Northside Hospital to Broadcast Live Leading-Edge Breast Surgery at
International Breast Symposium
December 13, 2006 - The Southeastern Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (SESPRS) has assembled an all-star faculty for its 23rd Annual Breast Surgery Symposium, scheduled Jan. 19-21, at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead. Titled “Raising the Bar,” the symposium will cover a full range of topics in augmentation and reconstructive breast surgery, with an emphasis on practical solutions to problems relevant to all plastic surgeons.
Several live surgical procedures from Northside Hospital-Atlanta’s Breast Care Center surgery suites will be performed by members of the faculty. Northside Hospital, a leader in breast reconstruction, has proudly sponsored the SESPRS event each year since 1999, providing availability of the most innovative, comprehensive and scholarly plastic and reconstructive surgical techniques to the Atlanta community.
“Many of the incredible medical staff members, who practice at Northside everyday, are leaders of the Society, which provides the technical benchmark for plastic and reconstructive surgeons around the world,” says Vicki Barnett, RN, director of surgical services at Northside Hospital. “The expertise of our surgeons, currently performing life-changing procedures for Northside’s breast surgery patients, is one of the most prestigious in the southeast.”
Northside is one of a few hospitals in the country to develop a dedicated Breast Care Surgery Suite. This suite provides patients with privacy and comfort, while affording them access to a team of skilled breast specialties in surgery, radiology, pathology and oncology.
According to Mark Codner, M.D., plastic surgeon on staff at Northside Hospital and director of the symposium, the program holds great value for plastic surgeons. “This is the only comprehensive meeting devoted exclusively to breast surgery,” he says. “It includes live surgical demonstrations of cutting-edge techniques, performed by leaders in plastic surgery, and it affords a unique opportunity to learn technical tips from the masters in real time and to ask questions in a pleasant environment.”
This year’s symposium also will feature a panel developed entirely to discuss fat transfer for aesthetic and reconstructive breast surgery. “Fat transfer is one of the hottest and most controversial areas in breast surgery,” says James Namnoum, M.D., a plastic surgeon on staff at Northside Hospital, who also serves as the symposium’s co-director. “The indications, safety and efficacy of fat transfer will be thoroughly explored by pioneers in this exciting area of breast surgery.”
A group of surgeons from the Philippines will attend the symposium as part of the SESPRS foreign scholar program. Long-time breast symposium co-director L. Franklyn Elliott, M.D., a plastic surgeon on staff at Northside Hospital, says the foreign scholar program is a unique part of the legacy of the Atlanta meeting that gives it added depth. “These deserving surgeons are eager to learn and they directly translate the knowledge they gain into better patient care when they return home,” says Elliott.
Patients in Atlanta have the resources for this high level of clinical expertise right at home at Northside Hospital, where, in 2006/07, Atlanta consumers ranked Northside number one in Outpatient/Same Day Surgery and Most Personalized Care.
A leader in providing state-of-the-art surgical services, Northside Hospital is committed to continuing to provide unparalleled clinical excellence in Breast Care Services. Surgeons on staff at Northside perform more than 35,000 surgical cases annually for outpatients and inpatients in multiple, specialized operating room suites. New advances in surgical technology allow us to stay at the forefront of the medical field and devote more time to providing the best patient care possible.
For more information about the 23rd Annual Breast Surgery Symposium, visit www.sesprs.org. SESPRS is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. SESPRS designates this educational activity for a maximum of 18.0 category 1 credits toward the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award. Each physician should claim only those credits that he/she actually spent in the activity.
