During today’s "2024 STS Compensation and Member Practice Survey Update" session, STS President Jennifer C. Romano, MD, MS, and Cherie Erkmen, MD, will lead a discussion on the key findings of the 2024 survey, which offers valuable insights into cardiothoracic surgeon compensation across specialties, career stages, and geographic regions.
The 2024 survey, which includes data from over 1,000 surgeons, reveals notable trends such as a 6% increase in compensation for cardiac surgeons, 9% for general thoracic surgeons, and 8% for congenital surgeons compared to 2023. It also reports a 13% female participation rate, surpassing the 11% female membership in STS, and shows participation by region aligning with the STS membership distribution.
For the second consecutive year, the survey, developed in partnership with Gallagher, explores new topics, including compensation for new physicians, employer ownership, and satisfaction with compensation. Gallagher ensures confidentiality by sharing only aggregated data to protect individual privacy.
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is thrilled to reassemble for its 61st Annual Meeting Jan. 24-26 in Los Angeles, which brings together cardiothoracic surgeons from around the globe and features late-breaking scientific research, cutting-edge technologies, innovative cardiothoracic surgery products, dynamic and interactive training, and impactful networking and mentorship opportunities.
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STS 2025 will take place in Los Angeles.
Held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the meeting offers attendees — more than 2,000 professionals at all career stages— a seamless experience with plenary sessions, breakout sessions, and the exhibit hall all conveniently located. That makes it easy for attendees to navigate and connect with colleagues and industry leaders.
On Thursday, Jan. 23, three concurrent half-day pre-conference symposia will enhance the educational experience. These sessions will cover advancements in lung cancer, the diagnosis and treatment of aortic disease for patients of all ages, and more.
The first day of the Annual Meeting will kick off with the Nina Starr Braunwald Extraordinary Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Awards breakfast. The event, co-hosted by STS and Women in Thoracic Surgery, will celebrate women cardiothoracic surgeons who have excelled in clinical practice, made significant contributions to the field, and demonstrated leadership, mentorship, integrity, creativity, and expertise.
The inaugural Nina Starr Braunwald Lecture will be presented by Jennifer Doudna, PhD, a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist renowned for her pioneering work in gene editing. She will explore how scientific innovation is shaping the future of medicine. The Vivien T. Thomas Lecture will feature award-winning photojournalist and filmmaker Ami Vitale. A passionate advocate for social responsibility, she will demonstrate how authentic storytelling can drive meaningful, positive change.
The Society will honor President Jennifer Romano, MD, MS, for her invaluable contributions to the organization as the first female president to hold the office. A special reception will be held at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, amidst a majestic backdrop of North American wildlife dioramas that adorn the hall. Space is limited for this event, so attendees are encouraged to add the reception to their cart during registration.
STS 2025 will offer practical courses on various surgical procedures, delivering an engaging and immersive learning experience for residents, early career surgeons, and all surgeons seeking to enhance their skills. The topics include aortic annular enlargement, TEVAR techniques for aneurysms and dissections, mitral valve repair, complex central airway reconstruction, and the Ross procedure.
For the second consecutive year, The Hub will serve as the focal point for cardiothoracic surgery trainees. The Hub’s lounge area will offer a variety of engaging sessions, including mock oral Interviews, job interview preparation, early career surgeon roundtable discussions, a trainee symposium with a luncheon, and more.
Attendees can also enjoy creative activities in The Hub, such as the collaborative mural project “Splashes of Hope,” where participants can contribute their creativity to artwork that will be donated to a local children's hospital. For those eager to capture memorable moments, the selfie station will offer a fun and interactive backdrop perfect for sharing on social media.
Additionally, a scavenger hunt will inspire attendees to engage in challenges via the Annual Meeting app, with opportunities to win prizes.
There’s still time to register, add ticketed events, and start planning your Los Angeles experience at sts.org/annualmeeting.
The STS Annual Meeting is only a few short weeks away. Currently, we are preparing to gather for the 61st Annual Meeting of our Society, with the first being held in January of 1965 in St. Louis.
International medical graduates (IMG) are physicians who obtained their medical degree from a medical school outside the US. Moreover, US citizens who graduated from non-US medical schools are still considered international medical graduates.
