DR. AURORA D. PRYOR BECOMES PRESIDENT OF SAGES
Innovation in Patient Care and Enhanced Education to Be Top Priorities
STONY BROOK, NY, April 6, 2019 — Today, Aurora D. Pryor, MD, ascended to the presidency of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), at the society's inaugural ceremony as part of its annual meeting held this year in Baltimore.
Dr. Pryor has long been recognized as a national leader in the field of gastrointestinal (GI) and endoscopic minimally invasive surgery.
Also a leader at Stony Brook Medicine, she currently serves as our department's vice chair for clinical affairs, chief of bariatric, foregut, and advanced GI surgery, and director of the Bariatric and Metabolic Weight Loss Center. She is also director of the minimally invasive and bariatric surgery fellowship.
Dr. Pryor's clinical practice includes bariatrics, general GI surgery, foregut, and hernia. Her scholarly work has appeared in more than 100 publications, and she has co-edited three books, plus the second edition of one of them. She has given more than 200 presentations worldwide, has received a number of research grants, and holds patents for several surgical technologies.
Dr. Pryor's top priorities as incoming SAGES president include innovation in patient care, education, and outcomes by exploring opportunities in video assessment, artificial intelligence, and reimbursement.
"I am very honored to be the president of this amazing society. The number of major initiatives underway that have an opportunity to improve surgical education and patient care is unbelievable."
Additionally, the SAGES masters program, a multi-year endeavor to help facilitate the delivery of SAGES educational offerings in an easy to understand and accessible format, will continue under the guidance of Dr. Pryor and as a part of the new organization-wide learning system (OWLS).
Dr. Pryor will also be adding a leadership and professional development pathway to the masters program, saying "we have amazing resources within the society with expertise in the business of medicine, academic career development, and leadership in general. We will make learning in these areas integral to the Society and accessible to our members."
Dr. Pryor also adds, "I am very honored to be the president of this amazing society. The number of major initiatives underway that have an opportunity to improve surgical education and patient care is unbelievable.
"There is no other society that is so effective at moving the needle and getting things done. I look forward to fostering our membership to embrace innovation and improve quality surgical care. I am ready for a great year!"
Dr. Pryor has been an active member of SAGES since joining the society in 1999. Prior to her appointment as president, Dr. Pryor won the SAGES Research and Education Foundation's Excellence in Medical Leadership Award in 2017.
She has served as SAGES treasurer and finance chair since 2015, chaired the membership committee from 2013 to 2016, and chaired the research committee from 2008 to 2013.
Dr. Pryor's top priorities as incoming SAGES president include innovation in patient care, education, and outcomes by exploring opportunities in video assessment, artificial intelligence, and reimbursement.
During this time, the research committee expanded to the research and career development committee, launching career development seminars and awards, and helping young researchers foster their academic careers.
Dr. Pryor has also served on the endolumenal task force, natural orifice surgery consortium for assessment and research committee, i3 summit task force, program committee, and the resident education committee. She has served as the annual meeting video co-chair and poster chair, and as the meeting program chair in 2015.
Dr. Pryor also served as the SAGES representative to the Fellowship Council from 2010 to 2016 and now serves as the SAGES representative to the GI Surgery Advisory Council for the American Board of Surgery.
Dr. Pryor joined our faculty in 2011. Previously, she was on the surgical faculty since 2003 at Duke University, where she had earned her MD and also completed her residency in general surgery, followed by a fellowship in laparoscopic surgery.
SAGES is a leading surgical society, representing and educating a global community of over 6,500 surgeons that can bring minimally invasive surgery, endoscopy, and emerging techniques to patients worldwide. Its mission is to improve quality patient care through education, research, innovation, and leadership, principally in GI and endoscopic surgery.
SAGES sets the clinical and educational guidelines on standards of practice in various procedures, critical to enhancing patient safety and health.
