On October 4, 2019, Dr. Dan Vargo (Professor of Surgery), who was honored as an inaugural inductee into the Academy of Master Surgeon Educators in 2018, attended the 2019 induction ceremony held in Chicago, Illinois for the second group of inductees. Serendipitously, there was his medical school mentor, Dr. Ken Mattox, being inducted.

Developed by the ACS Division of Education, the Academy recognizes surgeon educators who have devoted their careers to surgical education. The Academy’s mission is to play a leadership role in advancing the science and practice of education across all surgical specialties, promoting the highest achievements in the lifetimes of surgeons.

“Emphasizing the tremendous importance of surgical education in a changing health care environment will remain one major focus for the Academy’s work. This is really an important time in medicine for this talented and innovative group of surgeon educators . . . to come together to impact surgical education and training.”

                                                                            ―ACS Executive Director David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS.

There are ~39,000 surgeons employed in the US, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 83 inductees into the Academy of Master Surgeon Educators this year joined the 91 Members and Associate Members who were inducted into the 2018 inaugural class (including Dr. Vargo), bringing the Academies membership to 174. Dr. Vargo and his mentor are in a very small, prestigious group.

Dr. Vargo shares some thoughts on this unique experience:

Q: You know that phrase, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”? Well, it seems like in this case, “The Surgeon doesn’t fall far from the Mentor.” Pretty remarkable that out of less than 200 total surgeons inducted into the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators, Dr. Ken Mattox, your mentor in medical school, was inducted as a Member this year and you were inducted as an Associate Member in 2018.

How did it feel to see that your medical school mentor was being inducted into the Academy of Master Surgeon Educators?

Dr. Vargo: I was not surprised. Dr. Mattox is both a teacher and an educator. He is one of the best bedside teachers that I know. He has the ability to take a complex issue and break it down into specific pieces that added to one’s knowledge. I remember one patient during team rounds where during the presentation he subtly reached down to feel a patient’s pulse and then used that information to dive into a discussion about claudication.

Q: How did Dr. Mattox influence your interest in becoming a surgeon? Any particular teaching practices or qualities that had an impact?

Dr. Vargo: I started my 3rd year surgery rotation on Dr. Mattox’s service, the trauma service at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston. We would have faculty rounds twice a week, in addition to student time with him. While it was intimidating, I loved his approach to patient care and education. I also loved his breadth of knowledge and his calm demeanor in all situations. I wanted to be like him, to be that confident surgeon who could manage most any situation.

Q: Have you adopted any of Dr. Mattox’s teaching practices?

Dr. Vargo: Taking the complex and making it simple. For example, in the SICU, people get overwhelmed with the complexities of care that are provided to our patients. But, as Dr. Mattox would tell us, there are only five variables that control cardiac function, two that control ventilation, four that control oxygenation, things like that. When you start to approach complexities from the standpoint of more basic systems, then care becomes much easier.

Q: Did his mentorship and/or teaching influence your interest in surgical education as a career focus?

Dr. Vargo: I think it contributed to it. It is far and away the thing I enjoy most about academic surgery and when I left Baylor, I knew I wanted to be involved in education in some way.

Q: Was there any advice that Dr. Mattox gave you that you now pass on to your surgical residents or medical students? If yes, what would that advice be?

Dr. Vargo: It is interesting, it is the same advice that I received from Charles, who also happened to train at Baylor. Always ask why. In any situation, you have to interrogate the possibilities as to why an event happened. If you take it on face, you will miss something important.

Q: What advice do you have for medical students and residents to help them become outstanding teachers and/or educators?

Dr. Vargo: Think about where you want your students and residents to be, not where they have been. While we have an important function in assessment, our bigger role is to develop educational systems that allow for learners to achieve. At times this can happen organically, but it is best to have structure around the process. To me, this is the difference between teaching and education.

Q: Any other reflections you’d like to share about the experience of connecting with Dr. Mattox at the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators induction ceremony?

Dr. Vargo: The sound of his booming voice still raises the heart rate and makes me sweat!

More About the Academy of Master Surgeon Educators

The ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators was conceived in 2014-15 by Drs. Ajit K. Sachdeva, Director of the ACS Division of Education, and L.D. Britt, past president of the ACS; both co-chair the Steering Committee of the Academy.

Inductees to the Academy are selected as Members, Associate Members, or Affiliate Members following stringent peer review. Academy membership carries an obligation for commitment to the Academy’s goals, which are to identify, recognize, and recruit innovators and thought leaders committed to advancing lifelong surgical education; translate innovation into actions; offer mentorship to surgeon educators; foster exchange of creative ideas; disseminate advances in surgical education; and positively impact the quality of surgical care and patient safety.

For a listing of all surgeons and other professionals honored with selection into the Academy, visit: https://www.facs.org/education/academy/2019selection.

Do you know someone in the Department of Surgery doing great things for education who should be featured in a SPOTLIGHT profile? Please contact: Madison.Briggs@hsc.utah.edu or Brigitte.Smith@hsc.utah.edu