The Thoracic Surgery Directors Association held its first cardiothoracic surgery Boot Camp July 31-August 3, 2008 in Chapel Hill, NC. The event, held at the William and Ida Friday Center, provided 33 first-year CT surgery residents with an experiential foundation and hands-on practice in basic CT operating skills so that they are better prepared to enter the CT surgery operating room in their home programs. More than 20 faculty members led cardiac and thoracic training sessions, including CPB skills, large/small anastomosis, bronchoscopy/mediastinoscopy, open lobectomy, and aortic valve replacement. Didactic sessions and hands-on wet labs were employed to create a realistic environment for residents to understand and practice techniques procedures performed in the operating room.

Click here for pictures of this unique event.

Sponsors:
TSDA would like to thank the following organizations and corporate sponsors for their generous contributions to this event:

TSDA Boot Camp Directors:
John Brown, MD, TSDA President
John Calhoon, MD, TSDA President-Elect
Richard Feins, MD, University of North Carolina
George Hicks, MD, TSDA Secretary-Treasurer

TSDA Boot Camp Faculty:
Ron Angona, University of Rochester
Manjit Bains, MD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
William Baumgartner, MD, Johns Hopkins Hospital
Katherine Birchard, MD, University of North Carolina
Andrea Carpenter, MD, University of Texas San Antonio
W. Randolph Chitwood, Jr., MD, East Carolina University
Daniel Coore, PhD, University of the West Indies
Thomas Daniel, MD, University of Virginia
Malcolm DeCamp, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
L. Penfield Faber, MD, Rush University
James Fann, MD, Stanford University
James Gangemi, MD, University of Rochester
George Magovern, MD, Allegheny General Hospital
Kamal Mansour, MD, Emory University
M. Blair Marshall, MD, Georgetown University
Walter Merrill, MD, University of Cincinnati
Gordon Murray, MD, West Virginia University
Peter Pairolero, MD, Mayo Clinic
Robert Poston, MD, Boston Medical College
Paul Ramphal, DM, University of the West Indies
Francis Robicsek, MD, Carolinas Medical Center
Valerie Rusch, MD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Doris Stoll, PhD
Benson Wilcox, MD, University of North Carolina
Cameron Wright, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital

Resident Programs Represented:
Allegheny General Hospital
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston University
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Duke University
Emory University
Johns Hopkins Hospital
Long Island Jewish Medical Center
Massachusetts General Hospital
Mayo Clinic
Medical University of South Carolina
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
New York University
Northwestern University
Ohio State University
University of Alabama
University of California-Davis
University of California-Los Angeles
University of California-San Diego
University of Cincinnati
University of Colorado
University of Iowa
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota
University of North Carolina
University of Pittsburgh
University of Rochester
University of Southern California
University of Texas-San Antonio
University of Texas-Southwestern
University of Virginia
University of Washington