Letter From John S. Kukora MD

The 2009 spring Council Meeting of the Frederick A. Coller Surgical Society was conducted by teleconference on April 14, 2009. Participation was unprecedented as absolutely every current officer and Council member attended the meeting and contributed to a lively discussion along with several guests. The tone of the meeting was characterized by optimistic enthusiasm about the current activities and direction of the Coller Society buffered by more somber concerns about the economic viability of the organization as the U.S. and global economies assail the livelihoods of Coller surgeons.

The economic pressures the Coller Society faces are not inherently different from other surgical professional associations and include some paper losses of portfolio value on investments that hopefully will rebound as the national economy recovers. More directly affecting our bottom line are ripple effects of the healthcare economy. Shrinking practice-plan or academic departmental budgets increasingly limit the amounts of association dues for working surgeons, as well as meeting/travel budgets for surgeons and residents. Meeting/travel expenses for retired surgeons are discretionary and in tight economic times with shrinking retirement nest eggs may seem to be best avoided. The result of these contractions are justifications or "justifictions" (excuses) for increasing numbers of members with dues delinquencies and unexpectedly poor attendance at the last Clinical Meeting in Indianapolis, IN. The poor meeting attendance directly resulted in a significant net loss to the organization from unfilled hotel room guarantees.

Based on our discussions, your Council and officers appeal to you to help the Coller Society in four ways through these challenging times:

1. Commit early to attend this year's meeting (October 29 - November 1, 2009) in Tampa, FL. The plans and venue for this meeting arranged by Manny Zervos and Alex Rosemurgy are most exciting, and I plan to spend a few additional days after the meeting hanging out at the luxury resort. The Society will be sending out early-bird registration materials in June. Airline savings are significant if you book soon and our hotel rates are also very favorable. You might even feel patriotic by spending these dollars that support the American travel industry!
2. Please pay your membership dues promptly if you are in arrears.
3. Please recruit and sponsor worthy new members in the Frederick A. Coller Surgical Society.
4. Consider making a tax-deductible charitable contribution to the Society (while charitable tax deductions are still permitted under law).

Participation in well-attended, quality meetings based on professionalism, camaraderie, and friendships has provided the enduring value of membership in the Coller Society for me, personally. The quality of our meetings has never been an issue but poor meeting attendance will eventually undo this organization if it persists. If you haven't been to a Coller meeting for a while, stop making excuses or procrastinating and re-connect by coming to Tampa. If you want to use the state of the economy as an excuse to not attend this year's meeting, think again about why your attendance is so critically important at this time to the social and economic viability of our unique and wonderful organization.

Hoping to see you at the best-attended Coller meeting ever this October, I remain

Your sincere President,

John S. Kukora MD

About the Coller Surgical Society

The Frederick A. Coller Surgical Society was founded in 1947 by his former University of Michigan residents as an expression of the esteem, respect, and affection for Dr. Coller. The Society currently has approximately 400 members representing many geographic areas of the United States and several foreign countries.