UAB Gastrointestinal Surgery Division Director Daniel Chu, M.D., has been selected as a recipient of the prestigious James IV Traveling Fellowship award for 2024-2025.

The James IV Traveler Award is intended to encourage collaboration and communication in the surgical community and is awarded to emerging leaders and distinguished surgeons to disseminate knowledge and connect with other surgeons on an international scale.

The selection process for the award is extremely rigrorous – with only 100 surgical leaders from around the globe constituting the organization. Members of the James IV Association of Surgeons are recruited for their international standing, engagement and networking abilities, and typically hold a surgical leadership position in their own country.

The Association seeks to stimulate friendship between its members and recommends that traveler awardees contact local members when they arrive at their destination. Awardees are also given an exclusive tie or scarf from the Association to wear during their travels.

The award covers a period of two years and includes up to four weeks of traveling to further academic research and surgical knowledge. Recipients are expected to present a brief report of their experience during the academic trips at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress and are announced at the James IV Association of Surgeons Annual General Members Meeting at the ACS.

 In reflecting on their experiences, many awardees state that being selected as a James IV traveler is one of the highlights of their careers and served as a pivotal professional development opportunity as an academic surgeon.

“I am thrilled to be a recipient of the James IV Association of Surgeons Traveling Fellowship Award. It is an honor to be recognized for this exceptional opportunity, and I am excited to learn from other surgeons across the globe in my travels and to network with other association members,” says Chu.