Mark A. Praeger, MD, FACS 2008 Governor's Report Each year the Governor's activities begin in earnest with the October Clinical Congress. Last year's Socioeconomic Committee meeting was the most spirited ever. The frustration of practicing surgeons were more evident than ever before. Suggestions made to the Board of Regents, with the able leadership of Dr. Valerie Rusch, resulted in several important changes. For the first time, the Board of Regents will attend 1 1/2 hours of the annual meeting of the Board of Governors. Previously, a representative of the Board of Regents made a token appearance. The Board of Governors felt very strongly that more direct communication with the Regents was necessary, and the Regents agreed. This represents a milestone of change in the perception that the College is a "top-heavy" organization. The challenges of today demand better communication, and the Board of Governors appreciates the willingness of the Regents to be more directly involved with us. The College has also taken advantage of the electronic age. The web portal continues to expand, and is a very valuable resource to us all. I hope everyone takes advantage of it. The Board of Governors has had two conference call webinars this year. This very effective means of communication, which allows real-time interaction, has been very well received. In addition, the first of several planned Town Hall meetings took place on 6/13/08, and was very well received. The meeting is available for viewing on the web portal. The American College of Surgeons is the only organization which represents the entire "House of Surgery". There is an on-going effort to unify the various specialty organizations to improve collaboration, so that our voice in Washington will be stronger. The planned expanded Washington D.C. office is testimony to that effort. If any of you doubt that the College is working for you, I encourage you to get more involved. It won't take long for you to understand the scope of work the College is involved in, and you will quickly understand the value of Dr. Warshaw's great work with the ACSPA Surgeon's PAC. The advocacy efforts of the College have never been more important. If each member of the American College of Surgeons would send just $100, we would exceed the dollar influence of the Trial Lawyers in Washington! Unfortunately, a large percentage of our membership doesn't get the message. Those of us who understand the value of the College's efforts need to be more generous than $100. Remember, as distateful as it seems, money equals access in Washington. It has been a privilege to serve as your Governor for another year. Please contact me with any concerns you want me to present to the Board of Governors. Mark Praeger, MD FACS mpraeger@sunflower.com 785-843-2010