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The STS Annual Meeting

2014; Elsevier BV; Volume: 97; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.athoracsur.2013.10.014

1552-6259

William A. Baumgartner, Douglas J. Mathisen,

Biomedical and Engineering Education

The evolution of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Annual Meeting has been nothing short of spectacular. Its current richness and breadth of specialty-specific content uses multiple teaching formats to provide state-of-the-art education for surgeons, residents, allied health care professionals, and students.The First MeetingThe first STS Annual Meeting was held January 25-27, 1965, at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel in Saint Louis. The meeting and administrative functions were scheduled Sunday through Wednesday, which essentially is the same today.Twenty-six scientific papers were presented in 1965; 12 presentations were on topics dealing with adult cardiac diseases, 12 on general thoracic diseases, and one each relating to congenital heart disease and transplantation. F. Mason Sones, Jr, MD, a pioneer in angiography and a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, was the guest lecturer and spoke on "Coronary Arteriography."The registration fee was $10 with no fee for residents or fellows, who were required to provide a letter of endorsement from their program director. There were 19 exhibitors listed in the program. The STS Business Session for members was held on Tuesday from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm, and the President's Mixer was held on Tuesday evening. Attendance included 411 cardiothoracic surgeons. Paul C. Samson, MD, the first STS President, presided (Table 1).Table 1STS Presidential Addresses–The First Fifty Years1964–1966Paul C. Samson∗Deceased.A New Specialty Surgical Society: La Raison d'ÊtreAnn Thorac Surg 1965;1:1–21966–1967Thomas H. Burford∗Deceased.No official presidential address given1967–1968Donald L. Paulson∗Deceased.A Philosophy of Treatment for Bronchogenic CarcinomaAnn Thorac Surg 1968;5:289–2991968–1969Lyman A. Brewer, III∗Deceased.Wounds of the Chest in War and Peace: 1943–1968Ann Thorac Surg 1969;7:387–4081969–1970Donald B. Effler∗Deceased.The Compleat Thoracic-Cardiovascular Surgeon: His Special TrainingAnn Thorac Surg 1970;10:1–81970–1971Will C. Sealy∗Deceased.Residents and ResidenciesAnn Thorac Surg 1971;12:561–5731971–1972Robert G. Ellison∗Deceased.Significant Events in the History of The Society of Thoracic SurgeonsAnn Thorac Surg 1972;14:577–6041972–1973Benson B. Roe∗Deceased.Whither in Maturity?Ann Thorac Surg 1973;15:553–5641973–1974Earle B. Kay∗Deceased.I. Professional Standards Review Organizations and Their Implications for Physicians; II. Thromboembolism on Mitral Valve ProsthesisAnn Thorac Surg 1974;18:105–1211974–1975Herbert E. Sloan∗Deceased.The Breeding and Feeding of Thoracic SurgeonsAnn Thorac Surg 1975;20:371–3861975–1976Ralph D. Alley∗Deceased.The Society of Thoracic SurgeonsAnn Thorac Surg 1976;22:407–4141976–1977Thomas B. Ferguson∗Deceased.Guilds, Boards, and HobgoblinsAnn Thorac Surg 1977;24:6–181977–1978F. Henry Ellis, Jr∗Deceased.Caritas ChirurgiAnn Thorac Surg 1978;26:6–101978–1979Harold V. Liddle∗Deceased.Impasse at the Crossroads: Evolution or RegulationAnn Thorac Surg 1979;28:7–131979–1980Paul C. Adkins∗Deceased.Accentuating the PositiveAnn Thorac Surg 1980;30:5–121980–1981Jay L. AnkeneyAssuranceAnn Thorac Surg 1981;32:222–2291981–1982Anthony R.C. DobellThe Human TouchAnn Thorac Surg 1982;34:1–51982–1983Hassan NajafiA Fascinating JourneyAnn Thorac Surg 1983;36:1–91983–1984Harold C. Urschel, Jr∗Deceased.Life Is Short And the Art Long The Occasion Instant The Experiment Perilous The Decision DifficultAnn Thorac Surg 1984;38:1–141984–1985George J. Magovern, Sr∗Deceased.How Shall We Then Practice?Ann Thorac Surg 1985;40:103–1121985–1986Albert StarrThe Thoracic Surgical Industrial ComplexAnn Thorac Surg 1986;42:124–1331986–1987Charles R. Hatcher, JrThere Is Life Outside the Operating RoomAnn Thorac Surg 1988;45:117–1211987–1988Hermes C. Grillo∗Deceased.Notes on the WindpipeAnn Thorac Surg 1989;47:9–261988–1989George G. Lindesmith∗Deceased.Philosophy 1Ann Thorac Surg 1990;49:7–131989–1991W. Gerald RainerProfiles of Leadership in