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Dr. Richard King

Local surgeon named Fellow of the American College of Surgeons

By Billie Owens

At the 96th annual Clinical Congress in Washington, D.C., earlier this month, Dr. Richard King was initiated as a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

The Oct. 3 ceremony was attended by dignitaries of the college, families of initiates and surgeons from around the globe.

Dr. King joined the staff of United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia in 2008.

He graduated from Cornell and New York Medical College in 1995. After service with the Army in Europe, he completed his surgical and fellowship training at Penn State/Hershey Medical Center in 2006 and then joined the faculty of the University of Rochester Medical Center before working at UMMC.

By meeting the American College of Surgeon's stringent membership requirements, Fellows of the American College of Surgeons have earned the distinguished right to use the designation of “FACS” (Fellow, American College of Surgeons).

“This is the culmination of many years of training as well as sacrifice on the part of my family” says Dr. King. “I owe this accomplishment to their support, as well as to those who have mentored and guided me through the years.”

King currently resides in Brockport with his wife, who is a marriage and family therapist, and their four children.

An applicant for the fellowship must: be a graduate of an approved medical school; have completed advanced training in one of the 14 surgical specialties recognized by the college; possess certification by an American surgical specialty board; present a surgical case from their own practice to a panel comprised of surgeons in their geographic area; and have been in practice in the same geographic location for at least one year at the time of application.

Before admission into fellowship, the surgeon must further demonstrate ethical fitness and professional proficiency, and his or her acceptance as a fellow of the college must be approved by three-fourths of its Board of Regents.

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The college is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery.

Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The college has more than 77,000 members and it is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.

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