JAMAICAN surgeon Dr Franz Omar Smith is now a member of the prestigious American College of Surgeons.

Dr Smith was one of 1,679 initiates (surgeons) from around the world who gained membership status to the ACS last month.

The surgeons were initiated Fellows of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) during a convocation ceremony at the college’s 2015 annual clinical congress in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organisation of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College, which has more than 80,000 members, is the largest organisation of surgeons in the world.

Dr Smith, who received a medical doctorate from the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of the West Indies (UWI), completed his surgical residency at St Barnabas Medical Centre in New Jersey. He currently practises in the Department of Surgery at the St Barnabas Medical Centre.

In 2012, Dr Smith attained board certification from the American Board of Surgery in General Surgery; and in 2015 was certified in Complex General Surgical Oncology from the American Board of Surgery. Dr Smith has a strong professional interest in skin and soft tissue oncology, gastrointestinal oncology, general surgery and surgical education. He holds membership in other professional societies, including the Society of Surgical Oncology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Association of Programme Directors in Surgery and the Society of Black Academic Surgeons.

Dr Smith has published multiple peer-reviewed articles, a book chapter, and has presented at national meetings in the US.

By meeting the College’s stringent membership requirements, fellows of the College have earned the distinguished right to use the designation of “FACS” after their names. An applicant for fellowship must be a graduate of an approved medical school; must have completed advanced training in one of the 14 surgical specialties recognised by the College; must possess certification by an American surgical specialty board or appropriate certification by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada; and must have been in practice for at least one year at the time of his or her application.

Before admission into fellowship, the surgeon must further demonstrate ethical fitness and professional proficiency, and his or her acceptance as a Fellow of the College must be approved by three-fourths of its Board of Regents.

The Convocation ceremony was the highlight of the five-day Congress at which initiation into ACS Fellowship took place. The Congress also featured reports on research-in-progress, postgraduate courses, panel discussions, symposia, and scientific and industrial exhibits. Total estimated attendance at the Congress was 12,268, including 8,276 physicians. Allied health professionals and members of the scientific and consumer media also attended the meeting.