Katherine M McKendy, MD, Yusuke Watanabe, MD, Ekaterina Lebedeva, MLIS, Liane S Feldman, MD, Gerald M Fried, MD, Melina C Vassiliou, MD, MEd. McGill University Health Centre, Jewish General Hospital.
This video is a compilation of interviews with the surgeons who pioneered the implementation of laparoscopic surgery at McGill. Using semi-structured interviews, we collected the narratives of these surgeons, focusing on their early experiences learning and implementing laparoscopic cholecystectomy at our institution. By collecting these stories, we reveal a side of surgery that can’t be found on PubMed or in textbooks, but that is part of the fabric of who we are. The history of our profession shapes the field of General Surgery as we know it today, and can help inform the future of surgical innovation. Through the stories of those who paved the way before us, we learn how to seize opportunities, imagine, collaborate, self-reflect, and ultimately come to understand the deep commitment that surgeons have to their patients.