Volunteer's Note
'Hand Surgery Update V' e-Book Now Available
Candidate Member Featured in Current Issue of 'People' Magazine
Apply for Bunnell Fellowship; Deadline June 1
AMA Membership Update
Attend the US Bone and Joint Initiative Young Investigators Initiative and Workshop Program
Good Referrals
Thank You to AFSH Donors
Study: Patient Access to Health Care Was Reduced Between 2000 and 2010
Volunteer's Note
The Volunteer Services Committee primarily acts as a clearinghouse to match our members who want to donate their talents with organizations that need those services.
This matching can be within the United States or internationally (we work closely with Health Volunteers Overseas).
The Committee sponsors a luncheon each year at the ASSH Annual Meeting, and all are invited to attend. This is an excellent venue to get questions answered about different volunteer programs, and each year, there is a speaker who discusses his or her volunteer efforts.
Another function of the committee is to assist in the selection of the AFSH Young Surgeons Fellows each year.
The Committee is working on a database of hand surgeons who would be available on short notice to volunteer for natural disasters like the earthquake in Haiti. We are developing a Facebook page to help with communication.
William B. LaSalle, MDChair, Volunteer Services Committee
'Hand Surgery Update V' e-Book Now Available The much-loved
Hand Surgery Update V is now available as an ASSH e-book.
You can now have this essential guide to modern practice with you on the go – on your tablet, phone, desktop and laptop – for searchable, portable convenience.
When purchased, the book can be downloaded to all your devices. It has a convenient linked table of contents, references and image call-outs, and it allows for bookmarking/note taking.
"I've seen guys lose their legs; now I don't take running for granted," Skeete said. "I've seen kids die; I don't take healthy kids for granted."
The ASSH appreciates the contributions miltary surgeons make for our country and those in need. Funding is available for active-duty military surgeons for travel expenses related to the Annual Meeting. The application deadline is June 1, and a limited number of scholarships are available.
Please include your CV, a brief personal statement and a letter of endorsement with the application.
Learn more and apply today.
Active-duty US military personnel are always eligible for meeting registration discounts. Please call the ASSH Central Office at 847-384-8300 for more information.
Learn how you can support US military surgeon scholarships.
The Sterling Bunnell, MD, Traveling Fellowship, named for the founder and first President of the ASSH, has fostered vital contributions to the field of hand surgery by supporting many elite surgeons since its inception in 1982.
The Bunnell Fellowship provides scholarship funding for a young hand surgeon to pursue an educational or academic goal that:
- Requires national and international collaboration.
- Fosters the principles of scholarship of the ASSH.
- Has a clearly delineated theme in a specific area of clinical interest, a scientific pursuit, or an educational mission.
The Traveling Fellows committee, chaired by Steven Moran, MD, will select the Bunnell fellow based on the applicant’s scholarship, ASSH contributions, and the strength of the proposed collaborative project.
Learn more about the Bunnell Fellowship application process, and
download the application. Applications are due by June 1, 2012. Contact Alexzandra Wallace at
awallace@assh.org or 847-384-8300 with questions.
The Bunnell Traveling Fellowship is generously provided by the American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand.
AMA Membership Update
AMA rules stipulate that in order to qualify for a seat in the AMA House of Delegates, 25% of our members must be AMA members. We remain 29 members shy of the 25% mark, following a week in which the ASSH Central Office received no notifications of Hand Society members who've recently joined or rejoined the AMA.
Having a seat in the AMA House of Delegates allows the ASSH to have a voice in decisions that directly affect you and your patients.
Have you joined or rejoined the AMA since January 1, 2012? Please let us know by contacting
amitchell@assh.org so we can track the progress of your AMA membership. The ASSH will reconcile our membership list with the AMA to get credit for our members.
Have your voice heard: Join the AMA.Attend the US Bone and Joint Initiative Young Investigators Initiative and Workshop Program
The AFSH will sponsor two ASSH members to attend the 2012 US Bone and Joint Initiative (USBJI) Young Investigators Initiative and Workshop Program.
This program is designed to provide early-career clinical investigators an opportunity to work with experienced researchers in our field and to assist them in securing funding and other survival skills required for pursuing an academic career.
This workshop series is open to promising junior faculty, senior fellows, or post-doctoral researchers who wish to secure funding for hypothesis-driven research. It is also open to senior fellows who are doing research and have a faculty appointment in place or confirmed.
The deadline to apply is July 15, 2012. Visit the
ASSH website for more information.
Our Kind of Town: Comprehensive Review in Chicago
The ASSH Comprehensive Review in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery is designed as an advanced review course and update for practicing hand surgeons, as well as residents and fellows in training.
The course, which will be held July 13-15 in Chicago, will review the topical concepts of anatomy, biomechanics and pathology, as well as diagnostic and treatment methods relating to hand, wrist and elbow surgery.
Course faculty are recognized experts in hand and upper extremity surgery and have been selected for their knowledge, expertise and contributions relating to the subject matters they present. Visit the
course page to see a complete list of faculty, topics, objectives and CME credit information and to register. The deadline to register is June 21.
Good Referrals
Have you read or seen something on the Web that you think your fellow members would be interested in or could benefit from?
Send links to articles, studies, photos, blogs – anything you'd like to share with membership – to
amitchell@assh.org, and we'll make sure the best get shared in this space.
Thank You to AFSH Donors
Matthew A. Bernstein, MD
Serafin M. DeLeon, III, MD
Warren C. Hammert, MD
Richard F. Howard, DO
Stuart H. Kuschner, MD
Steven A. Maser, MD
Joe A. Morgan, MD
Anthony Sapienza, MD
Stephen J. Troum, MD
David J. Tulipan, MD
Gregg A. Vagner, MD
Did you know you can now support the Foundation (AFSH) through automated monthly payments? Visit
www.afsh.org/donate to complete an auto-pay form, or contact
afsh@assh.org.
Study: Patient Access to Health Care Was Reduced Between 2000 and 2010 - from AAOSThe
Chicago Tribune reported on a study published in the May issue of the journal
Health Affairs that found that access to health care and use of health services for adults aged 19 to 64 years deteriorated between 2000 and 2010, particularly among the uninsured.
The research team found that over the same period, access for children — many of whom qualify for public coverage through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program — was generally maintained or improved. The researchers note that during the study period, enrollment in Medicaid substantially increased, suggesting that providers' capacity or willingness to serve Medicaid patients may have been reduced.
They suggest that the study findings may indicate a need to increase Medicaid payments to levels more comparable to Medicare or private insurers. They also suggest that overturning or repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act could have a negative impact on patient access to care.
Read more.