Nandita Rao, MD, FACS, DABOM, Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) metabolic and bariatric surgeon, was among 1,894 Initiates from around the world who became Fellows of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) during the October 19 Convocation that preceded the opening of the Clinical Congress 2024 in San Francisco, California. The Clinical Congress, one of the largest educational meetings of surgeons in the world, is attended by thousands of surgeons and medical professionals every year.
This year’s class of Initiates included 1,232 surgeons from the U.S. and Canada; 662 are from 73 other countries around the world. Dr. Rao currently practices as a metabolic and bariatric surgeon with MVHS and performs her surgeries at the Wynn Hospital in Utica, New York. She has attained board certification from the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Obesity Medicine and is one of the few female bariatric surgeons in Central New York. Dr. Rao has a strong professional interest in both medical education and global surgery and holds memberships in other professional societies including the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons.
By meeting the College’s stringent membership requirements, Fellows of the College have earned the distinguished right to use the designation of “FACS” (Fellow, American College of Surgeons) after their names. An applicant for Fellowship must be a graduate of an approved medical school, must have completed advanced training in one of the 14 surgical specialties recognized by the College, must possess certification by an American surgical specialty board or appropriate certification by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and must have been in practice for at least one year at the time of his or her application. Before admission into Fellowship, the surgeon must further demonstrate ethical and professional proficiency, and his or her acceptance as a Fellow of the College must be approved by three-fourths of its Board of Regents.
In addition to the Convocation, the Clinical Congress also featured reports on research-in-progress, panel discussions, guest lectures, poster sessions and technical exhibits. More than 9,807 people participated in Clinical Congress 2024, including approximately 8,992 in person in San Francisco and nearly 815 virtual attendees.
The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has approximately 90,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. For more information, please visit www.facs.org.
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