Strasberg honored by surgical association

Steven M. Strasberg, MD, the Pruett Professor of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the 2018 Medallion for the Advancement of Surgical Care from the American Surgical Association.

Strasberg was recognized at the association’s annual meeting in Phoenix as a master surgeon of the hepatobiliary system, which comprises the liver, gall bladder and bile ducts, and for mentoring association members and students.

Among other contributions, he described in 1992 the concept of a targeted approach to identifying the anatomy of the biliary, or bile, system. In 1995, he introduced the term, “Critical View of Safety.”

“By identifying the Critical View of Safety, the surgeon can avoid bile duct injury,” E. Christopher Ellison, MD, president of the surgical association, said while honoring Strasberg during the association’s annual meeting, April 19-21 in Phoenix. “It is taught in every general surgical training program in the world and has become the standard of care.”

The committee that selected Strasberg “believes that the Critical View of Safety is without question one of the most important contributions in general surgery and hence its creator worthy of this award,” Ellison said.

Strasberg, who treats patients at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Siteman Cancer Center, also was recognized for his contributions to the treatment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, liver resection, the treatment of cholelithiasis and its complications and the management and prevention of bile duct injury during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. At the School of Medicine, Strasberg also is the Carl Moyer Departmental Teaching Coordinator. In 2005, he received the Evarts A. Graham Resident Teaching Award. He has published more than 290 peer-reviewed manuscripts and presented more than 100 national and international lectures. He also serves on the editorial boards of many journals.