Norman F. McGowin III, MD, FACS, of Greenville, was recently elected president of the Alabama Chapter of the American College of Surgeons at the Chapter’s annual meeting.

McGowin said he deemed it a great honor to hold this distinguished position.

&uot;I do consider this a tremendous privilege,&uot; said McGowin. &uot;It is a great honor to be able to represent Greenville and my fellow surgeons.&uot;

McGowin said he has become acquainted with many of his peers through the years and he was glad to be able to help them in any way.

&uot;There are a lot of surgeons around the state,&uot; said McGowin. &uot;This is a good opportunity to serve them.&uot;

McGowin said there were many changes approaching the medical world and he hoped to lead the Alabama Chapter in the right direction.

&uot;A lot of issues affect medicine at this time,&uot; said McGowin. &uot;It is an honor to be in a position to make a contribution to them.&uot;

As president, McGowin’s duties are to oversee two meetings a year and lead a council on decisions to be made by the College concerning their position on matters.

As thrilled, as McGowin was to receive the honor, the Alabama Chapter was equally happy to have him.

American College if Surgeons Alabama Chapter Administrator John Hooton said McGowin had shown he was the man for the job.

&uot;He has shown a great amount of interest and a willingness to take on a leadership role,&uot; said Hooton. &uot;I think over the years he has made trips to Washington D. C. and Chicago to represent the College so he showed he was willing to invest a lot of his time into it.&uot;

Tooton said new presidents are chosen by a distinguished group of surgeons who have held the title before.

&uot;There is a nomination committee made up of the past three presidents,&uot; said Hooton. &uot;They talk about individuals from different communities large and small. They are sorted through and chosen by the group.&uot;

This year, they chose McGowin.

As president, McGowin will serve a three-year term. He will oversee the Alabama chapter, which consists of around 800 surgeons from around the state.

Hooton said having a citizen of Greenville was nothing new to the College.

&uot;I think we have had a couple of the Stablers serve before,&uot; said Hooton. &uot;We have had very good representation from Greenville in the past.&uot;

Founded in 1913, the American College of Surgeons is an educational and scientific organization that was established to raise the standards of surgical practices and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients.

Fellows of the College are organized into state and regional chapters. The American College of Surgeons exerts its influence at the community level primarily through its chapters. There are now 65 chapters in the United States, two chapters in Canada and 31 chapters in countries throughout the world

Members of the American College of Surgeons are referred to as &uot;Fellows.&uot; The letters FACS (Fellow, American College of Surgeons) after a surgeon’s name mean that the surgeon’s education and training, professional qualifications, surgical competence, and ethical conduct have passed a rigorous evaluation, and have been found to be consistent with the high standards established and demanded by the College.

The College currently has more than 64,000 Fellows, including more than 3,700 Fellows in other countries, making it the largest organization of surgeons in the world. There are presently more than 5,000 Associate Fellows.

The College sponsors a variety of continuing medical education programs, such as the Clinical Congress and Spring Meeting, to help surgeons keep abreast of the latest information on surgical subjects.

The Clinical Congress normally takes place in Birmingham while the Spring Meeting alternates between Point Clear and Destin, Fla.

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