GI Surgery Summit white paper: recruiting and training the next generation of surgeons

There is an ongoing debate on surgical training and its evolution to meet the demands of a complex and changing healthcare environment.

A GI Surgery Summit was held in January 2024 that included prominent leaders and rising talents from the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, Society of Surgical Oncology, Association for Academic Surgery, and Society of University Surgeons. This meeting was held to address the multifaceted current and future challenges of surgery.

This paper addresses the topic of recruitment and training of the next generation of surgeons in the United States and abroad and reflects a collective focus on surgical education to ensure the delivery of high-quality care in an increasingly sophisticated medical and surgical landscape.

The discussions and recommendations from the 2024 GI Surgery Summit underscore the crucial need to support diversity, embrace innovative educational frameworks, build a robust global surgical workforce, and foster a culture of wellness and support. Focusing on these key areas ensures that the future leaders of surgery are not only skilled and knowledgeable but also resilient and compassionate, ready to meet the evolving challenges of the healthcare landscape.