The UAB Department of Surgery gathers for a photo while attending the 14th Annual Academic Surgical Congress in Houston, Texas, Feb. 5-7, 2019.

The Department of Surgery traveled to Houston, Texas, this week for the 14th Annual Academic Surgical Congress, where numerous faculty, residents, fellows and medical students from UAB gave talks, presented research or moderated sessions. Continuing its streak, UAB Surgery again led the pack in abstract submissions at ASC, boasting a total of 84 presentations — 13 more than last year — and roughly 70 presenters.

Four UAB faculty served on the event’s program committee, including Melanie Morris, M.D., John Porterfield, M.D., Emily Spangler, M.D., M.S., and ASC Program Committee Chair Jayme Locke, M.D., MPH. Several UAB faculty and trainees also became members of various surgical societies at ASC, while some were named to committees or new positions within these organizations, including Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Director Gregory Kennedy, M.D., Ph.D., who was named president of the Society of University Surgeons.

Two Department of Surgery faculty were also presented with international professorships at the three-day Congress. Associate Professor of Gastrointestinal Surgery Daniel Chu, M.D., received the 2018 Association for Academic Surgery/Taiwan Surgical Association International Visiting Professorship Award, which will support Chu’s travel to the TSA Annual Meeting in Taiwan, and Associate Professor of Pediatric Surgery Colin Martin, M.D., received the 2018 Association for Academic Surgery/Royal Australasian College of Surgeons International Visiting Professorship Award, which will support Martin’s travel to the RACS Annual Scientific Congress in Thailand. Martin was also presented with the 2019 ASC 10x10 Career Development Traveling Fellowship, which will support Martin’s travel to any institution of his choosing for one week.

If you missed #ASC2019 or just want to relive the experience, check out our favorite tweets about the UAB Surgery team from the event.