Welcome to the PEERS Webinar Series! While dedicated research time is a key part of surgical training, access to mentorship and resources in surgical education research remains inconsistent. Organizations like ASE, APDS, and ACS have made great strides with programs that provide essential knowledge and community. Yet barriers such as cost, institutional support, and timing can still leave trainees without the guidance they need.
The Collaboration of Surgical Education Fellows (CoSEF) (cosef.org) was founded in 2020 to bridge these gaps. With over 85 members—residents and fellows passionate about advancing surgical education—CoSEF thrives on peer collaboration, support, and shared success.
Thanks to ASE funding, we’re excited to introduce PEERS (Peer Engagement for Education Research Success): An Online Resource for Trainees. This series will provide practical, peer-led guidance on “boots on the ground” topics, including:
- Building and maintaining effective peer and faculty mentorships
- Navigating simple and complex IRB processes
- Choosing the right venues for presenting and publishing and your research
- Mastering authorship and submission strategies
Webinar #1 – Mentorship
Are you a new investigator looking to build strong mentorship and collaborative networks in research? Join us for a PRACTICAL and ENGAGING webinar featuring leaders and peers in surgical education and research as they discuss how to identify, maintain, and maximize mentorship relationships. Learn about the difference between sponsorship and mentorship, the types of mentorship styles, and how to navigate challenging mentor-mentee dynamics. Panelists will also share insights into peer mentorship networks like the Collaboration of Surgical Education Fellows (CoSEF), the Resident and Associate Society of the American College of Surgeons (RAS-ACS), and professional development programs with practical advice on creating effective collaborative networks. Gain actionable tools through handouts, including email templates for reaching out to mentors, key questions to ask during mentorship discussions, and a resource guide to peer networks and opportunities. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from top faculty and peers, including Dr. Mohsen Shabahang (President of the Association for Surgical Education), Dr. Amy Holmstrom, and Dr. Colin Martin, alongside trainees representing CoSEF. Moderated by Dr. Joshua Roshal, this webinar is designed to empower new investigators to take charge of their mentorship journey.
Learning Objectives: Mentorship Webinar
- Identify key peer-mentorship networks available for surgical trainees, including CoSEF, RAS-ACS, SERF/SELF, advanced degree programs.
- Differentiate between sponsorship and mentorship and describe their respective roles in career development.
- Describe various faculty mentorship styles and determine which style best aligns with their learning needs and career goals.
- Recognize the characteristics of an effective mentor and outline strategies for identifying and selecting an appropriate mentor.
- Implement best practices for maintaining a productive mentor-mentee relationship, including establishing meeting frequency, setting expectations, and ensuring effective communication.
- Evaluate the signs of an ineffective mentorship relationship and develop a plan for deciding when and how to exit that relationship professionally.
Resources:
Webinar #2 – Where to Present and Publish Your Surgical Education Research
Whether you’re a trainee or an experienced educator, this webinar will give you the tools and confidence to get your research noticed. Hear from our panel of experts about their experiences and recommendations for successfully navigating the publication and presentation landscape.
Learn about the top conferences for surgical education, including key deadlines and submission strategies. We discuss how to choose the right presentation format (podium, poster, workshop, panel) for your work and our editors share their tips on how to write a successful abstracts. We’ll explore common surgical education journals and hear from our faculty and journal Editors-in-Chief on how to craft successful manuscripts and how best to address reviewer comments. Lastly, our panelists will be discussing insights into new scholarship frontiers such as podcasts, op-eds and perspective pieces, preprinting, and open access.
Faculty Panelists: Douglas Smink (Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Surgical Education), Gurjit Sandhu (Director of the Center for Surgical Training and Research and ASE SERF), and Dimitrios Stefanidis (Editor-in-Chief of Global Surgical Education)
Trainee Panelists: Caitlin Silvestri (ASE SERF Participant, CoSEF leadership), Connie Gan (MHPE Candidate, CoSEF member), and Colleen McDermott (ASE SELF Participant, CoSEF leadership)
Moderated by Joshua Roshal
Learning Objectives: Where to Present and Publish Your Surgical Education Research
- Identify 5 options available to disseminate educational scholarship.
- Explain how your research and/or innovation project fits into the “project timeline”.
- Conclude the ideal forum to disseminate your research and/or innovation project.
- Recognize 3 characteristics of a successful abstract submission to a conference and/or journal.
- Appraise 2 innovative approaches to disseminating educational scholarship.
Resources:
- Common Surgical Education Conferences with Dates (Exact dates and locations change each year, but estimated timeline)
- List of Health Professional Education Journals
- Annotated Bibliography of Surgical Education Journals
- Template for Responding to Reviewer Comments
- Practical Guide to Common Flaws In Surgical Education Research
- Practical Guide to Preprinting and Surgical Journals Policies