Festschrift for George F. Sheldon, MD

Doctor Sheldon, a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Medicine, was Fellow of Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic, Resident in Surgery at the University of California at San Francisco, and Fellow in Surgical Biology at Harvard Medical School (Fig. 1).

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Fig. 1. George F. Sheldon, MD.

He was Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Trauma Service at the University of California at San Francisco prior to becoming the Zack D. Owens Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1983. Doctor Sheldon is one of fewer than 20 surgeons in the past 100 years to be President of all the major surgical organizations. He is the first surgeon, not a Dean, to be Chairman of the Association of American Medical Colleges since 1879. Doctor Sheldon holds Honorary Fellowships in the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the Royal College of England, the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, the European Surgical Association, the British Columbia Surgical Association, the Columbian Surgical Association, and the Society of Black Academic Surgeons.

One of the most visionary, engaging, and thoughtful leaders in academic medicine, Dr. Sheldon’s prominence in surgery and in graduate medical education is recognized internationally. His gift for leadership is readily evidenced by the scope of his contributions and influence. An acknowledged expert in several areas of health policy, Dr. Sheldon has advised members of Congress and crafted legislation including the portion of the bill that increased thefunding of residencies of all specialties to first certification or five years. He has testified at Congressional hearings regarding graduate medical education, the health care workforce, physician compensation, specialty practice, professionalism, and recently on the Balanced Budget Act.

Doctor Sheldon has always recognized residents as having a critical role in educating and setting an example for medical students. The nationally acclaimed Resident-as-a- Teacher Program, an annual symposium to enhance teaching skills, is Dr. Sheldon’s creation; it has been widely emulated at the UNC School of Medicine and is now an established educational program of the American College of Surgeons. In 1999, Dr. Sheldon created the Hugh Williamson Society, a special society within the School of Medicine for medical students interested in surgery. During his tenure as President of the American College of Surgeons, he similarly founded the Candidate and Associate Society of the American College of Surgeons (CAS-ACS) at UNC to benefit future surgeons through involvement in activities of the College.

After 17 years of outstanding leadership, George stepped aside as Chairman of the Department of Surgery in August 2001. His tenure as Chair of the Department of Surgery was a period of vigorous growth. During this time, many new programs were established, and operative volume in the institution tripled. The growth of the Department in evidenced by the addition of 103 faculty recruited during the 17 years of his chairmanship.

George Sheldon is the quintessential academic surgeon whose influence has been felt by countless medical students, surgical residents, surgical faculty, and medical colleagues in general. His contributions to surgical care, scientific research, and sociopolitical issues have been monumental and have had far-reaching effects.