From Emory to Grady, WWII, and the Atlanta V.A.
James C. Thoroughman, MD, attended Emory College and the Emory University School of Medicine, receiving his MD in 1927. Following his internship and surgical residency at Grady Memorial Hospital, he moved to China and served as chief surgeon of hospitals in Changchow and Soochow. During WWII he returned to China as a member of the U.S. Army.
From 1953 until his retirement in 1969, he was chief of surgical services at the Atlanta V.A. Medical Center. He also co-founded and served as president of both the Association of Veterans Administration Surgeons and the Georgia Surgical Society.
Dr. Thoroughman was an outstanding teacher and clinical investigator, and a prominent advocate of the Atlanta VA–Emory University alliance as an exemplary system for surgical education. Dr. Thoroughman's surgical trainees formed the J.C. Thoroughman Surgical Society in 1956, later initiating the J.C. Thoroughman Visiting Professorship after his death in 1972.
| Speaker | Affiliation | Topic | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Berman, MD, FACS, FSSO | – Professor of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology – Associate Director of Clinical Education, WCM Meyer Cancer Center – Associate Director of Surgical Oncology, Network Integration, WCM Meyer Cancer Center |
Modernizing Mentorship: Recognizing Missteps, Mistakes, and Misunderstandings | 2/27/2025 |
| Jason Fleming, MD, FACS | – Chair, Surgical Oncologist, Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center - Tampa, Florida | Reducing Postoperative Mortality To Zero: Our Strategy for Improvement | 6/22/2023 |
| Andrew M. Lowy, MD | – Professor of Surgery and Chief, Division of Surgical Oncology, University of California San Diego – Leader, Gastrointestinal Oncology Team, Moores Cancer Center, UC San Diego Health |
Beside to Bench and Back: A Journey to Develop and Test Novel Therapies for GI Cancer | 3/24/2022 |
| Nipun B. Merchant, MD | – Professor and Alan Livingstone Endowed Chair in Surgical Oncology – Chief Surgical Officer and Associate Director of Translational Research, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center – Vice Chair of Surgical Oncology Services, Department of Surgery, University of Miami Health System |
Shaping the Future of Cancer Care | 2/20/2020 |
| Douglas Scott Tyler, MD | – John Woods Harris Distinguished Chair in Surgery – Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery – University of Texas Medical Branch |
The Evolving Role of Surgery in the Management of Malignant Melanoma | 2/7/2019 |
| Professor John Primrose MB, ChB (Honours), FRCS, MD | – Professor of Surgery, University of Southampton, UK | Unraveling the Optimal Management of Biliary Tract Cancer | 2/22/2018 |
| Carol J. Swallow, MD, PhD | – Bernard & Ryna Langer Chair, Division of General Surgery, University of Toronto – Professor, Department of Surgery and Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto – Head, Division of General Surgery, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto |
Evolution in the Management of Retroperitoneal Sarcoma: From Nihilism to Hope | 2/16/2017 |
| Herbert Chen, MD | – Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham – Surgeon-in-Chief, UAB Hospital |
Top Ten Strategies for Success in Academic Surgery | 2/11/2016 |
| Kelly K. Hunt, MD | – Professor, Department of Surgical Oncology, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center – Chief, Breast Surgical Oncology Section, Department of Surgical Oncology, MD Anderson – Hamill Foundation Distinguished Professor in Honor of Dr. Richard G. Martin, Sr., Department of Surgical Oncology, MD Anderson |
New Paradigms in the Management of the Regional Nodes in Breast Cancer | 2/12/2015 |
| Miguel A. Rodriguez-Bigas, MD | – Professor, Department of Surgical Oncology, Division of Surgery, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center | Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Practical Points for the Surgeon | 5/8/2014 |
| Daniel G. Coit, MD | – Professor of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the Weill Medical College at Cornell University – Co-Leader, Melanoma Disease Management Team, Memorial Sloan-Kettering |
