SAGES 2009 Annual Meeting
Surgical Spring Week Presentations

April 22-24, 2009
Phoenix Convention Center
Phoenix, Arizona

∇ 2009 Presidental Address:

Mark A. Talamini, MD
Professor & Chairman, Department of Surgery, University of California – San Diego, CA

Dr. Mark Talamini is clearly one of the good, kind, smart, calm and brilliant “guys.” He has served on the SAGES Board of Governors since 2001, as Treasurer from 2003-2007. He currently serves on the Awards, Finance, FLS, Joint Journal, NOTES and Publications Committees. Dr. Talamini is the M.J. Orloff Family Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of California at San Diego. He is widely published and is a member of many prestigious national surgical organizations, such as the American Surgical Association, The Halsted Society, The Society of University Surgeons, The Southern Surgical Association and The Society of Surgery for the Alimentary Tract. Dr. Talamini serves on numerous committees for the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Talamini currently maintains an active surgical practice focusing on gastrointestinal surgery (particularly inflammatory bowel disease) with a particular emphasis on the use of minimally invasive technology to minimize pain and scarring. In the laboratory, Dr. Talamini’s research team studies patient outcomes. To date, they have proved that patients really do recover more easily after minimally invasive surgery, learning how the body responds to operations where carbon dioxide gas is used for laparoscopy. Dr. Talamini’s laboratory also studies the biology of minimally invasive surgery, learning how the body responds to operations where carbon dioxide gas is used for laparoscopy. His lab is involved in the development of robotic surgery and telemedicine with robotics. Further clinical and research interests include inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn’s disease, ulceratore colitis), gastro-esophageal reflux disease, pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer and colon cancer.

His dedication to SAGES does not end with his Presidential term. We applaud that he is willing to take on the job of American Editor-in-Chief of our journal, Surgical Endoscopy immediately following his presidency in June, 2009. We value his cool head, clear ideas and imaginative, but sensible leadership.