It gives me great pleasure to present Professor Bauer Sumpio for the Honorary Fellowship of the Caribbean College of Surgeons. Baur Sumpio was born in New York, His parents were distinguished doctors (mother an ObGyn & father a cardiologist), both of whom worked in San Fernando General Hospital, Trinidad & Tobago in the 70’s. In fact his mother worked with Patrics father. The young Sumpio grew up in an atmosphere of medical learning and sports. Bauer did his O levels in Trinidad and then moved to the USA. His excellence in his academic achievements is shown by numerous prizes and scholarships that he won.
Dr. Bauer Sumpio received his medical degree in 1980 and his Ph.D. in Physiology in 1981 from Cornell University Medical College in New York. From 1981 to 1986 he underwent his post-graduate training in General Surgery at Yale University and from 1986 to 1987 his fellowship training in Vascular Surgery at the University of North Carolina. Amongst the prestigious scholarships he won are the American College of Surgeons Travelling Fellowship (Australia and New Zealand Chapter) and the E. J. Wylie Travelling Scholar in Vascular Surgery. Dr. Sumpio then returned to Yale University School of Medicine, Section of Vascular Surgery, as a faculty member and as Chief of Vascular Surgery at the VA Connecticut. In 1994, he was promoted to Full-Professor with tenure and was named as the Vice-chairman of the Department of Surgery and the Chief of Vascular Surgery at Yale. His professional society memberships include the American Surgical Association, International College of Angiology, Society for Vascular Surgery, American College of Cardiology, Society for Vascular Medicine and Biology, American College of Surgeons, Society for University Surgeons, European Society for Vascular Surgery, Biomedical Engineering Society, American Heart Association and the American Physiological Society. He is a past Chair of the Research Council of the Society for Vascular Surgery and Secretary of the Association of Program Directors of Vascular Surgery. He is Past-President of the New England Society for Vascular Surgery. He has been on the editorial board of several journals, including the Journal of Vascular Surgery, Journal of American College of Surgeons, and Cell Transplantation. He is the Associate Editor for Annals of Vascular Surgery. He has had continuous research funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Veterans Administration and the American Heart Association since 1988 for his studies on the role of hemodynamics and vascular disease. He has published over 380 peer-reviewed papers and has edited and authored 5 books on vascular surgery and biology. He has trained nearly 100 surgical residents during his career so far. Dr. Sumpio is the proud recipient of many prestigious honors and awards such as being listed in the Best Doctor in NY (Vascular) from 2006-2013 and the research achievement Award from the International College Of Angiology. In 2002 he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Philippine College of Surgeons. He is a keen researcher and has lead more than 30 research projects, trials and grants, some of which are ongoing. He heads the Vascular Surgery Research Laboratories in Yale where they are conducting studies on the role of hemodynamic forces in influencing the biology of the vascular wall. I had the opportunity to visit his laboratory at Yale where I noticed young researchers from different parts of the world working assiduously on projects.
Prof Sumpio is an astute and well reputed vascular Surgeon. He has taken special interest in diabetic feet ( which is a big problem in the Caribbean). His research interests include Diabetic foot disease; Cerebrovascular disease; Peripheral vascular disease; Wound healing; Atherosclerosis; and Hemodynamics.
His passion to teach surgery took him on lecture tours to many countries including the Phillipines, (the birth place of his forefathers) New Zealand, Hong Kong, Australia, the Caribbean and many states in the USA. At this juncture, I need to highlight his contribution to the Caribbean. He was invited as an external examiner in surgery by UWI in 2002. He has enormous stamina and has withstood the rigors of our Caribbean social scene. To illustrate let me relate an incident. At the end of a rigourous surgery examination at St.Augustine, our hosts (Dale Hasranah, Vijay, Yardesh etc) treated us to a night out. After spending the night in different clubs with generous ablations and dancing, we were returning to the hotel at about 4 AM when Buaer insisted on having a freshly prepared Roti from St.James!! He had apparently heard from Vijay that rotis will be available all night in St.James. We ate our rotis and returned to our hotel at about 5 AM. We had an early morning tee time and I had arranged to play that day. To my shock, Bauer knocked on my door at 6.30 AM!! ready and fresh to go and play!! I had to take a rain check since I was not fit enough. Apparently he went on to have a game and even scored well.
Prof Sumpio has a longstanding relationship with the Caribbean. In fact ( I am sure the senior members of the college would remember), he was the first distinguished speaker at the Inaugural Caribbean College meeting in Port of Spain in 2002. We all remember his excellent presentation on the evidence based benefits of red wine at the banquet and I guess, subsequently led many to become winaholics!! His interest in diabetic feet brought him back to the Caribbean in 2005 to organize the 1st Diabetic foot workshop in Barbados. Three years later he along with the local organizing committee organized a similar workshop in St.Lucia. We have also had the privilege of seeing his astute surgical skills in the operating room at QEH. He also participated in The Diabetic Foot and Amputee Symposium a few years ago, a collaborative effort by UWI, QEH and the Vascular Unit of Yale Medical School.
He returned to the Caribbean with his pet Project : “Let them Walk” initiative to assist amputees with state of the art lower limb prosthesis. He is also keen on Institutional Strengthening. In this regard an MOU was signed between UWI, Cave Hill Campus and the vascular unit, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. The two universities intend to promote and strengthen scientific and academic cooperation by means of exchanging professors, researchers as well as other staff and students. Both universities agreed to strengthen their relationship in different thematic research areas and also to undertake joint research activities. I guess we can have similar relationships with other units in the Caribbean.
The Yale group consisting of Professor Sumpio, Dr.Brandon Sumpio, senior College student at Johns Hoskins University and , Mr.Leslie Mahler, Prosthetist, visited the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in 2013 to continue the program initiated in 2012, to deliver donated prosthetics to those in need. Their goal was to donate their time and material to cast and create sockets for those with below knee amputations and then fit them with prostheses. These patients are now able to walk. Bauer has extended this project to Grenada and Antigua. The Let Them Walk project has so far benefited nearly 70 amputees as a result of this initiative by Prof Sumpio.
His most noteworthy cardiovascular achievement can be said to have occurred when he captured the heart of Cathy and later tied the knot! They went on to produce three lovely children who they raised in an atmosphere of learning and social obligation. Cathy is an amazing person and is one of the most hospitable ladies that I have met. She is I am sure was responsible for being the strength behind Bauer’s tremendous success.
Bauer has a fantastic sense of Humor and is a keen sportsman. He has a passion for American football and golf. Outside of Sport and Surgery, I like to think of Bauer as a bit of a Renaissance Man. It seems he has spent the last few years reading the great American novels, actually listening to them as audio books, to revisit works that he did not have a chance to study formally as an university undergraduate student. He also has been fascinated with works on the British monarchy, and the Da Vinci Code! Cathy and Bauer share a love of art history, and they both make it a point to visit major museums as they travels the cities of the world. I am sure he also makes it a point to see different golf courses. He is an avid golfer and a fierce competitor who tries to beat whomever he is playing with! He is an exercise enthusiast -, he exercises every day, 1-2 hours without fail. Apparently his new regimens include spinning and Yoga. His fitness was very evident when he was an external examiner to which I have already alluded.
During his many visits he has made many friends in the Caribbean. Professor Bauer Sumpio has been in constant contact with developing nations in the world and contributed enormously in advancing surgery in these countries, especially the Caribbean.
Mr.President, invited guests & colleagues, the Caribbean College of Surgeons, in recognition of Professor Bauer Sumpio’s enormous contribution to the Caribbean and advancement of surgery in the Caribbean and the wider world, confers this award of Honorary Fellowship of the College.
