GI Surgery Summit white paper: recruiting and training the next generation of surgeons.

Background: There is an ongoing debate on surgical training and its evolution to meet the demands of a complex and changing healthcare environment.

Methods: A GI Surgery Summit was held in January 2024 that included prominent leaders and rising talents from the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, Society of Surgical Oncology, Association for Academic Surgery, and Society of University Surgeons. This meeting was held to address the multifaceted current and future challenges of surgery.

Bridging medical expertise in crisis: The development and implementation of a novel mobile application for Ukrainian physicians during wartime.

Background: The full-scale invasion disrupted health care in Ukraine, leading to the displacement of physicians and affecting their access to subspecialist consultations. HealUA, a mobile application, was designed to provide secure and timely remote physician-to-physician consultations. We aimed to assess the implementation of the HealUA mobile application for peer-to-peer physician consultations in Ukraine during the Russian invasion.

Defining the role and impact of specialty surgeons in ensuring high-quality, accessible abdominal surgery: a report from the 2024 GI Surgery Summit.

Background: The 2024 GI Surgery Summit brought together Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO), and Society of University Surgeons (SUS) members to assess the current state of gastrointestinal (GI) surgery. This report reviews the key discussions and recommendations after the dedicated plenary session that addressed challenges in providing high-quality, accessible GI surgery for all patients.

Methods: The Summit took place from January 14 to 16.

What can be done about workplace wellbeing in emergency departments? 'There's no petrol for this Ferrari'.

Workplace wellbeing encompasses all aspects of working life. Peak health organisations recognise that poor workplace wellbeing is costly, both to individuals and to the organisation, and the value in promoting healthy workplaces. Workplace wellbeing improves when its barriers are acknowledged and addressed, and protective factors are promoted.

Developing a Framework for the Design and Deployment of Virtual Reality (VR) in Clinical Education.

The emerging cost-effective and powerful standalone VR hardware is an increasingly viable supplement to traditional clinical educational modalities. These traditional approaches are effective but can be limited by the cost of simulation infrastructure, the requirement to attend at fixed times and locations and instructor availability present challenges in meeting the needs of clinicians. One barrier facing educators looking to develop bespoke VR-based solutions is the lack of guidelines around their design, development, deployment, and evaluation.

Racial disparities in survival of early onset colon cancer (Age<50): A matched NCDB analysis.

Background: Early-onset colon cancer (EOCC) has increasing incidence and disproportionately affects African-Americans. This analysis aims to compare EOCC survival among Black and White patients after matching relevant socio-demographic factors and stage.

Methods: The 2004-2017 NCDB database was queried for Black and White patients, age<50, who underwent colectomy for adenocarcinoma.

Impact of Gender Inequity on Women Surgeons in the Professional Setting.

The concept of equity ensures that each individual is given the environment, treatment, and resources needed to reach an equal outcome to those around them. Equity is central to initiatives for advancing diversity and inclusion among physicians. This article will identify key barriers to equity that women surgeons face within the professional setting.

Assessing the Quality of Online Health Information and Trend Data for Colorectal Malignancies.

Introduction: Patients often refer to the internet to learn about different health conditions. This study aims to assess the landscape of online health information on malignant colorectal conditions, focusing on the popularity, quantity, and quality of internet resources pertaining to these conditions. This information can be used as a guide for surgeons to supplement patient information at the time of surgical evaluation and to help design optimal online health information.

Hot Feelings: Sexual Transference and Countertransference with Male Mid-Adolescents and a Female Psychoanalyst.

The author focuses on the workings of the female analyst-male pair in the consulting room when sexual feelings emerge as part of the adolescent storm. The need for in relation to the perception of the bodily states of both the analyst and analysand is described and discussed. The author shows how somatic countertransference, reverie, and projective identification are harnessed creatively in the service of transformation.

Colonoscopy Needs for Implementation of a Colorectal Cancer Screening Program in Ukraine.

Background: In Ukraine, there is no established colorectal cancer screening program. We aimed to project the number of screening colonoscopies needed for implementation of various CRC screening strategies in Ukraine.

Methods: We modified a previously developed Markov microsimulation model to reflect the natural history of adenoma and CRC progression among average-risk 50-74-year-olds.

Designing Virtual Reality-Based Conversational Agents to Train Clinicians in Verbal De-escalation Skills: Exploratory Usability Study.

Background: Violence and aggression are significant workplace challenges faced by clinicians worldwide. Traditional methods of training consist of "on-the-job learning" and role-play simulations. Although both approaches can result in improved skill levels, they are not without limitation.

Efficacy and satisfaction of asynchronous TeleHealth care compared to in-person visits following colorectal surgical resection.

Background: The feasibility of remote visits following abdominal colorectal surgery has not been studied in relation to efficacy, patient satisfaction, and surgeon satisfaction. This study aims to assess reliability and satisfaction with a web-based questionnaire for post-operative visits following abdominal colorectal surgery.

Methods: This was a prospective single-arm cohort study at single-tertiary care center during admission for abdominal colorectal surgery.

Promoting Female Leadership in Academic Surgery: Disrupting Systemic Gender Bias.

Gender bias is a pervasive issue in academic surgery and is characterized by familiar patterns previously described in the business world. In this article, the authors illuminate gender bias patterns in academic surgery identified in prior in-depth interviews with female surgical department chairs across the United States. The 4 main gender bias patterns drawn from the business world and illuminated with data from the interviews are (1) prove-it-again, (2) tightrope or double-blind dilemma, (3) maternity wall or benevolent bias, and (4) tug-of-war.

S184: preoperative sarcopenia is associated with worse short-term outcomes following transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) for rectal cancer.

Introduction: Malnutrition and deconditioning impact postoperative morbidity and mortality. Computed tomography (CT) body composition variables are used as markers of nutritional status and sarcopenia. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of sarcopenia, using CT variables, on postoperative outcomes following transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) for rectal cancer.

Facilitating health professional education research development; an action research approach.

Background: Educational research and scholarship can advance teaching knowledge and practices. In the Westmead health precinct, Australia, education research has occurred in isolated pockets, with little professional development support. We developed a course to introduce the practice of educational research to multidisciplinary health professional educators in 2019.

Oncologic Outcomes After Transanal Total Mesorectal Excision for Rectal Cancer.

Background: Recent series have raised concerns about the oncologic outcomes of transanal total mesorectal excision for mid and low rectal cancer. There is a paucity of large data sets from the United States to contribute to the ongoing international discourse.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the rate of local recurrence and other oncologic outcomes in patients undergoing transanal total mesorectal excision for rectal adenocarcinoma.