Thoracic SurgeryAnn Thorac Surg 1991;51:877–8811991–1992Robert W. Jamplis∗Deceased.If Not the Art, Why the Science?Ann Thorac Surg 1992;53:743–7491992–1993Vincent L. GottAnd It Happened During Our Lifetime ...Ann Thorac Surg 1993;55:1057–10641993–1994Denton A. CooleyFifty Years of Cardiovascular SurgeryAnn Thorac Surg 1994;57:1059–10631994–1995Benson R. Wilcox∗Deceased.A Half-Dead Thing...?Ann Thorac Surg 1995;59:1047–10551995–1996John R. BenfieldMetamorphosisAnn Thorac Surg 1996;61:1045–10501996–1997Robert L. ReplogleThe Way Things Were—The Ways Things Ought to BeAnn Thorac Surg 1997;63:923–9291997–1998George C. KaiserParanoia or Reality?Ann Thorac Surg 1998;65:1201–12061998–1999Richard P. Anderson∗Deceased.Thoracic Surgery at Century's EndAnn Thorac Surg 1999;67:897–9021999–2000Nicholas T. KouchoukosCardiothoracic Surgery in the New Millennium: Challenges and Opportunities in a Time of ParadoxAnn Thorac Surg 2000;69:1303–13112000–2001Jack M. MatloffThe Practice of Medicine in the Year 2010: Revisited in 2001Ann Thorac Surg 2001;72:1105–11122001–2002Mark B. OrringerUnity and Participation: Embracing Counterintuitive Survival SkillsAnn Thorac Surg 2002;74:3–122002–2003William A. BaumgartnerCardiothoracic Surgery: A Specialty in Transition—Good to Great?Ann Thorac Surg 2003;75:1685–16922003–2004Robert A. GuytonQuo Vadimus?Ann Thorac Surg 2004;78:391–3982004–2005Peter C. PairoleroQuality, Safety, and Transparency: A Rising Tide Floats All BoatsAnn Thorac Surg 2005;80:387–3952005–2006Sidney LevitskyNavigating the New "Flat World" of Cardiothoracic SurgeryAnn Thorac Surg 2007;83:361–3692006–2007Frederick L. GroverThe Bright Future of Cardiothoracic Surgery in the Era of Changing Health Care Delivery: An UpdateAnn Thorac Surg 2008;85:8–242007–2008John E. Mayer, JrIs There a Role for the Medical Profession in Solving the Problems of the American Health Care System?Ann Thorac Surg 2009;87:1655–16612008–2009W. Randolph Chitwood, JrThe Road Less Traveled: Pioneers and PioneeringAnn Thorac Surg 2011;91:993–10002009–2010Gordon F. Murray"Though Medicine Can Be Learned, It Cannot Be Taught"—The First 100 Years: Flexnerian Competency 2010Ann Thorac Surg 2010;90:1–102010–2011Douglas J. MathisenIt Is the Journey, Not the DestinationAnn Thorac Surg 2012;93:1404–14152011–2012Michael J. MackIf This Were My Last Speech, What Would I Say?Ann Thorac Surg 2012;94:1044–10522012–2013Jeffrey B. RichThe Passions and Actions of Our Lives: Changing the World Around UsIn press∗ Deceased. Open table in a new tab Meeting GrowthThe initial meeting attendance of 411 has more than quintupled over the past 5 decades. In 2013, total meeting attendance was 4,683, which included a professional attendance of 2,281: 1,107 Active and International Members, 53 Associate Members, 466 non-member physicians, 280 non-member allied health professionals, 184 Candidate and Pre-Candidate Members, 167 non-member residents, and 24 non-member medical students. Figure 1 shows the increase in overall meeting attendance from 1965 to 2013, while Figure 2 shows that the membership numbers were increasing commensurately over the first 50 years with over 6,800 members in the Society by late 2013.Fig 2Increase in STS membership 1965–2013.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload (PPT)Scientific SessionsEarly Annual Meeting programs (1965–1989) generally had between 35 and 50 scientific presentations each. In the very early years, the majority related to general thoracic surgery. In time, presentation topics became more evenly split between thoracic and cardiac surgery with several additional ones related to congenital heart disease. Over the ensuing years, abstract submissions increased (Fig 3) with an increasing number of presentations related to surgery of the aorta, transplantation, and mechanical assist devices. More recently, some sessions have been devoted to cardiothoracic surgical education and critical care.Fig 3Number of Scientific abstracts presented at the STS Annual Meeting 1965–2014.