Dr. R. Scott Mitchell Delivers Presidential Address at 32nd Annual WTSA

(6/2006)

Entitled, "In Critical Condition," R. Scott Mitchell , MD, delivered the presidential address at the 32nd annual of the Western Thoracic Surgical Association in Sun Valley, Idaho, on June 22nd, 2006. His address discussed the perilous state of our national healthcare system and the need to move toward a system of universal coverage, likely based on a single risk pool.

He concluded with a brief overview of workforce estimates for cardiothoracic surgeons. Given the huge increase in patients over age sixty-five in the USA in the next fifteen years and the large number of older surgeons already populating the specialty, he predicted a bright future for cardiothoracic surgery.

However, he cautioned that acquisition of new endovascular and minimally invasive skills would be necessary if they were to be successful in a highly competitive environment.

The complete address will be published in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery in early 2007.