Community practice surgeon Dr. Seung Gwon, who owns her solo practice in El Centro, Calif., says she always knew she “wanted a lot of autonomy” as a physician. A California native, Dr. Gwon graduated from the Chicago Medical School and completed her … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: Seung Gwon, MD

“When someone suggests something on the cutting edge in my clinical space, or describes a technique they read about recently, my first thought is usually, ‘I heard that at SAGES a year or two ago,'” says Dr. Jason Keune. Attracted to the society’s … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: Jason Keune, MD

Dr. Amber Shada was initially urged to attend SAGES 2010 annual meeting in Washington D.C.  by her residency mentor Dr. Bruce Schirmer, after which she joined SAGES as a fellow at the urging of Drs. Christy Dunst, Kevin Reavis and Lee Swanstrom. “SAGES is … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: Amber Shada, MD FACS

As current chair of SAGES Advocacy and Health Policy committee, advocacy on the local, state and national level has been Dr. Ross Goldberg’s “comfort zone” for more than 20 years. As a passionate advocate for both SAGES and patients, Dr. Goldberg … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: Ross Goldberg, MD FACS

  If there’s a consistent theme among SAGES members, it’s that SAGES is FUN—a sentiment also shared by Dr. Kellie McFarlin. “What makes SAGES special compared to other associations is that it’s always advancing, showing the latest in … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: Kellie McFarlin, MD FACS

As a fellowship trained Trauma and Acute Care surgeon, Dr. Michael Cripps points out that his membership story is a bit different. “I have always believed in the benefits of minimally invasive surgery. As a new faculty member, I made a comment during an … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: Michael Cripps, MD FACS

  "I love that SAGES played and continues to play a significant role in establishing the standards around quality and safety with all things minimally invasive. Because of this, there is a certain humility and adventure around the work of SAGES. … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: Nia Zalamea, MD FACS

“Work hard, play hard—SAGES definitely gets that right!,” says Dr. Tiffany Cox, the latter referring to the annual meeting and sing-off, of course. But she adds, “the availability of experts who speak at SAGES and then make themselves easily accessible … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: CDR Tiffany C. Cox, MD, FACS

Many members regularly refer to SAGES as family. For Dr. James “Butch” Rosser, SAGES is the “Jedi Club” for cutting edge laparoscopic surgeons. Since joining SAGES in the early 90s as a young attending surgeon in Ohio, Dr. Rosser’s ongoing … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: Dr. James “Butch” Rosser, Jr., MD FACS

    What makes SAGES unique? For Dr. Susanne Warner, the society’s ability to be relevant to a large swath of members serving many different types of institutions and patients. She says, “With regular focus on clinical excellence and … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: Susanne Warner, MD

  As a research fellow at the Steinberg-Bernstein Centre for Minimally Invasive Surgery in Montreal in 2015, Dr. Nicolò Pecorelli remembers that the SAGES annual meeting was THE surgical event. And when he attended his first meeting in Nashville … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: Nicolò Pecorelli, MD MSc. HPB Surgeon

Dr. Laura Fischer initially joined SAGES as a resident at the University of Wisconsin after Dr. Jacob Greenberg told her it was the “best national organization” for minimally invasive surgeons. When Dr. Fischer joined the University of Oklahoma in 2016, … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: Laura Fischer, MD MS

  Even after many years as a member, Dr. Dmitry Nepomnayshy’s most memorable SAGES experience is still the 007 spoof of his chairman and SAGES president Dr. Desmond Birkett at the 1998 annual meeting in Seattle.  Dr. Nepomnayshy was a resident, … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: Dmitry Nepomnayshy MD MSc FACS

“Initially, my involvement in SAGES was based on the relevancy of the annual meeting content to my desired clinical practice,” says Salt Lake City-based Dr. Anna Ibele. “More recently, it’s the quality and research initiatives SAGES sponsors.” Since … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: Anna Ibele MD FACS

How do you entice a new surgeon to join SAGES? For Dr. Yagnik Pandya, it was SAGES member Dr. Todd Ponsky’s combination of descriptive adjectives during his residency at Case Western: “Collegiality, camaraderie, relaxing and informative.” Dr. Todd … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: Yagnik Pandya, MD, FACS, FASMBS

  According to Dr. Ivy Haskins, the best part of being a SAGES member is that everyone's experience and input is valued, including surgeons at various levels of training and education. "Anyone who is interested in endoscopy or GI surgery is … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: Ivy N. Haskins, MD

Dr. Robert Catania recalls that when he joined SAGES in 2002, “it was a small society filled with members who were thinking big thoughts and dreaming big dreams about the future of surgery.” At the time, laparoscopic surgery was still struggling to gain … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: Dr. Robert Catania, General and Bariatric Surgeon

Dr. Caroline Reinke joined SAGES as a resident at the University of Pennsylvania on the recommendation of Dr. Kenric Murayama.  She remembers that in addition to his praise of the society as leader in surgical care, he specifically made a point that SAGES … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: Dr. Caroline Reinke, General Surgeon

“My favorite aspect of being a SAGES member is my involvement in active committees and attending the annual meeting,” says Dr. Timothy Vreeland. “Compared to other associations, SAGES is continuously creating educational material, and the various … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: Dr. Timothy Vreeland, MD, HPB Surgeon

Besides SAGES’ unofficial value of FUN, “building members up” is what Dr. Yewande Alimi loves most about SAGES. “I truly enjoy the annual meeting not only as a place to learn, but a place to meet a ton of really cool, laid back people in our field. Also, … [Read more...] about SAGES Member Spotlight: Dr. Yewande Alimi, MIS/Bariatric Surgeon