UC Davis Health and its Department of Surgery hosted the 34th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons (SBAS) in 2024. The sold-out event drew more than 300 academic surgeons to the health campus, including medical school deans, faculty, residents, and medical students from across the nation.
Meeting of the Society of Black Academic
Surgeons toured California’s Capitol.
Health equity spotlight on UC Davis Health
Conference sessions focused on UC Davis Health’s efforts to achieve equity in cancer care, trauma management, and holistic medical school admissions.
General Thoracic Surgery Chief David Tom Cooke, physician-in-chief of UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, was one of the co-chairs of the national meeting.
“UC Davis Health is proud to support the mission of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons and contribute to the growth and development of future surgical leaders,” said Cooke, who is also associate director of the cancer center’s Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEAL) Office.
Miquell Miller, assistant director of IDEAL and director of the cancer center’s Rectal Cancer Tumor Board, co-chaired the conference with Cooke.
“It is such an honor to host the annual meeting of the Society for Black Academic Surgeons,” Miller said. “We are proud of the inclusive scientific discovery underway at UC Davis Health and the commitment we are making toward reducing health disparities. The conference gives us a chance to share what we have learned and our hopes for the future.”
This was only the second time the Society for Black Academic Surgeons held its annual meeting in Northern California.
History of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons
Established in 1987, SBAS was founded to address the unique challenges faced by Black academic surgeons. It has since evolved into a dynamic and inclusive scientific forum for surgeons of all backgrounds. The mission of SBAS is to improve health outcomes, advance scientific research, and foster the careers of African American and other underrepresented minority surgeons.
