Sansum Clinic’s Second Visiting Professor of Surgery, Hiram C. Polk, Jr., MD, Ben A. Reid, Sr. Professor of Surgery, Emeritus, University of Louisville, School of Medicine, led Surgical Academic Week March 11 – 15, 2013. During the week Dr. Polk interacted, taught and mentored practicing community surgeons and was directly involved with teaching the general surgical residents at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. The Visiting Professor of Surgery Endowment Fund was established in December 2010 by Ronald G. Latimer, MD (Emeritus) and Sansum Clinic to advance the educational opportunities of local surgeons and to demonstrate a commitment to quality surgical care in Santa Barbara. The fund allows a prominent national or international surgeon to be in residence in Santa Barbara for one week each year.
Dr. Polk has devoted his professional life to the advancement of excellence in surgical education, clinical practice and research. Following undergraduate education at B.S. Millsaps College he was accepted to Harvard Medical School. He completed his internship and general surgical residency training at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. His seminal research interests have been directed to surgical wound infections, appropriate antibiotic usage, and the treatment of malignant melanomas, for all of which he is recognized as a world authority. During his 34 years as the Chairman of the Department of Surgery in Louisville this surgical icon has trained more than 230 general surgeons.
In addition to the events scheduled for residents and attending surgeons, Dr. Polk presented two public lectures.
This unique education program advances the level of surgical care available in our community, and is made possible by generous support from grateful patients, medical groups, individual community surgeons and physicians, and corporate donors. If you would like to learn more about our Visiting Professor of Surgery Education Program or discuss how you can help to suppport the good health of our community, please contact Dru A. Hartley, Director of Philanthropy at (805) 681-7726 or dhartley@sansumclinic.org