Attending surgeons (first team: L to R) Drs. William Reed, Joseph Sorrento, and Marc Shapiro were victorious in the Final Jeopardy round.

STONY BROOK, N.Y., January 20, 2009 – On January 15, Stony Brook University Medical Center surgical residents (surgeons in training) and attending surgeons faced off in “Surgical Jeopardy,” a game modeled in format after the popular TV show and in content by a game created by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) to test and increase surgeons’ knowledge. Be it questions on “All the World’s a Stage” (Tumor Staging), “Tons of Fun” (Bariatric Surgery), or “Odds and Ends” (Colorectal Surgery), the competition was intense. The team of attending surgeons won the game in a close match.

“Our Jeopardy game and format encourages fun in studying and highlights the importance of surgical knowledge,” says Todd K. Rosengart, M.D., Interim Chair of Surgery and Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at SBUMC, who created the game/questions and acted as host.

In total, five teams competed. In “round one,” three teams of residents played against each other for a spot in Final Jeopardy. The winning resident team was then pitted against an “all-star” team (residents selected based on their board scores) and the surgical attending team (full-time faculty/surgeons).

Stony Brook attending surgeons Drs. William Reed (General Surgery), Joseph Sorrento (General Surgery), and Marc Shapiro (General Surgery & Trauma) were victorious in the Final Jeopardy round. The team decided to donate their prize – a free trip to a professional surgical meeting – to the winning resident team.

Surgery remains one of the first, and often most crucial steps in medicine, whether treating heart disease, cancer or other conditions. In an age where technical advancements such as computer graphics, robotics and imaging are constantly improving surgical techniques, knowledge is paramount for performing surgery.

The ACS has held Surgical Jeopardy at its Annual Clinical Congress for five plus years. The game tests general and specialty surgery knowledge of residents around the country and has been a huge success. In 2008, 24 resident teams challenged each other at the annual meeting. Nine ACS chapters now include Jeopardy as part of their annual continuing education meetings.

Established in 1971, the Stony Brook University School of Medicine includes 25 academic departments centered on education, training, and advancing scientific research. The primary mission of the School is to educate caring and skilled physicians well-prepared to enter graduate and specialty training programs. The school’s graduate and specialty training programs are designed to educate medical specialists and investigators in the biomedical and clinical sciences to be well-prepared to advance the frontiers of research, clinical practice and education.

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