras, which will be conducted April 21-28. For over 20 years (since 1992), I have traveled to the Kurdish Region of Iraq and other parts of the world to give back. The affiliation and support of the International College of Surgeons has made these projects far easier to develop and organize.
While we can’t all develop or participate in a medical mission abroad, it is important to remember that this is a significant part of what ICS is all about. Your dues and donations allow ICS to provide resources and support for the projects of any Fellow who is willing to put in the time necessary to give back. Every Fellow of ICS should feel a sense of pride, knowing that they are a part of this noble organization that has a mission that includes Humanitarian Surgical and Medical Outreach activities.
Warmest Regards,
Gazi B. Zibari, MD
President, United States Section
International College of Surgeons
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3/27/13
Dear ICS-US Section Colleague,
It is my pleasure to announce that the Registration Brochure for the 75th Annual Surgical Update of the United States Section of the International College of Surgeons is currently being printed and will be arriving on your desk shortly. It is available immediately in electronic format on FICS Online.
Our milestone annual meeting will be held June 5-8, 2013 in beautiful downtown Jacksonville, Florida at the world-class Omni Hotel. Planned programs have been developed through exhaustive research by the members of the Planning Committee to address your professional practice gaps. As you will note in the brochure a multi-disciplinary approach has been employed to accommodate the varied membership of our global society of surgeons and surgical specialists.
Please plan to join us in beautiful Jacksonville for the US Section’s celebration of 75 Years of Member Driven Success. We are planning a special treat for all those who attend. Send in your registration today and join us!
Sincerely,
Gazi B. Zibari, MD, FICS
President, United States Section
International College of Surgeons
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2/20/13
Dear ICS Colleague,
I want to let you know that the United States Section of ICS in cooperation with Operation Hope, the World Surgical Foundation and the American Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association, will be participating in a medical mission to Kurdistan in Iraq, March 9-19, 2013. I will lead this team that currently consists of many ICS Fellows as well as non-member physicians, residents and nurses.
During this Surgical Team project we will also conduct the, “Third Annual State-of-the-Art Surgical & Medical Symposium,” on March 13th in Sulaymani. This educational conference will provide updates to local medical professionals during a full day program on topics such as:
• How to expedite treatment of the injured patient
• How to recognize what is required to effectively treat the critically injured patient
• Understanding bedside applications of ultrasound for surgeons
• Understanding diagnosis and management of CBD injury
• Role of interventional radiology in the ablation of liver tumors and percutaneous treatment of obstructive jaundice
• Advances in the treatment of middle/inner ear disorders
To see a brochure outlining the entire program click here.
This is just one project that the US Section will sponsor this year and I encourage everyone who has an interest in surgical or medical outreach to become involved in this important work. Approximately 1.4 billion people live in poverty globally with surgical diseases representing a substantial global burden. We can all help to alleviate some of this misery.
Visit FICS Online to learn more about what members of your College are doing to assist those in need.
You may also visit our friends at the World Surgical Foundation , Operation Hope and the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association to see how you can become involved in one of their future projects.
Warmest Regards,
Gazi Zibari, MD
President, United States Section
International College of Surgeons
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2/14/13
Your ICSUS Membership Now Gives You More! Start building rewards with your exclusive access to AchieveLinksSM
I want to let you know about an exciting new opportunity available exclusively to ICSUS members! We recently launched a relationship with AchieveLinks, a member reward program that connects associations, their members and sponsoring companies (Merchant Partners). We believe AchieveLinks will improve our organization by bringing you more value and exciting rewards. The program is being provided at no cost to you or the College.
Here's How it Works
As an ICSUS member, you will earn LinksSM reward points by making purchases you make every day through an AchieveLinks Merchant Partner. This can be practically anything for your home, work, or yourself!
As you earn Links you can the redeem them in the Reward Center for travel, gift cards and other wonderful gifts.
To help you get started, ICSUS will be auto-enrolling all our members into the program, with no obligation from you to participate. You will receive an invitation email within the next few days. Simply follow the steps to activate your account.
If you don’t receive the email, please check your SPAM folder for a message from ENROLL@ACHIEVELINKS.COM. You can also contact the program administrator at achievelinks@affinitycenter.com and a representative will be happy to help you activate your account.
Please note that as part of the AchieveLinks program you will also be eligible to apply for the AchieveLinks Visa credit card. Previously the ICSUS had a relationship with Bank of America for an affinity credit card that you may already possess. You should be aware that the relationship with Bank of America has been terminated and ICSUS no longer receives any benefit for your use of the Bank of America credit card. Further information about the AchieveLinks credit card program is available after you sign up for the AchieveLinks Rewards program.
I hope you enjoy this new member benefit and start earning your Links today!
Sincerely,
Gazi B. Zibari, MD
President, US Section
International College of Surgeons
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1/28/13
Dear Colleague,
It is indeed an honor to be the 2013 President of the United States Section of the International College of Surgeons, guiding the largest national section of the College and directing the development of our 75th US Section Annual Surgical Update. Our milestone meeting will be held June 5-8, 2013 in beautiful downtown Jacksonville, Florida at the world-class Omni Hotel.
The theme of our meeting will be, State of the Art: Surgical Challenges and Creative Solutions, and feature substantial participation by the University of Florida as well as the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville. The first announcement is currently at the printer and will be in the mail very soon.
To see a PDF copy of the First Announcement now, click here.
Various Department Chairs from both institutions have agreed to assist in the development of our program to provide valuable insight into relevant topics that will meet your educational needs. A keynote presentation will be made by Dr. Michael Nussbaum Chair of the Department of Surgery from the University of Florida who will enlighten us with, The Application of Robotic Technology in Minimally Invasive Surgery. I am delighted that Dr. Nussbaum and all the other highly respected leaders in surgery from the Jacksonville area have agreed to participate and I look forward to their contributions to our celebration of 75 years of member driven success.
Our planned programs for the 75th Annual Surgical Update have been developed through exhaustive research by the members of the Planning Committee to address your professional practice gaps. As you will note in the first announcement a multi-disciplinary approach has been employed to accommodate the varied membership of our global society of surgeons and surgical specialists. The overall goals of this educational activity are to enhance your practice through improved performance, competence, knowledge and positive patient outcomes.
I would be remiss if I did not highlight some of our enduring annual programs such as our research scholar competition and our ethics session. We have a consistently solid number of submissions for the scholarship competition that will showcase the future of the surgical profession. In addition, the ethics session promises to stimulate a great deal of new discussion as medical and bioethics are defined, compared and differentiated.
Several workshops are also in development including a new twist on a not so old topic. Seeing and Sticking with Sound, will be an interactive “hands-on” workshop utilizing ultrasound equipment and phantoms demonstrating the use of ultrasound for diagnosis, monitoring and therapy. The workshop will have a brief didactic component and a dedicated practice component allowing participants the opportunity to experiment and learn how to use this technology effectively.
The program will be finalized in the coming weeks and a registration brochure with complete details will be mailed in March. Please plan to join us in beautiful Jacksonville for the US Section’s celebration of 75 years of member driven success. We are planning a special treat for all those who attend. Mark your calendars today and join us!
I plan to continue communicating with the Fellows of the US Section on a variety of topics as we move forward. Please be sure to add this email address to your approved senders list and check your inbox for important messages from ICS.
Sincerely,
Gazi B. Zibari, MD, FICS
President, United States Section
International College of Surgeons
