Important Announcement Regarding the 77th Annual Meeting of the Central Surgical Association
The CSA has been closely monitoring the ever evolving COVID-19 health crisis, including updates and recommendations from the CDC, WHO, and state and local governments (including states of emergencies and bans on gatherings). We have also been actively following hospital and institutional travel advisories and restrictions, and we know that an ever-increasing number of our members are on the front lines facing the COVID-19 outbreak worldwide. Finally, the health, safety, and well-being of our members, staff, faculty, attendees, patients, and other stakeholders is of paramount importance. Based on all of these factors, it is with heavy hearts that the CSA has made the difficult but necessary decision to cancel its 77th Annual Meeting, which was to have taken place June 4-6, 2020, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Frequently Asked Questions
We have answered the most pressing questions below; if you have further questions or would like more information, please contact the Association.
How will the CSA handle registration fees?
All registered Annual Meeting attendees will be offered the option of contributing their registration fees to the Foundation or receiving a refund. You do not need to contact the CSA; information will be forthcoming. If a refund is chosen, please note that, due to the number of registrations—all of which require individual processing—we expect this process to take some time; we thus ask for your patience as the CSA works to accommodate our valued members and guests.
How can I support the CSA during this time if I had not registered for the meeting?
Please consider making a donation to the CSA Foundation—equivalent to an Early Bird registration fee ($450 for Active and Senior members) or to a CSA Foundation dinner ticket ($250), or in any amountamount—by logging into the Members Only Area.
How can I cancel my hotel reservation and other travel arrangements?
All reservations made within the CSA’s official block of rooms at the St. Kate – The Arts Hotel will be automatically cancelled by April 27, 2020. You will not be charged, and no action is required on your part to cancel your stay. Any individual who booked outside of the official block is responsible for cancelling their own hotel reservation made at the St. Kate – The Arts Hotel. Please also remember to cancel any other personal arrangements you've made, such as air travel. The CSA is not refunding individual airline ticket costs; instead, please contact your airline directly regarding ticket cancellations—and if you purchased travel insurance, contact your provider for information and next steps.
Will the 77th Annual Meeting be postponed until a later date / rescheduled?
CSA Annual Meetings are planned years in advance, with careful coordination with venues that can accommodate our meeting. Rescheduling has proven impossible to find a date that is agreeable and offers the best opportunity for the majority of our membership and non-member physicians alike, to attend.
What happens if I was scheduled to present and/or discuss an abstract?
All authors whose abstracts were accepted for presentation are encouraged to submit their manuscripts to Surgery. In the coming weeks, the CSA and Surgery will be reaching out directly to paper authors and discussants to provide information about the manuscript submission/publication process. All papers will still be accepted for publication consideration in the CSA-dedicated issue of Surgery.
What will happen with CSA business conducted at the Annual Meeting?
The CSA has been closely monitoring the ever evolving COVID-19 health crisis, including updates and recommendations from the CDC, WHO, and state and local governments (including states of emergencies and bans on gatherings). We have also been actively following hospital and institutional travel advisories and restrictions, and we know that an ever-increasing number of our members are on the front lines facing the COVID-19 outbreak worldwide. Finally, the health, safety, and well-being of our members, staff, faculty, attendees, patients, and other stakeholders is of paramount importance. Based on all of these factors, it is with heavy hearts that the CSA has made the difficult but necessary decision to cancel its 77th Annual Meeting, which was to have taken place June 4-6, 2020, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Frequently Asked Questions
We have answered the most pressing questions below; if you have further questions or would like more information, please contact the Association.
How will the CSA handle registration fees?
All registered Annual Meeting attendees will be offered the option of contributing their registration fees to the Foundation or receiving a refund. You do not need to contact the CSA; information will be forthcoming. If a refund is chosen, please note that, due to the number of registrations—all of which require individual processing—we expect this process to take some time; we thus ask for your patience as the CSA works to accommodate our valued members and guests.
How can I support the CSA during this time if I had not registered for the meeting?
Please consider making a donation to the CSA Foundation—equivalent to an Early Bird registration fee ($450 for Active and Senior members) or to a CSA Foundation dinner ticket ($250), or in any amountamount—by logging into the Members Only Area.
How can I cancel my hotel reservation and other travel arrangements?
All reservations made within the CSA’s official block of rooms at the St. Kate – The Arts Hotel will be automatically cancelled by April 27, 2020. You will not be charged, and no action is required on your part to cancel your stay. Any individual who booked outside of the official block is responsible for cancelling their own hotel reservation made at the St. Kate – The Arts Hotel. Please also remember to cancel any other personal arrangements you've made, such as air travel. The CSA is not refunding individual airline ticket costs; instead, please contact your airline directly regarding ticket cancellations—and if you purchased travel insurance, contact your provider for information and next steps.
Will the 77th Annual Meeting be postponed until a later date / rescheduled?
CSA Annual Meetings are planned years in advance, with careful coordination with venues that can accommodate our meeting. Rescheduling has proven impossible to find a date that is agreeable and offers the best opportunity for the majority of our membership and non-member physicians alike, to attend.
What happens if I was scheduled to present and/or discuss an abstract?
All authors whose abstracts were accepted for presentation are encouraged to submit their manuscripts to Surgery. In the coming weeks, the CSA and Surgery will be reaching out directly to paper authors and discussants to provide information about the manuscript submission/publication process. All papers will still be accepted for publication consideration in the CSA-dedicated issue of Surgery.
What will happen with CSA business conducted at the Annual Meeting?
- The CSA will still conduct a members-only Business Meeting on Friday, June 5, 2020, at 4:15 PM Central Daylight Time, albeit as a live web conference. The Business Meeting will also include presentations by 2019 Foundation award recipients and an acknowledgement of those new members elected in 2019. Furthermore, the Nominating Committee will present a new slate of officers, for election. Further details will follow.
- The election of new 2020 membership candidates will be conducted via e-ballot.
- Council and Foundation Board meetings scheduled at the Annual Meeting will be conducted via web conference.
- Further decisions have also been made, and updates will be posted after those directly impacted by these decisions have been contacted first.
