Presidential address: program director—what kind of job is that?

Before I start, and it is traditional for talks of this nature, I would like to acknowledge a number of individuals who have been influential in my life as a surgeon. as you know, surgeons tend to be fairly hierarchical, and we are remiss if we do not acknowledge those who gave of themselves to train us. I suspect this need to give back something to the profession is why many of us do what we do. Dr. Stanley Dudrick accepted me in his program at the University of Texas at Houston as a PGY-2 after my tour in the Navy. Those of you over the age of 50 or so will remember that it was common at that time for people to do an internship at one place and then have the opportunity to serve America for a period of time. I must say that this is a concept not without some merit. Dr. Dudrick was kind enough to take me in, even though I had a long beard and long hair and had just spent a year in Antarctica taking care of penguins. In reality, I have always suspected he had a hole in the schedule and would have taken anyone with a pulse. Be that as it may, he is an excellent teacher and he and his department imparted strong values about the importance of total dedication to patient care, decision making based on scientific principles, and the mind set that saw clinical problems as an opportunity to discover practical solutions. Dr. Dudrick also offered me my first academic job as a trauma/vascular surgeon when I finished the residency in 1980. This was perfect as I was recently married and Marian, my wife, had just started her cardiology fellowship. In 1983, I was making rounds and received a page from Ted Copeland. Ted was on the faculty at the University of Texas while I was a resident and had become Chairman at the University of Florida the previous year. My wife and I had agreed when we got married that we would never live in Florida, but since it was Ted calling, we eagerly took the opportunity to look at jobs at the University of Florida, and we have been there for the past 18 years. Ted is a people person, and from him I have learned quite a bit about how orgainzations work and about the lessons of leadership. His mentorship and support all these years is greatly appreciated. I would also acknowledge J. Patrick O’Leary who first gave me the opportunity to participate in this organization. I got to know Pat on a boondoggle trip to China arranged by one of Pat’s old college pals. In reality it was my wife that was invited, but I was allowed to tag along. Much to the initial concern of Pat and his friend, we imposed our kids, then ages 7 and 9, on them. Well, the kids were a hit, and Pat and I have remained friends since. From Pat, I take the example that everyday should be fun and that while what we do is deadly serious, you can’t take yourself too seriously in the process. And also, of course, thanks to you, the members of the APDS, who have afforded me the privilege of this presidency. Having a blank page in front of you to talk about virtually Correspondence: Inquiries to Timothy Flynn, MD, Shands Health Care, P.O. Box 100321, Gainesville, FL 32610; fax: (352) 265-8966; e-mail: flynn@mail.surgery.ufl.edu Dr. Timothy Flynn