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload (PPT)Meeting Content by DecadeFirst Decade (1965–1974)Ethical issues were first discussed at the 1969 Annual Meeting in San Diego, and Surgical Motion Pictures were introduced into the program that year. Also at the 1969 meeting, the first Distinguished Service Award was presented to John D. Steele, MD (Table 2). At the 1973 Annual Meeting in Houston, a panel session titled "How Can Quality Control Best Be Built Into Health Care Delivery?" was moderated by pioneering cardiac surgeon C. Rollins Hanlon, MD, Director of the American College of Surgeons. Today's major emphasis by STS on quality, as exemplified by the STS National Database, was clearly predated by the prescient decision of the Program Committee to select this topic for discussion more than 40 years ago.Table 2Distinguished Service Award Recipients1969 – John D. Steele1970 – Paul C. Samson1972 – Lyman A. Brewer III1975 – Robert G. Ellison1977 – Ralph D. Alley1981 – Herbert E. Sloan1991 – Thomas B. Ferguson1998 – W. Gerald RainerHarold C. Urschel, Jr1999 – Jack M. Matloff2000 – Robert L. Replogle2001 – Timothy J. GardnerSidney LevitskyGeorge E. Miller2002 – Richard G. Sanderson2003 – Benson R. Wilcox2004 – Richard P. Anderson2005 – Nicholas T. Kouchoukos2006 – Gordon F. MurrayMark B. Orringer2007 – Fred H. EdwardsPeter K. Smith2008 – Betsey Bradley UrschelJeffrey B. Rich2010 – John E. Mayer, JrFrederick L. Grover2011 – L. Henry Edmunds, Jr2012 – Robert M. Sade2013 – Michael J. MackCarolyn E. Reed (posthumously) Open table in a new tab Second Decade (1975–1984)At the 1975 Annual Meeting in Montreal, Henry J. Heimlich, MD, reported on "Food-Choking and Drowning Deaths Prevented by External Subdiaphragmatic Compression: Physiological Basis." Also in 1975, Claude M. Grondin, MD, Lucien Campeau, MD, and colleagues analyzed the patency of coronary artery bypass grafts at 1 year, reporting no difference between internal mammary artery and saphenous vein grafts.By the mid-1970s, there was increased awareness about the value of attendee input regarding program content. The first Program Evaluation form was included in the program for the 1976 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, as was the first "Guidelines for Ethical Relations with Communications Media." At this time, activities for spouses and guests of attendees were added to the Social Program."Guidelines for Data Reporting and Nomenclature" were published for the first time in the program for the 1978 Annual Meeting in Orlando. At the 1978 Annual Meeting, Breakfast Sessions and Workshops were introduced; John Relland, MD, and Alain Carpentier, MD, PhD, presented their early experience with mitral valve repair, and Hermes C. Grillo, MD, presented "Tracheal Tumors: Surgical Management." Also in 1978, Francis T. Thomas, MD, and Szabolcs S. Szentpetery, MD, working with Richard Lower, MD, at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, were the first to report on "Long Distance Transportation of Human Hearts for Transplantation."In 1979, Marko Turina, MD, and Andreas R. Gruentzig, MD, reported on the "Role of the Surgeon in Percutaneous Transluminal Dilatation of Coronary Stenosis." In 1980, John E. Mayer, Jr, MD, William G. Lindsay, MD, and Demetre M. Nicoloff, MD, PhD, presented the "Effect of Aspirin and Persantine on Patency of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts." This study, one of the first prospective randomized trials in cardiac surgery, documented the salutary effects of these agents on vein graft patency.The first J. Maxwell Chamberlain Memorial Paper was presented in 1981 at the Annual Meeting in Los Angeles. The Chamberlain Paper designation, awarded by the Program Committee for best paper, was given to Dr Joseph F. Teply for "Ultimate Prognosis after Valve Replacement: An Assessment at Twenty Years." The designation was eventually expanded to include the best papers in adult cardiac surgery, general thoracic surgery, and congenital heart surgery.At the 1983 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, the program book was dedicated to Dr Samson, the Society's first President, who had died the previous year. Tributes were offered by Robert G. Ellison, MD, and David J. Dugan, MD. At the same meeting, Levi Watkins, Jr, MD, Michel Mirowski, MD, and colleagues presented "Treatment of Malignant Ventricular Tachyarrhythmias with Combined Endocardial Resection and Implantation of the Automatic Defibrillator." The study included the initial 12 patients who received this device.Internationally known