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Honorary Fellowship for Everett Koop
In October, John Orr, RCSEd Past President, presented eminent paediatric surgeon Dr C Everett Koop with the College’s Honorary Fellowship at Dartmouth College, USA, where Dr Koop is the Elizabeth DeCamp McInerny Professor. Dr Koop was Surgeon-in-Chief at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia from 1946 to 1981. He established the USA’s first neonatal intensive care unit and first biliary atresia programme, and pioneered procedures on conjoint twins, colonic interposition grafts for esophageal atresia, ventriculoperitoneal shunts for hydrocephalus, and developed procedures for childhood cancer surgery.
He was a founding member (and later Chair) of the Surgical Section of the American Academy of Paediatrics and founding member (and subsequently President) of the American Paediatric Surgical Association.
From 1981, over an eight-year period, he delivered a programme of major change across public health issues, including smoking and health, diet and nutrition, environmental health hazards, and immunisation and disease prevention. He has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in Public Health and the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the USA’s highest civilian honour. John Orr commented: ‘This award recognises Dr Koop’s immense contributions to paediatric surgery, public health in the USA, and his lifelong commitment to surgical education and training internationally.’
Council election results
The RCSEd Fellowship has elected new members to serve on the College’s Council. In October, Catherine Scally, Rowan Parks, and Professor Michael Griffin were elected, while existing Council members Professor James Garden and Michael Lavelle-Jones were re-elected.
Professor Patrick Stewart Boulter
The President and the Council of the College are sad to announce the death of Professor Patrick Stewart Boulter, aged 82, Past President of the College. After graduating from Guy’s Hospital Medical School and training in Dumfries and London, Paddy Boulter became a general, endocrine and breast surgeon at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford.
He was a well-respected breast surgeon, whose unit, with that of Sir Patrick Forrest in Edinburgh, did much to develop population screening for breast cancer in the UK. He was a Member of College Council from 1984 to 1989, succeeding Geoff Chisholm as President in 1991. Throughout his Presidency, he conducted the business of the College with great skill and quiet authority.
Heritage
Accreditation for RCSEd Museum
In November, Surgeons’ Hall Museums received ‘Accredited Status’ from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. The award demonstrates that the Museum has achieved clearly defined national standards relating to governance and management, user services, visitor facilities and collections management.
Andrew Motion, Chair of MLA, said: ‘being awarded Accreditation is an impressive achievement. It recognises the high standard and service that is being provided, and acknowledges the hard work of the staff.’
www.museum.rcsed.ac.uk www.mla.gov.uk
Museum anthology
The RCSEd has published an illustrated guide to its Museum collections. Written by Dawn Kemp and Sara Barnes, Surgeons’ Hall: A Museum Anthology brings together stunning photographs of specimens and artefacts, set alongside poems and written extracts from books and documents connected to the Museum’s history.
The anthology has been supported by Museums Galleries Scotland and is available at £12 (£10 for RCSEd Fellows) from the College Shop.
www.shop.rcsed.ac.ukBooks and journals
Free e-library access
RCSEd Members and Fellows are eligible for free full-text access to thousands of electronic journals, books and databases.
Fellows and Members of the College can email the Library to register for the excellent resources of the NHS Scotland eLibrary
The process of registering for an Athens username and password is simple and the College Library staff are happy to support all enquiries.
For more information, contact:library@rcsed.ac.uk
www.elib.scot.nhs.uk
NHS
Childhood obesity ‘levelling off’
Data published in November suggests the rapid rise in child obesity may be slowing down. A team led by Professor Klim McPherson from Oxford University looked at children’s overweight and obesity levels projected to 2020. Analysis of recent data indicate a 17% drop in the forecasted number of overweight 2- to 11-year-old girls and a 4% drop in the anticipated number of obese girls of the same age. In boys of the same age, the figures indicate a 5% drop in the forecast number of overweight and a 7% drop in the anticipated number of obese boys.
nds.coi.gov.ukDental
‘Revolutionary’ dental training programme launches
e-Den, the national e-learning initiative encompassing dentistry’s foundation years, was launched in October.
The e-Den project is the first major collaboration between the dental faculties of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of Edinburgh, England, and Glasgow, and the Department of Health, England (DH).
e-Den Clinical Lead, Paul Brunton said, ‘This is an innovative initiative that will help revolutionise dental training in the UK. It is an excellent example of partnership working between the four dental faculties and the Department of Health.’
The e-Den project will be available free of charge to NHS trainees and relevant staff with an NHS contract in early 2010.
For more information about e-Den, visit:
www.e-lfh.org.uk/dentistry
Restoration Symposium Friday 12 March
Professor Bernard Devauchelle, who performed the first face transplant, will be the lead speaker at this all-day symposium in Edinburgh. Other speakers in include Professors Crispian Scully CBE and Richard Ibbetson.
For details, contact the Honorary Secretary of the Royal Odonto-Chirurgical Society of Scotland, Dr Yann Maidment: yannmaidment@blueyonder.co.uk
International
USA
Soldiers who have lost limbs in battle might get to experience ‘real’ feelings in their artificial limbs. Researchers have identified an electrically conducting molecule or polymer that helps stimulate and grow new nerve fibres in severed nerves. The discovery was revealed at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) annual conference in October.
The research, which was funded by a $5.5 million US Department of Defense grant, may give amputees the ability to move their fingers, develop better grab and lift movements and may allow them to feel sensation.
www.plasticsurgery.org