Dr. Alejandro Rodriguez joined SAGES as a Candidate Member in 2014 after attending his first annual meeting in Baltimore the year prior.
“Being at the meeting made me realize that SAGES valued its new members, and that ‘big shot’ surgeons were happy to mingle and get to know trainees,” said Dr. Rodriguez, who joined SAGES at the urging of Dr. Morris Franklin. “My interests in MIS and GI surgery also made SAGES the perfect society to join and one that has always felt like home.”
Dr. Rodriguez has been active in the Foregut Facebook group pretty much since its inception, along with the Facebook Committee (which has since folded into Communications). Since taking the FUSE course and becoming interested in surgical energy, he’s also taken an active role in the FUSE committee.
About FUSE, he says, “I’m mostly excited about working on the FUSE curriculum overhaul. The new content will be much less time-consuming and accessible to many surgeons and trainees. I’m coordinating a ‘SAGES session’ at the upcoming Mexican General Surgery Association (Asociacion Mexicana de Cirugia General, AMCG) meeting in November, during which we’ll highlight not just FUSE but other SAGES programs such as FLS and FES.”
Drs. Rebecca Peterson, Andrew Wright and Brant Oelschlager have trained and mentored Dr. Rodriguez, along with Dr. Jaisa Olasky’s leadership as the FUSE committee chair.
Looking to SAGES 2025 in Long Beach, he says, “I appreciate the opportunity for professional growth and development, be it through committee work or lectures, though my favorite aspect of SAGES is the community. I’ve made many new friends, not just with U.S. surgeons but also with colleagues from South America and Asia. I’ve always felt welcome at SAGES, and that doesn’t happen with many societies. I’d like to continue to build lasting relationships with colleagues all over the world, and I also hope to inspire trainees to join and grow within SAGES.”
A novice tennis player and Formula 1 fan, Dr. Rodriguez doesn’t do much racing himself but prefers to spend most of his non-work time with his family,