business executive and future US presidential candidate H. Ross Perot spoke at the 1984 Annual Meeting in San Antonio. A guest of STS President Harold C. Urschel, Jr, MD, Perot's talk was titled "On Wings of Eagles." The first Postgraduate Program for Women, organized by Dr Urschel's wife Betsey, was held that same year. She continued organizing the program, later called the Spouse Postgraduate Program, through the 2013 Annual Meeting and was presented the STS Distinguished Service Award in 2008.Third Decade (1985–1994)Awareness of health policy issues increased in the 1980s. During the Postgraduate Course held at the 1985 Annual Meeting in Phoenix, the invited lecturer was policy expert Randolph B. Fenninger, JD, who spoke on "The 99th Congress: What's in Store for Medicine?" Later in the week, a presentation by one of the early practitioners of health care law, James E. Ludlam, JD, asked "Is a New Malpractice Crisis Coming? Problems Facing the Physician and the Hospital."The health care delivery theme was continued at the 1987 Annual Meeting in Toronto. Johns Hopkins Health System President Robert M. Heyssel, MD, spoke during the Postgraduate Program on "The Impact of a Competitive Health System on the University Hospital." The first Herbert Sloan Lecture, titled "Lung Transplantation," was given at the 1988 Annual Meeting in New Orleans by Joel D. Cooper, MD (Table 3).Table 3Herbert E. Sloan Lecturers1988 – Joel D. Cooper1992 – Mark V. Braimbridge1995 – Robert H. Anderson1996 – Philippe G. Dartevelle Open table in a new tab STS celebrated its 25th anniversary at the 1989 Annual Meeting in Baltimore. Significant presentations on the technical and scientific advances in cardiac and general thoracic surgery during the previous 25 years were given by John W. Kirklin, MD, and David B. Skinner, MD, respectively. Also in 1989, parallel sessions were introduced. These sessions initially involved only 1 day of the meeting, but were later increased to 2 days.Unlike most STS Annual Meetings, the 1988–1990 meetings were held in September. The switch back to the January/February timetable led to an Interim Meeting in Chicago because the 1990 meeting was held 5 months before the 1991 Annual Meeting in San Francisco. The first STS National Database presentation, a significant event offering initial results from the first 50,000 cases and an introduction to the software, was given in 1990.At the 1991 Annual Meeting, the first Ralph Alley Lecture, "The Future of American Thoracic Surgery," was given by Harry Schwartz, PhD, a columnist for American Medical News (Table 4).Table 4Ralph S. Alley Lecturers1991 – Harry Schwartz1997 – Yasuharu Imai1998 – Vincent L. Gott1999 – Miles F. Shore2000 – Hans G. Borst2001 – William R. Brody Open table in a new tab With rising attention to resident education, the first Thoracic Surgery Directors Association (TSDA) Award was given at the 1992 Annual Meeting in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, to the resident whose paper was judged to be the best among all resident submissions. In 2010 this award was renamed in honor of the recently deceased Past President of the Society, Benson R. Wilcox, and is still given at the STS Annual Meeting. Recognizing the role of the program director in residency programs, TSDA presented a companion award to the resident's program director. Also new in 1992 were the How I Do It technical sessions.Poster presentations were introduced at the 1993 Annual Meeting in San Antonio as another part of the scientific program.Fourth Decade (1995-2004)The popular Meet the Experts program was initiated in 1995 at the Annual Meeting in Palm Springs, California, and took place on Tuesday morning at the same time as the How I Do It sessions.By the 1997 Annual Meeting in San Diego, the STS National Database had become so robust that data managers began holding a separate program at the Annual Meeting. This gathering later became an annual standalone conference, Advances in Quality and Outcomes: A Data Managers Meeting.At the 2000 Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale, the first Earl Bakken Award for Scientific Achievement was presented to Gerald Buckberg, MD (Table 5). The first Thomas B. Ferguson Lecture was given at the 2001 Annual Meeting in New Orleans by Senator