When Charles J. Yeo, MD, FACS, was inducted into the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators this September, he became the first Jefferson faculty member elected as a full member of the prestigious group.
Dr. Yeo, Chair of the Department of Surgery at Sidney Kimmel Medical College (SKMC), sees the recognition as a reflection of something bigger: Jefferson’s longstanding commitment to training the next generation of surgeons.
The American College of Surgeons established the Academy of Master Surgeon Educators in 2017 to recognize achievements in surgical education and advance the field through collaboration among leading surgeon educators. Membership is determined through a rigorous peer-review process that evaluates candidates against specific standards and criteria.
Continued growth
When Dr. Yeo became chair in 2005, he had several goals for surgical education: train more surgeons and fellows, give residents meaningful research opportunities, increase their exposure to complex cases, and help them share their work on a national stage.
Jefferson Builds the Next Generation of Surgeons
Under Charles J. Yeo, MD, FACS, Sidney Kimmel Medical College has raised the standard for surgical training
As Chair of the Department of Surgery, Charles J. Yeo, MD, FACS, has worked to train more surgeons and fellows, give residents meaningful research opportunities, increase their exposure to complex cases, and help them share their work on a national stage.
In September, Charles J. Yeo, MD, FACS, (center) became the first Jefferson faculty member elected as a full member of the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators. Jefferson’s Charles Paidas, MD, MBA, FACS, (left), and Joshua Marks, MD, FACS, FCCM, (right) were selected as associate members.
“We wanted to raise the standard of surgical education on several different fronts,” he says.
Since then, the General Surgery Residency has expanded from five to seven chief residents each year, while Jefferson has developed robust, sought-after fellowship programs spanning specialties including vascular surgery, advanced gastrointestinal and minimally invasive surgery, surgical critical care, cardiothoracic surgery, and transplant surgery.
The department has also grown substantially, from fewer than 30 faculty members and advanced practice clinicians to over 125. Its leadership structure expanded from one vice chair to 15, including a dedicated vice chair of education. That role, now held by Karen Chojnacki, MD, helps lead a team focused specifically on surgical education.
“Everybody teaches,” Dr. Yeo says. “All the faculty teach our medical students, our residents, our fellows.”
But as the department grew, he says, it became important to establish a dedicated team to oversee the many components of its residency and fellowship programs.
Learning by doing
At the heart of surgical training is hands-on experience, giving residents opportunities to care for patients and develop their skills in the operating room.
“Surgery is a technical sport,” Dr. Yeo says. “You have to learn those skills, and you have to learn how to take care of patients.”
During his tenure, Dr. Yeo, says the annual number of complex surgical cases at Jefferson has grown from just over 700 to about 2,500. Residents also complete one or two years of research, working with mentors to conduct studies, publish peer-reviewed papers, and present their findings at national meetings. They gain additional experience through surgical simulation and robotic technology.
Surgery is a technical sport. You have to learn those skills, and you have to learn how to take care of patients.
Richard Zheng, MD, a surgical and hepatobiliary oncologist at Jefferson, experienced that training firsthand. He completed his General Surgery Residency under Dr. Yeo before returning to Jefferson as a faculty member and one of his junior partners.
“Although we’re expected to contribute to the field of surgery in many ways, the real focus of this program under Dr. Yeo’s leadership has been to create great clinicians and surgeons,” Dr. Zheng says.
He says Dr. Yeo reinforces that mission by remaining closely involved in patient care despite his responsibilities as department chair.
Creating a surgical family
Dr. Yeo has supervised and certified over 120 surgical chief residents during his tenure at Jefferson, with more than 99% advancing to fellowship training. His commitment extends to medical students as well, including 15 consecutive years of the Philadelphia Surgery Symposium, support for SKMC’s Dr. John H. Gibbon Jr. Surgical Society, and medical student and nursing scholarships funded by him and his wife, Theresa Yeo, PhD.
Those investments reflect a philosophy that surgical education is about creating a community, not simply completing a training program.
“I think we have a very collegial, committed, congenial group of people who understand what a surgical family means,” Dr. Yeo says. “We believe the general goal is to do the absolute best we can for our patients, and that takes a team effort.”
Perhaps more than anything, it is the steps Dr. Yeo takes to prepare himself for difficult situations that I wish to emulate the most.
The lessons Dr. Zheng learned during residency continue to influence how he practices today. He says he models much of his surgical technique on his experience working with Dr. Yeo, but another lesson has been equally important.
“Perhaps more than anything,” Dr. Zheng says, “it is the steps he takes to prepare himself for difficult situations that I wish to emulate the most.”
Now, Dr. Zheng is among the Jefferson faculty, training another generation of surgeons and carrying that approach forward.
Dr. Yeo also encouraged other Jefferson faculty members to apply to the academy this year, resulting in Joshua Marks, MD, FACS, FCCM, and Charles Paidas, MD, MBA, FACS, being selected as associate members.
The additional recognitions underscore the strength of surgical education across the department and the culture that has developed over more than two decades.
“The commitment to education has been longstanding,” Dr. Yeo says.