Society engagement is often thought of as participating on a committee or serving as program faculty. Yet engagement is also participating in educational activities. Andrea V. Barrio, MD joined SSO when she became a Fellow and has been a member for over ten years. She said, “SSO provides many high-quality educational programs that foster active participation such as the Annual Cancer Symposium, Annals of Surgical Oncology manuscript review and ExpertEd@SSO.”
SSO’s Annual Cancer Symposium is the Society’s signature event and has been providing an international platform for the presentation of new research for 71 years. Dr. Barrio explains, “As a breast surgeon it is one of the best meetings that I attend. The presentations are not a review of existing data, but new research, which helps me develop treatment strategies for my own patients and ideas for future research. Attending and presenting at this meeting has enabled me to make connections and widen my professional network.” Engagement opportunities at the Annual Cancer Symposium are not limited to presenting personal research, but taking advantage of face-to-face conversations with preeminent cancer surgeons.
The Annals of Surgical Oncology (ASO) also provides opportunities for engagement. As the most cited surgical oncology journal, and having nearly 14,000 citations in 2016 to articles published in the last five years, publishing in ASO is considered a significant achievement. ASO also has a peer-review process, which currently has over 2,400 reviewers. US-based physicians are eligible to become a reviewer and CME credit is available for manuscripts reviewed. Dr. Barrio said, “The Annals of Surgical Oncology is an outstanding journal. I have published in this journal and serve as a peer reviewer. The journal MOC articles available through ExpertEd@SSO are also a great resource.”
SSO recently launched an online learning management system, ExpertEd@SSO. ExpertEd@SSO is a comprehensive platform for SSO education and includes webinars, journal articles, case reviews and will also host the 2018 Annual Cancer Symposium virtual meeting. Dr. Barrio was an early user of the site and describes it as being easy to navigate and well organized. The “Cut to the Case” webinar presents complex case scenarios and is an excellent forum as people often have questions about their own complex cases. I spent my early career in the community setting where resources were limited. Complex case scenarios as an online educational resource are extremely valuable.” As part of the new SSO Strategic Plan, The SSO Education Council is developing a multi-year plan to deliver over 50 new programs via ExpertEd@SSO by 2020.
Education and engagement are closely linked. By actively participating in educational programs you can deepen your connection with SSO and fully utilize your member benefits. Visit SSO’s website to learn more about these fulfilling opportunities.