SAGES 2017

Wednesday, March 22, 2017
SAGES 2017 Surgical Spring Week
SAGES International Ambassador Award
Presented by: David Rattner, MD, Awards Committee Chair
Recipient: Antonio Lacy, MD
This SAGES award was established in 2013 to help recognize SAGES international members who in an enduring way
contribute to and support SAGES annual meeting, and/or support SAGES Mission Globally.
Dr. Lacy is the Chief of the Gastrointestinal Surgery Department of the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona (Spain)
and Professor of Surgery at the School of Medicine of the University of Barcelona. He is President of Barcelona
International Medical Academy. His main interest is minimally invasive surgery and the development of
new surgical procedures in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer and benign diseases, and of metabolic
syndrome and morbid obesity. Presently, the main focus is on transanal, transrectal or transcolonic colorectal
surgery. Professor Lacy’s team was the first to perform a Total Mesorectal Excision by Transanal Approach in a patient
in 2009, and has since refined and improved the technique, with the help of the development of 3D imaging.
Dr. Lacy is one of the bleeding figures in minimally invasive surgery of both the foregut and colorectal area. He is
participated in many SAGES meetings and within a key member of NOSCAR. During his term of leadership in EAES, he
was instrumental in forging better relations between SAGESS and the European MIS community
SAGES Pioneer in Surgical Endoscopy Award
Presented by: David Rattner, MD, Awards Committee Chair
Recipient: Michel Gagner, MD
This award is designated for a person in industry or a physician/surgeon. It granted for a significant, long-term scientific
or technological contribution to the field of surgical endoscopy. The award is not given every year, but bestowed when the
Board determines a worthy nominee. It is intended for those whose efforts have substantively changed and improved the
field of endoscopy.
Dr. Gagner is Professor of Surgery at Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, FIU, Montreal; and Senior
Consultant at Hopital du Sacre Coeur, Montreal, Canada
In every generation of scientific innovation there are a few people who step up to the precipice and dare to do
that which most of their colleagues don’t even consider. It is career challenging, and can be personally detrimental,
but these pioneers march on. Michel Gagner is such a surgeon. Dr. Gagner has pioneered in the truest sense many
Minimally Invasive procedures, which remain in use/practice today and which have benefited thousands of patients.
He is informally recognized as one of the most creative surgical thinkers and skilled technical surgeons of this era. His
contributions to the field have not just changed the way we perform certain surgical procedures but how, in fact, we
conceptually approach various surgical pathologies. From “I’d never do that!” to “that has really helped my patients.” Is
often a long road, but many in this meeting have trod that road following on Michel Gagner’s path.
SAGES Distinguished Service Award
Presented by: Daniel Scott, MD, SAGES President
Recipient: Mark Talamini, MD
This award is designated for an endoscopic surgeon who is a member of SAGES and is granted for a significant, long-term
educational, research, clinical and/or technological contribution to the field of surgical endoscopy as well as to SAGES.
Dr. Talamini is currently Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery & Chief of Surgical Services at
Stony Brook Medicine. Dr. Talamini served on the SAGES Board of Governors since 2001, as Treasurer and was
President of SAGES from 2008-2009. He also served as Chair of the Finance Committee, and has been Editor
in Chief of Surgical Endoscopy since 2009. Along the way he contributed to Joint NOTES, Publications, and
Technology Committees. Dr. Talamini is widely published and is a member of many prestigious national
surgical organizations. He is SAGES representative to the American College of Surgeons.
Mark Talamini is committed to SAGES. Despite being past president 8 years ago, he continues to provide enormous
amount of volunteer time to our organization on many levels. Mark is a quiet man, but one of action. His ethics,
enthusiasm, common sense and vision have been a strong voice for SAGES progress and principles for almost two
decades.
30 Surgical Spring Week · SAGES 2017 · March 22 - 25, 2017 · www.sages2017.org