William H. Frist, Sr, MD (R-TN), a cardiothoracic surgeon and STS member. His lecture was titled "White Hats and White Coats: Why Physicians are Uniquely Qualified for Public Service." Dr Frist returned as the Ferguson Lecturer in 2007 (Table 6).Table 5Earl Bakken Award Recipients2000 – Gerald D. Buckberg2001 – Rene G. Favaloro2001 – W. Dudley Johnson2002 – Hermes C. Grillo2003 – Denton R. Cooley2004 – Richard D. Weisel2005 – Randall B. Griepp2006 – Vincent L. Gott2007 – Joel D. Cooper2008 – William A. Baumgartner2009 – James J. Cox2010 – Mark B. Orringer2011 – Philippe Menasche2012 – Sidney Levitsky2013 – D. Craig Miller Open table in a new tab Table 6Thomas B. Ferguson Lecturers2001 – William H. Frist2002 – Shukri F. Khuri2003 – David A. Kessler2004 – Donald J. Palmisano2005 – James P. Bagian2006 – David P. Taggart2007 – William H. Frist2008 – Elizabeth O. Teisberg2009 – Bruce E. Keogh2010 – Jeffrey B. Rich2011 – Atul Gawande2012 – Jeffrey E. Shuren2013 – Mark B. McClellan Open table in a new tab The first Socrates Award was given in 2001 by the Thoracic Surgery Residents Association to Mark Stout, MD. This award, still given every year, recognizes an outstanding teacher and mentor of cardiothoracic surgical residents. Nominations for this prestigious recognition are made by residents (Table 7).Table 7Socrates Award Recipients2001 – Mark J. Stout2002 – Mark B. Orringer2003 – William A. Baumgartner2004 – Bruce W. Lytle2005 – Edward D. Verrier2006 – John A. Elefteriades2007 – Richard C. Daly and Valerie W. Rusch2008 – Patrick M. McCarthy2009 – Robert A. Guyton2010 – William A. Baumgartner2011 – Lyle D. Joyce2012 – George L. Hicks, Jr2013 – Carolyn E. Reed (posthumously) Open table in a new tab After approximately a year and a half of planning in conjunction with the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the first STS/AATS Tech-Con sessions were added to the 2002 STS Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale. Tech-Con activities were held on the Saturday and Sunday preceding the formal scientific sessions. This unique format provided a platform for surgeons with special expertise to present their innovative techniques and concepts. These presentations were followed by informal discussions. The initial program focused on cardiac surgery, and parallel sessions in general thoracic surgery were subsequently added.At the 2003 Annual Meeting in San Diego, former Food & Drug Administration Commissioner David A. Kessler, MD, JD, gave the Ferguson Lecture, titled "A Question of Intent: The Tobacco Wars," and the Workforce on Practice Education invited U.S. Health & Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson, JD, to present a special lecture.Fifth Decade (2005-2014)As noted, the quality of the Annual Meeting scientific content has been significantly enhanced over the years via new educational formats. One relatively new and immensely successful program was initiated at the 2005 Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida. The inaugural STS University offered 2 didactic courses, 7 wet labs, and a series of video demonstrations and live surgical procedures. At the 2014 Annual Meeting in Orlando, the Society's 50th Anniversary meeting, STS U will offer 11 wet labs and other hands-on learning opportunities, along with didactic instructions that can be accessed online in video format before, during, and after the Annual Meeting.The first C. Walton Lillehei Lecture was given at the 2009 Annual Meeting in San Francisco by Doris A. Taylor, PhD (Table 8). Her presentation, "Bioartificial Heart: New Uses for Old Cells," examined how overcoming the lack of donor organs and tackling the immunologic consequences of allotransplantation could greatly improve the outlook for patients in the 21st century.Table 8C. Walton Lillehei Lecturers2009 – Doris A. Taylor2010 – William A. Neal2011 – Joseph P. Vacanti2012 – Friedrich W. Mohr2013 – Carolyn M. Clancy Open table in a new tab The first Richard E. Clark Paper was given at the 2010 Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale to highlight important research based on STS National Database data and quickly became an integral part of the scientific program. The designation honors Dr Clark for his significant contributions to the Database's development. Three