Dr. Steven Gerndt is a cardiothoracic surgeon, speaker, and leadership mentor who developed the concept “Civilitas,” a system-wide cultural transformation focused on psychological safety and fostering of leadership by example. In this episode, Dr. Gerndt talks about his work dedicated to helping organizations and people navigate personal crises through counseling, affirmation, and empathy. He emphasizes the critical importance of allowing people in crisis to be heard.
Early career surgeons should plan to attend this webinar on effective financial management of student loans, presented by an expert speaker from the White Coat Investor. The presentation will examine a variety of student loan considerations: loan repayment plans (IBR, SAVE, PAYE), loan forgiveness (Public Service Loan Forgiveness), refinancing, and making a personal loan management plan.
In this week’s The Resilient Surgeon episode, Sheila Heen, a lecturer on negotiation at Harvard Law School and co-author of Thanks for the Feedback and Difficult Conversations, talks about giving and receiving feedback and how we can be better at both. Specifically, Heen explains how to be less dismissive in the way we receive feedback and become genuinely grateful and appreciative of feedback from others. She also talks about creating a productive feedback culture in the workplace.
Former US Navy Commander Mike Abrashoff joins Dr. Michael Maddaus for a conversation on leadership with humanity. Abrashoff shares his success in turning around a struggling ship, the USS Benfold, which became the subject of his New York Times bestselling book, It's Your Ship. Learn how to know when it's appropriate to break the rules, when to challenge your superiors, how to do so without endangering your career and how to foster learning and innovation among the ranks of people conditioned to follow orders.
Early career cardiothoracic surgeons have many important relationships that need to be managed and developed. The patient relationship can be excellent, a source of pride and healing, or damaging, a source of stress and contempt.
Join Dr. Michael Maddaus, host of The Resilient Surgeon, for a discussion with Amer Kaissi, professor of healthcare administration at Trinity University in San Antonio and author of Humbitious: The Power of Low Ego, High-Drive Leadership, about embracing change with an open approach rather than a defensive stance. Kaissi explains that when leaders "connect with humility and elevate with ambition" they can transform organizations.
From August 22 - 25, 2024, 60 first-year cardiothoracic surgery residents took part in the STS Boot Camp in Chicago. Throughout the four-day program, leading CT surgeons from across the nation provided hands-on instruction as participants gained practical experience by simulating real-world cases and emergency scenarios.
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During the Boot Camp, first-year CT surgery residents simulated real-world cases and emergency scenarios.
This year's Boot Camp covered training in cardiopulmonary bypass skills, vessel anastomosis, diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopies, open pulmonary lobectomy, TAVR, and wire skills. Residents also received instruction in mitral valve and aortic valve surgery, giving and receiving feedback in the operating room, and the importance of performing ablation.
“Over the next few days, you will receive expert instruction on how to manage real-world cases and emergency scenarios from CT surgeon leaders from around the country,” said STS President Jennifer Romano, MD, MS. “Our exceptional faculty, under the leadership of Dr. Jon Nesbitt and our subspecialty leads, developed an outstanding program with hands-on training in fundamental cardiothoracic surgical skills. Thank you for choosing to be part of our community.”
Here's what a few attendees said about the program:
“It was great to have time with other fellows and to build camaraderie. The hands-on simulation sessions were excellent. The coronary vessel anastomosis session and the CPB/echo room were outstanding.”
“The best parts of the Boot Camp were learning the basics of CT surgery, the vast topics covered (transthoracic echocardiogram, lobectomy, etc.) and getting to meet co-trainees from all across the country.”
“I will keep practicing my vascular anastomosis skills at home and keep in touch with the perfusionists at my institution to keep practicing my bypass skills.”
“The best part of @STS_CTsurgery Boot Camp was the people. Had so much fun having a weekend with my colleagues, reuniting with former fellows, and spending time with faculty who volunteer a weekend of their busy life to teach. Future is bright!” – X, @katiewagnerMD
“What an awesome day learning from @YihanLinMD, @SteveYangMD, @tygrenda, and so many others. Thanks to all the faculty, @STS_CTsurgery, @UCSFCTSurgery, @JennaRomanoMD, and so many others for the opportunity!!” – X, @BrianTillMD
“Inspired time at #STSBootCamp! Grateful to the amazing faculty @STS_CTsurgery.” – X, @Gbale_Cruise
