October  6 & 9, 2002 - San Francisco in conjunction with ACS Clinical Congress

Program Highlights:

Dr. Kimberly Ephgrave - The ACS Code of Conduct:

Why a code of conduct for surgeons? Why now? Why would a code for all surgeons emerge from the Association of Women Surgeons? These are some of the questions members might have coming into this conference. Issues of surgeon behavior were raised at an AWS council meeting, although they were not on the agenda. With the right combination of individuals at the table (including a bioethicist), we decided we could move beyond private grievances to public discussion and action. The time seemed right to take our concerns out to the entire community, to see if we could have a positive influence on surgical culture.

Dr. William Close - A Low Tolerance for Bull-oney: What Women Bring to the Care of Surgical Patients:

Dr. Close (surgeon, missionary, author) described his life, and his point of view that women bring something crucial and uniquely valuable to the profession of surgery as it has traditionally been; they bring a humanity and an unwillingness to put up with bad behavior any longer. 

Dr. Hilary Sanfey - Women and Professionalism: Are We Our Own Worst Enemy?

The most frequent criticisms I hear about women are that we are confrontational, not team players, and let personality get in the way of progress. Starting with a brief overview of the differences between the sexes, Dr. Sanfey looked at how these attitudes translate to the workplace. She provided some examples of how women respond differently from men in similar situations and how this behavior is perceived both by men and by other women. Finally, she gave her rules for survival.

Dr. Betsy Tuttle-Newhall - Can't We All Just Get Along: Institutional Policies & Responsibilities

A brief discussion on institutional policies regarding codes of behavior, sexual harassment, abuse of power, and maternity leave. Also discussed were institutional, departmental, and individual liabilities when policies are not followed. 

AWS would like to thank the following sponsors for their generous support and participation: 

Codman & Shurtleff, Inc. 

RITA Medical

Roche Laboratories

Valleylab