Clark Papers are now presented annually, one for each of the three component databases: the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database, the General Thoracic Surgery Database, and the Congenital Heart Surgery Database.The 2011 Annual Meeting in San Diego was the backdrop for the first STS President's Award, an award which recognizes a resident or young investigator for submitting the best scientific abstract to the Annual Meeting program (Table 9). Michael A. Ko, MD, received the award for "MicroRNA Expression Profiling of Esophageal Cancer Pre- and Post-Induction Chemoradiotherapy."Table 9President's Award Recipients2011 – Michael A. Ko2012 – Mark J. Russo2013 – Matthew L. Williams Open table in a new tab Presentation of papers under the title of Late-Breaking Clinical Trials occurred first at the 2012 Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale. Patient Safety, a recurring topic at previous Annual Meetings, was prominently featured in the symposium, "Teamwork in CT Surgery Is More Important Than Ever." Also in 2012, American College of Cardiology President David R. Holmes, MD, delivered a special presentation exploring cross-specialty collaboration between cardiothoracic surgeons and cardiologists.Over the years, a number of programs have been offered in conjunction with other professional societies, including the American Society of Transplant Surgeons and the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. Symposia on government affairs, advocacy, ethics, coding, and critical care have also been held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting.The Postgraduate CourseThe Annual Postgraduate Course merits special emphasis. The first course was given prior to the 1967 Annual Meeting in Kansas City and consisted of multiple presentations related to a general topic, such as postoperative pulmonary problems or aorto-coronary vein grafts. As the course evolved over the next decade, content was organized into general thoracic and cardiac sections and included topics such as cardiac valve surgery, lung cancer, pulmonary insufficiency, and pacemakers. General themes such as current surgical management of ischemic heart disease and esophageal disease were also discussed.In the early years, invited speakers included Dr Sones, who spoke on coronary angiography, Charles Dubost, MD, who addressed the scientific and ethical problems surrounding organ transplantation, Lyman A. Brewer III, MD, who discussed wounds of the chest during war and peace (1943–1968), Donald B. Effler, MD, who spoke about the training of the complete thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon, and Dr Ellison, who offered insight into significant events in STS history.Business MeetingThe first Annual Meeting for Members, also known as the Business Meeting, was conducted on Tuesday afternoon at the inaugural Annual Meeting. A year later, the Business Meeting was moved to Monday afternoon after the scientific sessions, where it continues to be held today. The Business Meeting provides the annual forum at which the Society's members learn about the organization's recent activities and current finances, elect STS officers and directors, admit new Active and International Members to the organization, and amend STS Bylaws as appropriate.Resident ParticipationCardiothoracic surgery residents have attended the Annual Meeting since its inception and have been encouraged to participate in all activities. When the Thoracic Surgery Residents Association (TSRA) was established in 1997, TSRA members were asked to serve on many of the Society's governance bodies. In addition TSRA leaders organize educational sessions for residents at the Annual Meeting and participate in a luncheon session chaired by STS members with a particular interest in resident education.Recognizing that these residents are the future of the specialty, the STS Looking to the Future Scholarship Program was established in 2006. This program provides scholarships for general surgery residents who have expressed an interest in cardiothoracic surgery to attend the Annual Meeting. It has proven to be very popular and fruitful, and was expanded in 2011 to include medical students.ExhibitorsSTS has been extremely fortunate over the years to attract large