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University of Chicago's Mitchell Posner Named President of the Society of Surgical Oncology

Newswise - An internationally recognized expert on cancers of the esophagus, pancreas, stomach, liver, colon and rectum, Mitchell Posner, MD, the Thomas D. Jones Professor and vice chairman of surgery and section chief of general and oncologic surgery at the University of Chicago Medical Center, was sworn in to a one-year term as president of the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) on March 6, 2010, at the Society's annual business meeting in St Louis. SSO is the premier professional organization for the field.

Posner, who was selected last year by a committee of society members, has served as president-elect of the society since last March. A member since 1992, he was named vice president of the SSO in 2008. He previously served a three-year term on the society's executive council, and two years as its treasurer.

He currently chairs the surgical oncology training program directors subcommittee and serves on the editorial board of the Society's Annals of Surgical Oncology. He has also been a key player on the membership, nominating and scientific program committees.

A widely respected clinician and the author of more than 175 original articles, published abstracts and book chapters, Posner studies the management of upper gastrointestinal cancer, the molecular and genetic basis of gastrointestinal malignancy and viral gene therapy of solid tumors.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, and educated at the University of Michigan and the State University of New York at Buffalo Medical School, Posner completed his residency in general surgery at the University of Colorado followed by specialized training in surgical oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. From 1988 to 1995, he served on the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh where he was director of the Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancer Center at the Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.

He moved to the University of Chicago in 1995 to become chief of surgical oncology and director of the surgical oncology fellowship program. In 2002, he was appointed professor in the Department of Surgery and the University of Chicago Cancer Research Center. In 2004, he was named section chief of general surgery, director of the surgical residency program and vice-chairman of the Department of Surgery.

Posner has received numerous awards for his teaching and research, including the Robert J. Baker Award for Excellence in Teaching at the University of Chicago, and both the Basic Science and Clinical Research Award from SSO.

He also serves as chair of the gastrointestinal committee of the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group, the only national surgically focused cooperative group dedicated to clinical trials research.

Source: NewsWise