49th Annual Meeting at Digestive Disease Week, May 17 – 21, 2008, in San Diego, California
Attend new programs and choose from more scientific sessions than ever before! The SSAT joins with the ISDS to present the very first SSAT/ISDS Joint Breakfast Symposium, “How I Do It: Around the World in 90 Minutes”. Seven Plenary Sessions offer 40 podium presentations, including sessions devoted to Basic Science and Translational Science. Three Video Sessions (expanded from the original “Breakfast at the Movies”) offer 19 video presentations, including sessions focusing on HPB Surgery and NOTES. And the Annual Meeting now features a total of three Quick Shot Sessions offering 32 rapid-fire oral presentations.

	View the Preliminary Program with abstracts, including Poster Sessions.
	Register now for the SSAT Annual Meeting at Digestive Week 2008. Register for DDW as an SSAT member and save up to $350 off nonmember rates. And don’t forget to supplement your registration with the following additional ticketed events — the SSAT Postgraduate Course and SSAT-sponsored Meet-the-Professor Luncheons
	Download the Preliminary Program Preview Brochure ( 2.8mb)
	Download the Annual Meeting Program Book ( 7.2mb)
	Download the Schedule At A Glance ( 1.5mb)

2008 Postgraduate Course: Unresolved Problems and Evolving Solutions in Surgical Gastroenterology
The 2008 SSAT Postgraduate Course will be held on Sunday, May 18, 2008, during the 49th Annual Meeting and in conjunction with Digestive Disease Week. This course will review a selection of topics vital to the gastrointestinal specialist. Although the emphasis will be on surgical problems, a multidisciplinary approach will be presented to provide diagnostic and treatment options. At the conclusion of this course participants will be able to: have a clear understanding of the current evaluation and surgical options to treat colorectal metastases to the liver; understand how to prevent and treat acute bile duct injuries of differing severity; manage a wide variety of acute lower GI emergencies; diagnose and manage both benign and malignant bile duct strictures; recognize patterns of esophageal dysmotility and manage selected complications; and manage benign esophageal strictures and perforations. Register now through the DDW Website.
Download the 2008 Postgraduate Course Preliminary Brochure ( 2.5mb)

Proposed Amendments to the SSAT Constitution and By-Laws
Two proposed By-Laws changes shall be voted upon at the next Annual Business Meeting on Tuesday, May 20, 2008, from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM in Room 25ABC of the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. The first proposal would add the SSAT Program Committee Chair to the official roster of voting SSAT Board of Trustees members; the second proposal would change the language regarding transferring to Senior membership. For each amendment to pass: 1) each Active and Senior member must be notified of the proposal at least 30 days before the Annual Meeting, and 2) a majority of all Active and Senior members of the Society present at the Annual Business Meeting must vote affirmatively.

SSAT Foundation
The SSAT is now matching member contributions made to the SSAT Foundation and the Doris and John L. Cameron Guest Oration Endowment Fund, up to a total of $100,000. We urge you to make a donation today, as your gift now will be twice as valuable to the Foundation.

The Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract Foundation was founded in 2000 to support the mission, goals and objectives of the SSAT by serving as its fundraising and marketing arm. Since its inception the Foundation has received financial support from the Society and its members that vastly exceeded all expectations. That continuing commitment has advanced our efforts to build the base for extraordinary research and education opportunities that will go on in perpetuity. More...

JOGS Online Access and Manuscript Submission
The Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery (JOGS) articles are now published Online First in electronic form weeks before distribution of the print journal—even before the print issue and page numbers have been assigned. This is not a preprint service, but rather the publications in their final form. SSAT members in good standing are just two steps away from accessing their JOGS subscriptions and reading both Online First articles and those in print publication: 1) Log into the Members Only Area, then 2) click on the JOGS cover.

JOGS now offers its authors a web-based manuscript submission and review tracking system called Editorial Manager, which allows for quick and efficient processing of manuscripts. Read the revised Instructions to Authors, then log directly into Editorial Manager, where you may upload your manuscript files following the instructions provided on the screen.

GI Fellowship Matching Program
"A Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) fellowship is fast becoming the most coveted post-residency training position among surgical residents today. For a surgical resident, the career opportunities and subsequent clinical incomes are increasingly tied to the ability to procure post-residency MIS training. Some have already discovered how difficult it is to secure a MIS fellowship, experiencing vulnerability and lack of direction through the process. To address this and other related needs, a group of minimally invasive surgical fellowship directors organized to form the MIS Fellowship Council." More...