Yale Surgical Society
About
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The Yale Surgical Society (YSS) connects graduates, trainees, and faculty across the Yale Surgery community. The Society celebrates Yale’s longstanding traditions of surgical excellence, mentorship, and service—honoring the legacy of generations of Yale surgeons while strengthening the community for the future.
Mission
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The Yale Surgical Society exists to:
- Strengthen professional connections and the camaraderie formed during surgical residency and fellowship training at Yale.
- Support current trainees through mentorship, advocacy, and shared clinical and academic expertise.
- Preserve and advance Yale’s values of surgical excellence, scientific inquiry, innovation, and service.
- Engage and connect alumni of Yale’s surgical training programs and former faculty through events, publications, and ongoing collaboration with the Yale School of Medicine Department of Surgery.
History
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Founded in 1994, the Yale Surgical Society was created by Yale Surgery graduates and faculty dedicated to building a lasting alumni community. Early efforts—including establishing bylaws, hosting alumni gatherings at national surgical meetings, and publishing a newsletter—rapidly expanded YSS into a vibrant professional network.
Over the years, YSS has grown into an international community with signature traditions including an annual grand rounds lectureship, celebration of the graduating chiefs, American College of Surgeons (ACS) alumni reception, reunion events, scholarship support for residents and lectureships.
Today, as an endowed entity of Yale University, the Society continues its founding mission: connecting generations of Yale surgeons, supporting surgical education and training, and advancing scholarly and clinical excellence.
Membership
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The Yale Surgical Society (YSS) welcomes all surgical residency graduates and current or former Yale Surgery faculty.
Annual member contributions help support the Society’s programming, including the YSS Annual Reunion Dinner.
- Please direct membership inquiries to Executive Secretary, Wendy.Folsom@yale.edu
- Dues can be paid online.
Upcoming Events
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YSS Annual Reunion Dinner
May 21, 2026 | 6–9 p.m.
New Haven Country Club
YSS Lectureship – Department of Surgery Grand Rounds
May 22, 2026 | 7:00–8:00 a.m.
Fitkin Auditorium & Zoom
YSS & Department of Surgery Reception
American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress
TBD | Washington, D.C.
Leadership
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| President | Cassius Iyad Ochoa Chaar, MD, MPH, MS HS’09 |
| Vice President | Farlyn Charlot, DPM |
| Secretary | Benjamin Resio HS’22 |
| Treasurer | Melanie Sion, MD |
| Past Presidents | Warren Widmann, MD HS’67 Robert Schlessel, MD HS’80 John Elefteriades, MD HS’81 Bauer Sumpio, MD, PhD HS’86 Walter Longo, MD HS’90 Melissa Perkal, MD HS’89 Michael O’Brien, MD HS’96 Andrew Graham, MD HS’66 |
| Members at Large | David Colen, MD Vikram Reddy, MD HS’08 John Kunstman, MD, MHS HS’16 Roland Assi, MD, MMS HS’17 Benjamin Judson, MD, MBA Paris Butler, MD, MPH David Novicki, DPM |
| Resident Liaisons | Kurt Schultz, MD Shahyan Rehman, MD Giorgio Caturegli, MD |
| Executive Secretary | Wendy Folsom |