In appreciation for his "exceptional and continuous service as a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, as well as his foresight in recognizing the issues affecting training for surgical residents," the ACS Board of Regents will present its highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, to R. Phillip Burns, MD, FACS, surgeon with University Surgical Associates at Convocation, Oct. 27 at the ACS Clinical Congress 2019, San Francisco,
The award citation acknowledges “his innovative vision as an integral engineer of the College’s focused initiatives influencing general surgery training, ultimately creating better prepared general surgery residents entering practice with enhanced skills and confidence to further improve the quality of care for their patients.” According to the citation, Dr. Burns “is a role model to surgeons everywhere to always do the right thing for patients.”
“On behalf of the physicians and staff at University Surgical Associates, we congratulate Dr. Burns on this prestigious honor,” says Benjamin W. Dart, MD, FACS, USA surgeon and vice chairman, department of surgery, University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Chattanooga. “He has dedicated his career to providing exceptional care to patients and teaching others to do the same. His commitment to surgical education and philosophy of putting patients first will be his legacy.”
Dr. Burns is a founding partner and Chairman of the Board of University Surgical Associates, based in Chattanooga, and specializes in breast and laparoscopic surgery.
"Under his leadership, USA has grown to one of the largest independent surgical practices in the country." officials said.
Dr. Burns serves as professor and chairman, department of surgery, University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Chattanooga, and practices at USA and Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga. He is a member of the UT College of Medicine’s system-wide advisory committee on hospital and university affairs and the UT health affairs subcommittee of the UT board of trustees. At UT College of Medicine, he chairs the surgical education advisory committee, serves on the graduate medical education committee and is founder and medical director of the medical/surgical skills laboratory. He serves on multiple committees at both UT and Erlanger Medical Center.
"Dr. Burns is regarded as a dedicated surgical educator and has a track record of committed leadership in surgery," officials said.