SSO is pleased to announce the results of the 2019 elections. Four positions were filled based upon member votes. Learn more about the positions and elected representatives.

The 2019 Korean Society of Surgical Oncology (KSSO) Observership awardee, Shaila Merchant, MD, recently returned from a ten-day trip to Seoul, Korea. During her time at Seoul National University Hospital, she observed a high volume of gastric cancer surgeries and saw a wide variety of approaches in patient treatment. Dr. Merchant said, “The experience I gained from this observership will enable me to deliver better surgical care to my patients and the connections I have made will serve the basis for life-long collaborations and friendships.” Read more about her experience.

The SSO has nearly 390 members serving on 32 active Committees, Subcommittees, Work Groups and Task Forces for the 2019 – 2020 year. The various groups of SSO volunteer leaders are critical to the accomplishment of the SSO Mission. Whether Standing or Appointed, these Committees, Subcommittees, Work Groups, and Task Forces are the functional entities that guide and often execute the work of the Society.

In October 2018, The SSO Foundation (SSOF) Board and the SSO Executive Council unanimously approved a decision to transition all SSOF assets to the SSO Research and Education Fund, a restricted fund of the SSO, eliminating the operational expenses required to maintain SSOF as a separate 501(c)(3) corporate entity. Based on a recommendation by The SSOF Board, the SSO Executive Council agreed that the use of the funds will be restricted for research (such as the existing Clinical Investigator Awards or Young Investigator Awards), education, or innovation.

The 14th International Symposium on Regional Cancer Therapies took place February 16 – 18, 2019 in Phoenix, AZ. Several surgical oncologists from around the world were invited to present innovative approaches to challenging cancer treatment scenarios. The call for abstracts received over 120 submissions, resulting in 42 oral abstracts and 54 ePosters presented.

Several new webinars for the month of May have been announced including: The Framework to Submitting a Successful Abstract, Should a Patient with a 2 cm HER2+/TNBC Clinically Node Negative Receive Neoadjuvant Therapy?, Young Adult Onset Colorectal Cancer: What is going on? and Multi-Modality Management of Stage IV Melanoma in the Era of Immunotherapy.

Attending SSO 2019? Please plan to join your peers at the Annual Business Meeting, Saturday March 30, 2019 at 3:00 pm PT in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 31ABC.