Surgery can be difficult to teach using only books and papers, but talking to experts in the craft can provide the boost a young medical professional needs to become a great surgeon, says Harry C. Miller, MD. Forging that connection is one of the goals of the annual Dr. Harry C. Miller Visiting Professorship Symposium and Reception.
This year’s event, on March 10, will mark the fifth symposium. Thomas Jarrett, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Urology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), said the symposium is going strong because it’s an ongoing educational activity that allows residents, faculty, and other attendees to hear from experts in the field.
“The residents get a wonderful opportunity to present cases and get feedback. We present cases appropriate to the expertise of the visiting professor. This year it’s oncology, so residents get to hear [the speakers’] perspectives on complicated cases,” Jarrett said.
Miller, Professor Emeritus and former chair of the Department of Urology at SMHS, called the symposium a “great honor and privilege.” Miller arrived at GW in 1973 and led the urology department for 22 years. The annual event recognizes his leadership, service, and contribution to the department.
The symposium this year will for the first time focus on both adult and pediatric urology. Visiting professor Leonard G. Gomella, MD, Bernard W. Godwin Professor of Prostate Cancer, chairman of the Department of Urology at Thomas Jefferson University, and senior director of clinical affairs at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, will speak at the event, along with guest speaker Barry A. Kogan, MD, recipient of the Falk Chair in Urology and chief of the Division of Urology at Albany Medical College.
The symposium, Jarrett said, also allows alumni to reconnect and maintain their ties to the department. “It is good comradery, and everyone rallies together for it. People have a good time all around,” Jarrett said.
Miller added that faculty also can benefit from the symposium. While they have more experience than the residents, the event allows them to meet and talk with someone making progress in the field, information they can then take and see how it could apply to their own practice, he said.
“Medicine moves along so rapidly, the things I’ve learned in training have been superseded by fantastic process in the field,” he said. “It’s great to come down, say hello to old friends, and witness the progress that’s gone on.”
This event is by invitation only. Please contact Natalie Winkleman if you have interest in attending at allgeier@gwu.edu or 202-994-8738.
