International Connection: May/June 2019

Scientific Abstract and Proposal Submissions Now Open
Take advantage of the opportunity to present your work in front of international audiences at these upcoming cardiothoracic surgery meetings.

Latin America Conference: Original scientific abstracts for the third annual STS/EACTS Latin America Cardiovascular Surgery Conference, November 22-24 in Cancun, Mexico, should focus on a multidisciplinary approach to treating cardiovascular and congenital heart diseases. The program will feature presentations by an international faculty from Europe, Latin America, and North America, as well as technical videos and wetlab and simulator sessions.
Deadline: Friday, August 2, 2019
Latin America Submission

Annual Meeting: With more than 2,300 professional attendees from around the world, the STS 56th Annual Meeting, January 25-28 in New Orleans, Louisiana, is a high-profile forum for sharing your research. New this year, you may submit late-breaking promissory abstracts if you are involved in clinical trials or prospective clinical research for which no preliminary data will be available by mid-August but will be available by December 16, 2019.
Deadline: Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Annual Meeting Submission

Tech-Con: Proposals for Shark Tank presentations at Tech-Con 2020, January 25 in New Orleans, Louisiana, should explore new cardiothoracic surgical technologies and innovative techniques for solving complex problems. Presenters will pitch their ideas to a panel of experts in front of a live audience.
Deadline: Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Tech-Con Submission

TSF Scholarships Enable International Surgical Outreach
The Thoracic Surgery Foundation (TSF), the Society’s charitable arm, recently awarded four new International Medical Volunteer Scholarships. The awards provide funding for residents and early career cardiothoracic surgeons to join medical mission teams screening and treating underserved patients around the world. The 2019 scholarship recipients will travel to Kenya, Nepal, Rwanda, and Uganda. This short video, featuring 2018 awardee Andrea M. Steely, MD, on her trip to Rwanda earlier this year, highlights why these missions are so important. “On these mission trips, you are immersed in the humanistic side of cardiac surgery, and this reminds you to slow down and remember why you’re doing it,” she said. Applications for the 2020 TSF awards program can be submitted starting July 15.

New CABG Page, Lung Cancer Blog Added to STS Patient Website
Important new resources for your patients are now available in both English and Spanish on the Society’s patient website, ctsurgerypatients.org.

• The Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting page outlines what happens during the procedure, potential risks, and recovery through easy-to-understand language and original illustrations. 
• The blog article “What Is Recovery from Lung Cancer Surgery Really Like?,” by Nestor Villamizar, MD, and patient Omar Marchant, describes the variables that affect recovery, what happens in the days after surgery, and what it’s like to return home.

Please share this valuable information with your patients, and if you have feedback or would like to contribute, contact Jennifer Bagley.

Society Is Represented in China, Brazil, Ireland
STS leaders recently joined colleagues at cardiothoracic surgery meetings on three continents. Past President Joseph E. Bavaria, MD, attended the Asian Academy of Heart Valve Diseases meeting in Jinan, China, while Director-at-Large Shanda H. Blackmon, MD, MPH, participated in the First Intercontinental Multisociety Symposium on Lung Cancer in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. In addition, Chair of the STS Workforce on General Thoracic Surgery Michael J. Weyant, MD, traveled to Dublin, Ireland, for the 27th European Conference on General Thoracic Surgery.