ABSTRACT

I consider 1976-1983 to be my learning curve years. I prepared myself to be a successful laparoscopic surgeon. In 1985 I presented laparoscopic treatment of pelvic abscess at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and both laparoscopic endometrioma excision and laparoscopic electrosurgical oophorectomy at the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL). I began teaching these techniques soon thereafter and taught an advanced laparoscopic course at AAGL for the next 20 years. One year earlier Ron Levine presented laparoscopic oophorectomy using endoloop sutures after visiting Kurt Semm in Kiel, Germany. Ron then put together the first US freestanding laparoscopic surgery course in April 1986 in Louisville and invited me as part of the faculty, along with Semm, Hulka, and Hasson.