Consensus Conference on North American Training in Hepatopancreaticobiliary Surgery: A Review of the Conference and Presentation of Consensus Statements

The findings and recommendations of the North American consensus conference on training in hepatopancreaticobiliary (HPB) surgery held in October 2014 are presented. The conference was hosted by the Society for Surgical Oncology (SSO), the Americas Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary Association (AHPBA), and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS). The current state of training in HPB surgery in North America was defined through three pathways - HPB, surgical oncology, and solid organ transplant fellowships. Consensus regarding programmatic requirements included establishment of minimum case volumes and inclusion of quality metrics. Formative assessment, using milestones as a framework and inclusive of both operative and nonoperative skills, must be present. Specific core HPB cases should be defined and used for evaluation of operative skills. The conference concluded with a focus on the optimal means to perform summative assessment to evaluate the individual fellow completing a fellowship in HPB surgery. Presentations from the hospital perspective and the American Board of Surgery led to consensus that summative assessment was desired by the public and the hospital systems and should occur in a uniform but possibly modular manner for all HPB fellowship pathways. A task force composed of representatives of the SSO, AHPBA, and ASTS are charged with implementation of the consensus statements emanating from this consensus conference.