Dr. Mark Hong of Affiliated Urologists was among 1,640 Initiates from around the world who became Fellows of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) during the Convocation ceremony at the College’s 2014 annual Clinical Congress in San Francisco, Calif., last month. This year’s class of Initiates was among one of the largest ever admitted into the College.
Upon graduating summa cum laude from Rice University, Dr. Hong completed surgery and urology residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He is currently practicing at Affiliated Urology located in Phoenix.
Dr. Hong has a strong professional interest in developing innovative and minimally invasive methods to treat conditions such as BPH, kidney stones, prostate cancer and kidney cancer.
He also works with various professional societies and organizations including the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation for prostate cancer causes and the Phoenix Symphony.
By meeting the College’s stringent membership requirements, Fellows of the College have earned the distinguished right to use the designation of “FACS” (Fellow, American College of Surgeons) 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 recognized 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 13,082, including 8,924 physicians. Allied health professionals and members of the scientific and consumer media also attended the meeting.
The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization 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 has more than 79,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. For more information, visit www.facs.org.
