What's New and Upcoming
NEW! — The piloted E. Shelley Hwang Sustainability Excellence Grant recognizes surgical oncologists who demonstrate exceptional leadership and measurable impact in advancing environmental sustainability within their clinical practice, institution, or health system. One grant of $10,000 will be awarded.
Applications are now closed. A recipient will be announced in January 2027!
The SSO Sustainability Committee has developed its second Sustainability Toolkit, Red Bag Waste Reduction, providing members with a practical, step-by-step resource to reduce unnecessary biohazard waste in operating rooms while maintaining patient and staff safety.
Building on a successful quality improvement initiative at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville that reduced inappropriate red bag waste by more than 70%, the toolkit provides actionable strategies for improving waste segregation, reducing disposal costs, and advancing environmentally responsible surgical practices.
Vision
A future where health care providers are an effective force for combatting climate change for our patients and our planet.
Values
- Reduce waste in our personal lives and in our workplace.
- Be creative and collaborative problem solvers, building on the work of others.
- Advocate and educate to promote sustainable practices.
- View climate change activism as an urgent moral and ethical imperative.
Greenhouse gas emissions and climate change directly affect patients with cancer and their treatment—whether through greater exposure to carcinogens, delay of care due to climate events, or the cost of waste. The U.S. health sector accounts for 25% of global health sector emissions — the highest amount attributable to an individual country’s health sector. In an effort to improve environmental sustainability in surgical oncology, SSO has established a task force whose mission is to inspire and equip surgical oncologists to advance environmental sustainability in their work and daily lives.
Contact Us
Staff Contact – Nicholas Sautter, Assistant Director, Scientific Initiatives, nicholassautter@surgonc.org.