The Hong Kong Chapter was established in 1995 on the advice of the leadership of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) for the purpose of bringing Fellows together and especially for Hong Kong to conduct programs of the ACS.

At that time, the trauma care of patients in Hong Kong was abysmal and the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) program of ACS could address that need specifically. With the assistance of donors and enthusiastic medical and nursing staff, ATLS was formally inaugurated in 1997.

Soon after, other programs for nurses and ambulance staff were brought to Hong Kong. The level of trauma and acute care in general was much improved with many lives saved and disabilities minimised. Since then, thousands of local doctors and nurses have been trained to deliver appropriate surgical care that is in line with international standards. The ATLS program is now mandatory for trainees of those specialties who care for patients with surgical conditions of an acute nature.

We have been striving to conduct surgical education as a sustainable way of giving back to society. Young surgeons are nurtured to become course instructors, who would then carry the torch and pass on to the next generations their invaluable skills and knowledge.

We are grateful that the Hospital Authority has acknowledged the importance of the ATLS program in caring for the community, and provided funding to support its quality assurance and more advanced skills training.

The Chapter has also, through facilitating a private donation, established the Carols A. Pellegrini Fellowship to allow young surgeons from Hong Kong, China, and the region to visit leading centres of the United States and attend the Clinical Congress of the ACS.

Because of the close relationship with the ACS, the Chapter has held a Reception at the ACS Clinical Congress in order to thank our US colleagues as well as those from other parts of the world for assisting us, and also to meet with those who had visited us as fellows and trainees in our Department.

The leadership of the ACS are frequent visitors of our Department and further enhance the position of our Chapter in the United States. At present, there are 91 Fellows in the Hong Kong Chapter, and eligible surgeons are welcome to join us.

The Chapter prides itself on the commitment of its faculty and staff who share the same devotion towards helping young doctors grow and preparing them for responsible positions within the healthcare professions. Our mission is to elevate the standards of surgical practice, training, and education in Hong Kong and Mainland China. We look forward to receiving your support and participation.

John Wong

President

Hong Kong Chapter, American College of Surgeons