2015 James Ewing Lecture: 75-Year History of the Society of Surgical Oncology—Part III: The Transformative Years (1991–2015)

The first 50 years of the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) have been described for the traditional years (1940– 1965) and the transitional years (1966–1990). The period 1991–2015 were transformative, both for the SSO and for the specialty of surgical oncology. During this last quarter century, the SSO grew and matured as a global leader, representing the educational and professional interests of surgical oncologists throughout the world. Photos of the SSO presidents during this era are shown in Fig. 1. After years of deliberation and planning, surgical oncology finally achieved recognition as a defined subspecialty with board certification and widespread adaptation of multidisciplinary cancer care throughout the surgical oncology community. Although surgical oncology was flourishing in many academic centers at the end of the previous quarter century (1985–1990), the Society appeared temporarily to have lost its momentum, ending at a low ebb. The board minutes in 1989 and 1990 reported that active membership and meeting attendance were declining, fellowship programs were not growing, the 1989 budget was in deficit, and the Society was experiencing a negative cash flow. But the mission of the Society and the resolve of its leadership prevailed, and the SSO moved into a transformative period of growth in all its dimensions. During the next 3 years, from 1991 to 1994, the presidential leadership of Drs. Ketcham, Balch, and Morton successfully engaged the society in a complete reorganization of its annual meeting and its administration. The Society boldly initiated new programs and activities that were attractive to the entire surgical oncology community, especially younger surgeons who had previously not related to the SSO as their primary professional society. This reengineering process began with a 2-day strategic planning retreat held at MD Anderson Cancer Center in January 1990, with more than 25 members comprising past and then current leadership in the Society. From that meeting, the SSO transformed itself in a new direction while maintaining its traditions and heritage. The annual meeting was completely reorganized in a format that still stands currently. To ensure input to the Executive Council from younger members, three councilor-at-large positions restricted to those younger than 45 years were added to the Executive Council, and for the first time, by election of the membership. To provide financial support for expanding the scope of the annual meeting, corporate sponsorship and exhibits were added as a new source of meeting revenue and educational offerings. Plans were initiated to establish a new journal owned by the SSO. The SSO hired a new management team and committed to the development of a reserve fund equivalent to 1 year’s operating expense. Membership criteria were made more inclusive, expanded to include surgeons who did not have formal training in surgical oncology but were qualified ‘‘with six years of continuous practice in surgical oncology.’’ Surgeons completing an SSO-approved training program could become members immediately as ‘‘candidate members.’’