Background:
Joel J. Roslyn, MD, was the Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the Allegheny College of Medicine in Philadelphia. Dr. Roslyn passed away on July 4, 1999. He was born in Flushing, New York, received his undergraduate degree from Union College, and received his MD from Albany Medical College. He completed his Surgical Internship, Residency, and a Research Fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He then joined the faculty at UCLA where he received national recognition for his research, teaching and clinical expertise. Dr. Roslyn was an established researcher in the field of gallstone pathogenesis, and a nationally and internationally respected expert in pancreatic and biliary disease. He had been funded continuously for his research by the Veterans Administration and the National Institutes of Health.
In 1992, Dr. Roslyn and his family moved to Philadelphia where he became Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the Medical College of Philadelphia, and after the merger with Hahnemann School of Medicine, he became the surgical leader of the new Allegheny University of the Health Sciences. During this short period in Philadelphia, Dr. Roslyn had built an outstanding faculty, attracting a number of excellent senior staff, and most importantly in his eyes, recruiting and nurturing the careers of several outstanding young surgeons. Dr. Roslyn was a valued active member of the Society of University Surgeons. He and his research fellows had a long track record of presentations before the Society. He served as a Councilor- At-Large for three years and President of the Society for the year 1995. Dr. Roslyn was a friend to all of us in the Society and left us with his great faith in humanity.
For those who knew him, his memory will live on forever. However, in recognition of his leadership, his contribution and his friendship, the SUS has chosen to provide a lasting memory of Dr. Roslyn. Dr. Roslyn will be recognized at each SUS Meeting by the provision of an annual Invited Commentary, reserved for a superannuating member, named in honor of Joel J. Roslyn, MD.
Joel J. Roslyn, MD Commemorative Lecturers
2000 Heidi Nelson
2001 Jonathan S. Bromberg
2002 Frank W. Sellke
2003 Kevin J. Tracey
2004 Michael T. Longaker
2005 Monica M. Bertagnolli
2006 K. Craig Kent-The Practice of Surgery: Is There Still Time for Research?
2007 Stuart J. Knechtle-Research Funding: Changing Models for Academic Surgeons
2008 Jeffrey A. Drebin
2009 Colleen M. Brophy-Yin and Yang, Balance in Science and Leadership
2010 David H. Berger-Role of the VA in Training Surgical Scientists
2011 Selwyn M. Vickers-Pancreatic Cancer: Bench to Bedside
2012 Karyn L. Butler, MD-Simulation Education in Critical Care: Does Practice Make Perfect?
2013 Peter Angelos, MD, PhD-Surgical Ethics, Innovation, and the Future of Surgical Progress
2014 Richard Schulick, MD, MBA-Pancreatic Cancer – What Have We Learned Recently?
2015 Barbara Gaines, MD-Serendipity, Academic Medicine, and Pediatric Trauma…A Personal Story
2016 Mary Hawn, MD-Leaning In, Failing Fast: How Resilient is Academic Medicine?
2017 Funda Meric-Bernstam, MD- Precision Medicine: Hype or Hope?
2018 Herbert J. Zeh, MD- Attacking Pancreatic Cancer: Leveraging the Academic Surgeon’s Tools
2019 George Yang, MD, PhD- Why We Rise
2020 Benedict Nwomeh, MD, MPH-Academic Global Surgery – A Whole New World
2021 Fiemu Nwariaku, MD, How to Train Your Dragon: Education of the Surgeon Scientist
2022 Dev Desai, MD, PhD, Health Impacts of Climate Change: The Role and Effect on Organ Transplantation
2023 Allan Goldstein, MD, Lessons from the Neural Crest: How to Succeed in Academic Surgery
2024 Jennifer Tseng, MD, MPH, Superannuation