numbers of exhibitors to the Annual Meeting. In addition to defraying the costs of the meeting for the attendees, exhibitors provide innovative and state-of-the-art technology for examination and evaluation. Some of these technologies are showcased by cardiothoracic surgeons who participated in their development and evaluation. The number of exhibitors has grown substantially over the last 50 years, from 19 at the 1965 Annual Meeting to more than 150 at the 2013 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.This brief tour down STS Annual Meeting memory lane provides a glimpse at the remarkable developments that have occurred over the last 50 years in medical education. From the early didactic sessions in the first few decades to debates, panel discussions, audience interaction, special lectures, and wet labs, today's cardiothoracic surgeon can easily find the type of educational content that suits his or her style at the STS Annual Meeting.The Society has played a major role in advancing the specialty of cardiothoracic surgery and the quality of patient care, with many of these advances occurring during tumultuous times for the medical profession. While this chapter serves to document some of the educational milestones, what cannot be easily documented, however, are the innumerable personal interactions and exchanges of individual experiences among the attendees that also occur during the Annual Meeting. It's a camaraderie that nurtures the specialty. The hallway conversations, the shared ideas, the connections with former mentors and co-residents, the introductions to other members—all of these and many other interactions are as much a part of the Annual Meeting as are the formal educational activities. They are also an important part of the history of the STS Annual Meeting.One can only imagine what the next 50-year tour down memory lane will reveal. The evolution of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Annual Meeting has been nothing short of spectacular. Its current richness and breadth of specialty-specific content uses multiple teaching formats to provide state-of-the-art education for surgeons, residents, allied health care professionals, and students. The First MeetingThe first STS Annual Meeting was held January 25-27, 1965, at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel in Saint Louis. The meeting and administrative functions were scheduled Sunday through Wednesday, which essentially is the same today.Twenty-six scientific papers were presented in 1965; 12 presentations were on topics dealing with adult cardiac diseases, 12 on general thoracic diseases, and one each relating to congenital heart disease and transplantation. F. Mason Sones, Jr, MD, a pioneer in angiography and a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, was the guest lecturer and spoke on "Coronary Arteriography."The registration fee was $10 with no fee for residents or fellows, who were required to provide a letter of endorsement from their program director. There were 19 exhibitors listed in the program. The STS Business Session for members was held on Tuesday from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm, and the President's Mixer was held on Tuesday evening. Attendance included 411 cardiothoracic surgeons. Paul C. Samson, MD, the first STS President, presided (Table 1).Table 1STS Presidential Addresses–The First Fifty Years1964–1966Paul C. Samson∗Deceased.A New Specialty Surgical Society: La Raison d'ÊtreAnn Thorac Surg 1965;1:1–21966–1967Thomas H. Burford∗Deceased.No official presidential address given1967–1968Donald L. Paulson∗Deceased.A Philosophy of Treatment for Bronchogenic CarcinomaAnn Thorac Surg 1968;5:289–2991968–1969Lyman A. Brewer, III∗Deceased.Wounds of the Chest in War and Peace: 1943–1968Ann Thorac Surg 1969;7:387–4081969–1970Donald B. Effler∗Deceased.The Compleat Thoracic-Cardiovascular Surgeon: His Special TrainingAnn Thorac Surg 1970;10:1–81970–1971Will C. Sealy∗Deceased.Residents and ResidenciesAnn Thorac Surg 1971;12:561–5731971–1972Robert G. Ellison∗Deceased.Significant Events in the History of The Society of Thoracic SurgeonsAnn Thorac Surg 1972;14:577–6041972–1973Benson B. Roe∗Deceased.Whither in Maturity?Ann Thorac Surg 1973;15:553–5641973–1974Earle B. Kay∗Deceased.I. Profess