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The mission of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract has as a primary objective the stimulation and fostering of surgical leadership in patient care. The goal of the Foundation, as the fundraising and marketing arm of SSAT, is to insure that the Society has the resources necessary to conduct appropriate research and education initiatives to fulfill its mission.
Research
Research is an especially important facet to the work of the Society. Progress and advancement in treating disease and developing new surgical procedures and techniques come from unbiased medical research and training. Broad based research has been the source of many of the greatest advances in the field of medicine and surgery. Miracle drugs and sudden advancements in surgical procedures do not come overnight but rather are the result of thousands perhaps millions of hours of painstaking research activities.
New technologies and discoveries have made surgical procedures less invasive and burdensome to patients. SSAT and its members have been in the forefront of these new discoveries and their applications to alimentary tract procedures. For example, laproscopic approaches and techniques have made alimentary surgery a far less difficult procedure for patients. The Society recognizes that minimally invasive surgery is not a static phenomenon, but rather will continue to evolve as the results from additional and ongoing research come to light.
The SSAT has established a variety of initiatives that promote interest among young surgeons for research activities. Each provides young surgeon-scientists with exciting opportunities and challenges to further their personal abilities and knowledge, while contributing to the body of knowledge and expertise the specialty has as a whole. Many of the SSAT's past award recipients have become leaders in the Society and gained national recognition in surgery.
Education
Certainly research is a critical element to the advancement of medical knowledge, regardless of the particular medical specialty. However, the discovery of new and better surgical techniques and procedures and the development of new and powerful drugs are but the first stages in the process of bringing these discoveries to improving patient care.
The second and equally necessary phase of the process of integrating new surgical procedures is a two-fold one: (1) bringing the knowledge of these advancements to surgeons and other physicians and (2) creating the opportunities so that the surgeons and physicians are effectively and efficiently integrating these skills into the treatment of their patients. SSAT is one of the leading medical societies in fostering educational opportunities and resources for its members. As a result, surgery of the alimentary tract quickly incorporates all advancements in the specialty into the care and treatment of our patients.
The SSAT's two-pronged commitment to these vital processes in the advancement of our knowledge and treatment of diseases of the alimentary tract have made startling advancements in patient care possible. The Society and Foundation will continue to advance both research and education as the means to best serve our patients, now and into the future.
