An article published today discusses the Gellert Family Business Award along with a few words about the MOET Institute. Check it out!

The Gellert Family Business Awards are given by the Gellert Family Business Resource Center in the University of San Francisco’s School of Business and Professional Studies. The award was created to recognize and promote outstanding family businesses that have been active for more than 15 years and who intend to pass the business on to a second generation of family members.

The award ceremony took place on May 18, 2011 at the University of San Francisco. The director of the Gellert Family Business Center, Dr. Monika Hudson, led the ceremony with Michael Duffy, Dean of the School of Business and Professional Studies. In addition to the Gellert Award, MOET was presented with certificates of recognition from the California State Senate and the California State Assembly. California State Senator Leland Yee and a representative for Assemblywoman Fiona Ma were at the ceremony to present these certificates commending MOET for its accomplishments. The University of San Francisco’s President, Father Steven Privett, and a representative from the Mayor Edwin Lee’s Office of Small Business were also present.

Marshika gave the following acceptance speech: 

“We are most honored and delighted to be selected as recipients of the Gellert Family Business Award for 2011. As all those who have been involved with family businesses well know, such endeavors require tremendous resourcefulness, courage, and personal sacrifice. I would like to take the opportunity to recognize my parents’ courage in undertaking this endeavor and to honor their tireless work that allows MOET to thrive today. They have been fortunate to work in a field they truly enjoy and to have been recognized for their efforts by professional colleagues. What is unique about the Gellert Family Business Award is it acknowledges our success as a business entity, and with it, the support of the University of San Francisco and its tremendous professional and academic resources. This represents a new avenue of discovery for our company, and we are immensely grateful for this honor as we endeavor to pass on our legacy to the next generation. I feel very privileged to be part of MOET today.”

The other recipient of the 2011 Gellert Family Business Award, the Belvedere House, was also honored at the ceremony. Past winners of the Gellert Award include Bi-Rite Foods and Marcus Books.

Summer is quickly approaching, and course slots are still available for June and July. If you’ve got some time off before starting a program in the fall, why not come out to San Francisco and brush up on your microsurgical or laparoscopic technique? Residents and fellows (current and incoming) benefit from reduced tuition fees.

Questions about the course content? Contact the instructor for details.

And don’t listen to what Mark Twain said – our summers are warm and beautiful.

SAGES this year – wow! What a fantastic meeting! It was wonderful to get a break from the relentless rain of San Francisco (it really isn’t as sunny and warm as people think), and we had been looking forward to some warm Texas weather. While the week started out rather chilly, the weather did eventually come around and we were not disappointed. As always, it was wonderful to see old friends and colleagues.

We would like to thank all of the surgeons who visited the Learning Center Suturing station during the meeting. For the first time in many years, we asked participants to fill out an exit survey, and we were delighted to receive so many positive comments and encouragement. Above all, we were glad to see that those who came to work at our station were able to take away some valuable tips.

We also extend our thanks to the members of our team – Dr. Siva Vithianthanan, Dr. Girish Luthra, Dr. Kazunori (Kaz) Uchida, and Dr. Daniel Gero – who generously contributed their time and expertise. We were especially glad to see that Kaz and other Japanese colleagues came to the meeting despite facing the aftermath of the recent earthquakes, tsunami, and radiation issues.

Other activities at SAGES by our Learning Center teaching staff:

Dr. Zoltan Szabo was a co-author on a poster regarding experiences with MIVAT, a minimally invasive technique for thyroid surgery. The co-authors on this poster have all been past members of our team at past Learning Center Suturing stations.

With the guidance of Dr. Siva Vithianathan, Dr. Daniel Gero presented a paper on a single U.S. center’s experience with laparoscopic gastric banding techniques, comparing the single incision (SILS) and the conventional laparoscopic approaches:

Dr. Kaz Uchida presented a poster with his colleagues on the D-Loop in single port laparoscopic surgery. He and his colleagues also presented a poignant overview of the current conditions in their home country of Japan at the SAGES gala event on Friday evening.

If you were at the station, would you have liked to see different content? Was there anything that should be repeated in the future?

Although we didn’t have a chance to see the Alamo, we had a wonderful time at this year’s SAGES meeting. We were glad to have met so many talented surgeons, and we look forward to seeing you all again.

In 1993, SAGES organized the Learning Center to offer an informal setting for meeting attendees to acquire hands-on experience with various laparoscopic surgical techniques and procedures. The 2011 SAGES meeting represents our 19^th successive year of coordinating the Suturing Station at the SAGES Learning Center, which remains a popular venue for surgeons looking to practice their laparoscopic skills.

Along with MOET faculty, a team of advanced laparoscopic surgeons will be available to answer questions and discuss the correct usage and practicality of various laparoscopic suturing techniques. The Suturing Station team this year includes:

• Dániel Gerő, M.D. Surgical Resident, Department of Surgery, Hôpital du Chablais, Monthey, Switzerland
• Girish Luthra, M.B.B.S., F.A.C.S. General Surgeon, Cheshire Medical Center / Dartmouth Hitchcock – Keene, NH
• Kazunori Uchida, M.D. Director, Department of Endoscopic Surgery, Hiroshima Hiramatsu Hospital & Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan
• Siva Vithinianthan, M.D., F.A.C.S. Chief, Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery, The Miriam Hospital & Assistant Professor of Surgery, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI

Whether you are a surgeon attending your first SAGES meeting or you have visited the Suturing Station at previous meetings, we welcome your visit. The Learning Center will be open:

• Thursday, March 31, 2011: 9:30 am to 4:00 pm
• Friday, April 1, 2011: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Saturday, April 2, 2011: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm

We look forward to meeting and exchanging ideas with you!

The purpose of this blog is:

• to keep our colleagues and students appraised of new programs and developments at MOET
• to offer tips, tricks, nuances, and encouragement to optimize your surgical technique
• to reflect on current developments in the surgical world

Our hope is to foster a lively online community of surgeons and other medical professionals who wish to share their insights and experiences on this blog.

Should you have any questions, please contact us at info@moetinstitute.com.