SAGES Member Spotlight

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 was one of the most diverse and inclusive surgical societies.

“Dr. Murayama was right!,” says Dr. Reinke. “I’ve enjoyed every year of membership and the many opportunities I’ve participated in over the last decade including networking, learning, presenting and having FUN. I love meeting surgeons who practice across a variety of settings and I really enjoy the annual meeting.”

Dr. Reinke, who previously served on the Resident Education Committee, is currently Chair of the SAGES Conflict of Interest (COI) committee and member of the Acute Care Surgery (ACS) committee.

In addition to Dr. Murayama’s early influence, she counts many (too many to name them all here!) SAGES members as mentors, colleagues and friends. Dr Reinke says she also “remembers fondly working with SAGES leaders such as Dr. Jo Buyske and Dr. Phil Omotosho. I also got to work with Dr. Jacob Greenberg during my time on the Resident Education Committee and, in fact, my current role at Atrium Health was largely influenced by his introduction to my current chair, Dr. Brent Matthews.”

Dr. Reinke adds that Drs. Peter Denk and Phil Shaddock have been great mentors to her on the COI committee, and she’s enjoyed the many opportunities to collaborate with Dr. Robert Lim on the ACS committee.

Citing her first meeting sing-a-long and COVID-19 grant as two of her most memorable SAGES experiences, Dr. Reinke says she is looking forward to more fond memories of learning, collaborating, connecting and having fun with other SAGES members!

“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 committees that I’m involved in are very active and relevant. The SAGES video library, guidelines and other educational material are all exceptional resources. I’ve used them to learn new techniques and refine my practice, and it is exciting to now be part of creating this practice-changing material.”

For the past two years, Dr. Vreeland has served on the Military, Oncology and HPB/Solid Organ committees. Through his involvement on the HPB committee, he adds that he’s met exceptional surgeons who’ve become personal mentors, like Dr. Adnan Alseidi, and has had the opportunity to get involved in meaningful, far-reaching efforts to influence the future of HPB surgery.

Dr. Vreeland, who also counts Dr. Rob Lim as a professional mentor, initially joined SAGES as a resident because he’d been told by senior surgeons that SAGES was a “good and worthwhile association.” He then became a full active member to increase his participation in SAGES committees.

In addition to looking forward to the educational programs and catching up with friends August 31-September 3 in Las Vegas, Dr. Vreeland hopes “to continue to develop meaningful content that will help educate surgeons across the country, as well as help develop and publish guidelines that will influence the practice of surgery broadly.”

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, within this society there are so many innovators and thought-provoking individuals it has been a pleasure to learn so much, from even casual interactions with other SAGES members.”

Dr. Alimi’s interest in laparoscopic surgery and desire to connect with others in the field led her to join SAGES as a candidate member. She’s been active in both the Resident and Fellowship Training (RAFT) and Membership committees, and is the new Candidate representative to the SAGES Board. She says that “bringing new members into this welcoming society has been an absolute pleasure.”

For her part, she adds that many SAGES members have mentored and guided her career path, including Drs. Patrick Jackson, Tom Watson, Maria Altieri, and Dan Azagury.

Over the long term, Dr. Alimi adds, “I hope to gain ongoing leadership skills within the field, be a member that both learns from the society as well as moves it forward. The opportunities within SAGES for residents and trainees are immense, and it really showed me early in my training how society memberships can supplement my training. I hope to continue to pay it forward.”

For now, Dr. Alimi is looking forward to experiencing what is always one of her most memorable experiences at the SAGES annual meeting in Las Vegas, the Sing-Off, along with her own official value of fun: riding her bike, lifting heavy objects and enjoying a variety of cuisines!

 

“SAGES is my surgical family,” says Dr. Carlos Galvani. “I haven’t missed a meeting since 2002 and I don’t plan to in 2021. SAGES annual meetings are the best way to see and catch up with friends.”

Dr. Galvani adds that from his very first post-9/11 meeting in New York, the entire program – especially the finale dinner —  “was so powerful. I remember thinking that SAGES was the place I wanted to be.”

An involved SAGES member since joining as a fellow in 2002, Dr. Galvani was awarded the Storz-IRCAD Visiting Fellowship Award in 2006 and has been very active, serving on the Bariatric, Robotics and Foregut committees. He admits he initially thought it was merely “cool” to be on these committees, but became much more invested after realizing how important each committee and its guidelines were to SAGES and patient access.

While Dr. Galvani, who is looking forward to this year’s Sing-Off in Las Vegas, also attaches the cool factor to SAGES meetings, he adds, “The meetings are unlike any put on by other societies. Members, include leadership, are always willing to meet and sit down and chat with you. The whole thing is an intense experience, and one that always reinforces my ongoing commitment to mentor other surgeons and become more involved in committees that are relevant to surgeons’ practices.”

A good antidote to professional intensity: Dr. Galvani listens to Yo-Yo Ma on his way to work each day, and enjoys “a good steak, a glass of Malbec and golfing in the rain.”

Dr. Galvani earned his medical degree and completed his residency in his native Argentina. He received special training in gastrointestinal surgery and gastrointestinal motility at the University of California, San Francisco, and completed his training with fellowships in advanced laparoscopic/robotic surgery and bariatric surgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

“I admire the way SAGES has adapted to advances in technology, the addition of robotics and the growing specialty of hernia repairs. I plan to be a member for life,” says Dr. Shirin Towfigh.

While Dr. Towfigh remembers her fellow UCLA surgery residents choosing specialties just to avoid laparoscopic surgery, she says she was always “super gung-ho” about laparoscopy. She took her first SAGES foregut course as a resident, taught by former SAGES president Dr. Jeff Peters.

At her first job at USC, Dr. Towfigh worked closely with multiple SAGES leaders and members, including Dr. Peters, along with Drs. Namir Katkhouda, Peter Crookes, Lee Sillin, and Cedric Bremner. When she moved to Cedars-Sinai, she worked with both Drs. George Berci and Edward Phillips, adding, “I am a great advocate of mentorship and learning from surgical history. I have been blessed to be in SAGES’ Los Angeles hub and thus being exposed to the greatest of the great.”

Since joining SAGES as a second year surgery resident, Dr. Towfigh has remained gung-ho in her participation, including as a member of the FLS committee helping to write FLS exam questions, co-editing the SAGES Manual of Groin Pain, working with the Hernia committee and her more current involvement with Community Practice Committee.

Dr. Towfigh’s favorite aspect of being a SAGES member? The Sing Off, of course. She says, “SAGES has a unifying event every year that is fun, relaxing, cultured, international and promotes a siblinghood among its membership that makes the society so special. I remain close friends with people I would have never met outside of SAGES. It’s a bond we share that I don’t see in most other societies. And this is unique because SAGES is not a regional meeting, yet still manages to instill such a sense of belonging and camaraderie among its members.”

As a mentor to students and residents, Dr. Towfigh adds, “I now enjoy seeing and promoting my past residents and fellows on the SAGES stage or on committees at SAGES. The cycle continues, and I love it!”