Dr Joseph Maroon Named Finalist by ACS as Outstanding Educator

March 2021  -The American College of Surgeon Academy of Master Surgeon Educators has named Dr Joseph Maroon and his lecture on Physician Burnout as one of the finalist for Encore Presentations from 2017 t0 2020.

Encore Presentation series selection criteria are those physician educators  who are leaders committed to sharing educational content, fostering life-long learning, and inspiring innovation. The topics of the presentations includes a range of clinical and non-clinical topics, all presented by world-renowned experts in surgery and surgical education.

In addition to the lecture, Dr Maroon provided a brief summary of the lecture and shared his reflections of the presentation and the relevancy of the topic to the present time.

Dr Maroon’s lecture from 2019 was the Charles G. Drake History of Surgery Lecture: Entitled – From Surgical Burnout to Wellness: The Secret to a Balanced Life or From Icarus to Aequanimitas 

Here is the description of the lecture and the video presentation below:

2019 Charles G. Drake History of Surgery Lecture
From Surgical Burnout to Wellness: The Secret to a Balanced Life or From Icarus to Aequanimitas—Revisited
Joseph Maroon, MD, FACS

For many, the discipline of operative surgery becomes a magnificent obsession. What could be more gratifying for surgeons than to share all they have studied, learned, and honed to help relieve another’s pain and give the gift of better health? Such a pursuit can fulfill the purpose of life: to lead a life of purpose.

The art of surgery also provides surgeons with many of the coveted social and mental amulets of success, including validation from patients and peers, financial rewards, prestige, a position of authority, and a powerful sense of focus and “flow” in the operating room.

Yet after such “success” is attained, surgeons may feel a hollowness and a gnawing realization that they’ve paid dearly for what they’ve earned. An obsession with surgery and its rewards has led many to strained marriages and ruined relationships, to substance abuse and burnout, and to mental and physical exhaustion. Because they’re overwhelmed, overworked, and overcommitted, 12 percent of male and nearly 20 percent of female physicians are affected by major depression, and surgeons contribute significantly to the 400 physician suicides each year.

In the Charles G. Drake History of Surgery Lecture, “From Icarus to Aequanimitas,” Dr. Joseph Maroon shares how he reached “success” soaring with the wings of Icarus and then details his fall into a sea of depression. His book Square One shares a simple formula for getting back to the basics of healthy living and balance in one’s life, and his personal experience can provide a pathway to recovery—or better yet, a plan for prevention.