Latest Trends in Surgery Discussed at Joint Colloquium of Yale School of Medicine and England's
Royal College of Surgeons

State-of-the art lectures and presentations by distinguished speakers from both sides of the Atlantic will highlight a meeting between The Royal College of Surgeons of England and Yale Department of Surgery on March 14.

The colloquium, which will take place from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Yale Center for British Art auditorium, 1080 Chapel St., represents the Royal College of Surgeons’ first visit to the United States. Irvin M. Modlin, M.D., professor of surgery/ gastroenterology at Yale and David Rosin, Royal College council member, organized the meeting. The event is free and open to the public.

“This visit is a unique historic occasion,” Modlin said. “It is an opportunity to establish a basis for future productive intellectual interchange between English medical institutions and members of the Yale School of Medicine community.”

The Royal College of Surgeons of England is the oldest established body of surgeons in existence. Its past membership includes some of the most famous and notable contributors to the science and art of surgery. “Many of the founding surgeons in the United States were trained by John Hunter, a preeminent member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England,” said Modlin.

Modlin and Royal College of Surgeons President, Sir Barry Jackson, will jointly chair the meeting. Activities include a mock medical trial and presentations such as “Will the 20th Century Look as Barbaric to 21st Century Surgeons as the 19th Century did to us?” by Jackson; “De Motu Chirugia (The Sale of the Grail)” by Modlin; and “Cybersurgery and Virtual Reality ” by Richard Satava, M.D., professor of surgery/gastroenterology.

Students, residents, faculty and community surgeons will participate in the meeting, which will also include presentations by Alvan Feinstein, M.D., Sterling Professor of Medicine; Thomas P. Duffy, M.D., professor of hematology; Stanley Dudrick, clinical professor of surgery, Robert Weiss, chief of surgery/urology; as well as members of the Royal College.

To ensure that the relationship between Yale and their colleagues at the Royal College of Surgeons of England continues, Modlin has organized a group of travel scholarships for Yale surgical residents to attend British scientific surgical meetings, and to visit different specialty units as part of their training program.