Contemporary Workup and Management of Gastric Cancer | 2/7/2013 |
| Kelly M. McMasters, MD, PhD | – Ben A. Reid, Sr, MD Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery, University of Louisville | Melanoma 2012 | 2/2/2012 |
| Douglas B. Evans, MD | – Donald C. Ausman Family Foundation Professor of Surgery and Chairman, Department of Surgery, The Medical College of Wisconsin |
Controversies in the Management of Thyroid Cancer |
2/10/2011 |
| Mitchell C. Posner, MD | – Chief of General Surgery, Director of the Surgical Oncology Fellowship Program, Director for the Center of GI Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Chicago | Improving Outcome for Patients with Cancer of the Pancreas: Mission Accomplished or Mission Impossible | 2/25/2010 |
| Anton N. Sidawy, MD | – Chief, Surgical Services, Veterans Affair Medical Center, Washington, DC – Professor of Surgery and Director, Vascular Surgery Residency Program, Georgetown University School of Medicine |
Clinical and Scientific Observations in Diabetic Lower Extremity Arterial Disease | 2/19/2009 |
| Gregorio A. Sicard, MD | – Eugene M. Bricker Professor of Surgery, Department of Surgery – Division Head, General Surgery – Section Head, Vascular Surgery – Vice Chairman, Department of Surgery – Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis |
The Training of Vascular Surgeons in an Endovascular Era | 2/7/2008 |
| Gregory L. Moneta, MD | – Eugene M. Bricker Professor of Surgery, Department of Surgery – Division Head, General Surgery – Section Head, Vascular Surgery – Vice Chairman, Department of Surgery: Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis |
Evaluation and Management of Upper Extremity Ischemia | 5/3/2007 |
| James M. Seeger, MD | – Professor of Surgery, Chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery, Associate Chairman, University of Florida | Changing Times in Vascular Surgery Training: Primary Certification And Beyond | 3/16/2006 |
| Thomas S. Riles, MD | – George David Stewart Professor of Surgery and Chair, Department of Surgery, New York University School of Medicine | The Changing Paradigm for Surgical Education | 3/24/2005 |
| Jack L. Cronenwett, MD | – Professor of Surgery, Dartmouth Medical School – Chief, Section of Vascular Surgery, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center |
Improving the Care of Patients with Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms | 4/8/2004 |
| William H. Pearce, MD | – Violet R. and Charles A. Baldwin Professor of Vascular Surgery – Chief, Division of Vascular Surgery, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL |
Update on the Pathogenesis of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms | 3/13/2003 |
| William M. Abbott, MD | – Professor of Surgery, Chief of Vascular Surgery Emeritus, Massachusetts General Hospital | Arterial Prostheses: The Challenge Unmet | 2/14/2002 |
| Larry H. Hollier, MD | – Julius H. Jacobson II Professor of Vascular Surgery and Chairman, Department of Surgery, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY | The Role of Endovascular Surgery in Complex Aortic Disease | 11/14/2000 |
| Mr. Peter L. Harris | – Directorate of Vascular and Transplant Services, The Royal Liverpool University Hospitals, Broadgreen and Liverpool, UK | Anastomotic Engineering | 11/13/1999 |
| James S. T. Yao, MD, PhD | – Northwestern University | Atheroembolism: A Clinical Challenge | 11/14/1998 |
| Jerry Goldstone, MD | – Case Western University | Controversies and Complexities in the Management of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms | 11/18/1997 |
| Lazar J. Greenfield, MD | – University of Michigan | Update on Thromboembolism | 11/2/1996 |
| G. Patrick Clagett, MD | – University of Texas | Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism: An Update | 11/4/1995 |
| Calvin B. Ernst, MD | – Henry Ford Hospital | Contemporary Management of Infrarenal and Pararenal AAA | 10/27/1994 |
| Norman R. Hertzer, MD | – Cleveland Clinic Foundation | Quality Control in Vascular Surgery: Results Mean Everything | 9/23/1993 |
| Robert B. Rutherford, MD | – University of Colorado | Options in the Management of Aortoiliac Disease | 10/1/1992 |