Pay-to-Play: The Rising Cost of Subspecialty Conference Attendance for Surgical Residents.

Objective: Surgical society conferences play a vital role in academic medicine, offering exposure to subspecialties, networking, and research presentation opportunities for surgical residents. However, the rising costs of attendance pose financial challenges, potentially deterring participation. We aimed to assess changes in conference costs, travel policies, and expenses for general surgery residents in North Carolina (NC) and South Carolina (SC) general surgery residency programs.

Horseshoe Fistulae in the Age of LIFT.

Background: Horseshoe fistula is a challenging benign anorectal condition to treat. The aim of this study was to assess the utilization and success of different definitive fistula repair techniques in the treatment of horseshoe fistula.

Methods: This was a retrospective case series which included all patients who were treated for horseshoe fistula from 2006 to 2019 at a single, tertiary care center and whom had at least one follow-up visit.

How to Get Ahead: Early-Career Colorectal Surgeons Reflect on Their First Few Years in Practice.

Objective: To identify strategies and barriers to career progression in early-career colorectal surgeons.

Design: Qualitative research study performed via semi-structured interviews with early-career, board-certified colon, and rectal surgeons. Responses were analyzed, coded, and categorized to understand strategies towards career progression, perceived barriers to career progression, beliefs about case mix, and referral patterns.