This year, Professor and Director of the Division of Plastic Surgery Jorge de la Torre, M.D., MSHA, MSHQS, FACS, served as president of the Southeastern Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (SESPRS).
We sat down with de la Torre to learn more about his time as president of SESPRS.
Tell us a little bit about your time with SESPRS and any moments in your leadership journey you are proud of.
“Serving as the President of the Southeastern Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons has been a tremendous honor. It represents a culmination of serving in a leadership role for the past 12 years, as the ascendancy process is a long one.
During my year as president, through the diligent work of our Executive Committee, we were able to set the foundation for a Legacy Fund which will allow members to continue to support our organization as well as to recognize past and present members. We also brought to fruition an initiative to enhance diversity and inclusion for our members and candidates. In addition, we held our live surgery meeting in Atlanta and the 65th Annual meeting in Orlando which were both great successes. The Southeastern really is one of the premier organizations in plastic surgery.”
In what ways has the UAB Division of Plastic Surgery been involved in the organization in the past?
“I was extremely proud to represent UAB at the Southeastern. We have a rich heritage with ties to the organization since its inception This year our keynote speaker was Dr. James McClintock, professor of Biology at UAB who shared his experience and expertise on climate change in Antarctica.
Our Upchurch Lecturer was Renato Saltz an internationally renowned plastic surgeon and past president of numerous prestigious aesthetic surgery organizations. Renato is a graduate of our plastic surgery training program here at UAB. Dr. Samuel Upchurch for whom the lectureship is named and endowed was the first Chief of Plastic Surgery at UAB. Dr. Upchurch and his successor, Dr. Tony Marzoni both served as president of the Southeastern.
Dr. Jim Grotting, one of our current clinical faculty also served as president. Of course, Dr. Vasconez has served as both the Upchurch Lecturer and the Pickrell Lecturer for the Southeastern. In addition, we had several medical students and plastic surgery residents present their research at the poster podiums and one of our residents, Dr. Evon Zoog, had his presentation on Abdominal Wall Reconstruction in Orthotopic Liver Transplant Patients, accepted for the prestigious and highly competitive Glancy Competition for residents.”
What lessons are you taking away from this national leadership experience?
“While it was an extremely rewarding experience, it did emphasize the tremendous amount of work that occurs in the background for large organizations like UAB or the Southeastern. It takes a great team to succeed and without passion for the organization and a humble approach to service leadership you won’t have a great team to lead.
Therefore, I would encourage everyone to find the organizations in which they may have interest and get involved. Attend the meeting and get to know the members. Better yet submit an abstract for presentation or get involved in a committee. For the Southeastern it simply requires reaching out to one of the committee chairs or executive committee members and expressing an interest to become part of our organization. Don’t be intimidated to do so, because we need the involvement and fresh ideas of new members and candidates to keep the Southeastern the vibrant organization we are so proud of serving.”