Throughout his career, Wilson Szeto, MD, has earned numerous awards in recognition of his superior expertise, leadership, and patient care. For example, Szeto — who serves as chief of Cardiovascular Surgery at PPMC, vice chief of Clinical Operations and Quality for the division of Cardiovascular Surgery, and surgical director for Transcatheter Cardio-Aortic Therapies — has ranked among Philadelphia magazine’s “Top Docs” every year since 2012. But he recently was surprised with “a tremendous honor” that blew him away.
At the annual meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), Szeto was presented with the 2021 Socrates Award by the Thoracic Surgery Residents Association (TRA). Each year, the STS and TSRA celebrate a faculty member in cardiothoracic surgery who has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to resident education and mentorship. As Michael Ibrahim, MD, PhD, chief resident in Cardiac Surgery, noted, “Dr. Szeto is one of the best surgical educators I have had. His patience, kindness, and standard of unremitting excellence make him truly special.”
“It’s one of my most treasured awards because I’m being recognized by the trainees I work with every day,” Szeto said. “And after reading some of their comments, I want to work even harder now!”
Though he is passionate about passing on his knowledge and sharing his experience, Szeto is also committed to developing meaningful relationships and fostering residents’ personal growth. As he gets to know his trainees through hours of shoulder-to-shoulder work in the OR, they become like family, and he is inspired by their excitement and energy. In turn, he champions professionalism, respect, work/life balance, and ongoing education.
“I make them better, and they make me better,” he said. “There’s so much to learn in a limited time, but soon enough, we’ll be colleagues, and they’ll be taking care of patients in a very intense field. I can’t decide to not do my job to the best of my ability, then turn around and expect them to go above and beyond. That’s what drives me to be the best role model and educator I can be.”
Just as Szeto considers it a privilege to be a patient’s surgeon, he feels it is an honor to work alongside residents who are willing to take on the most complex and resource-intensive cardiothoracic surgery cases. “Some residents might have a perspective that, ‘Boy, we’re fortunate to be a Penn and learn to do the highest risk cases,’” he said. “But I would respond that one of the reasons that we can do these high-risk cases is because we have such an excellent team with excellent residents.”
“I’m very grateful for this award,” Szeto continued. “But I don’t think of it as a reflection of my personal achievements. It’s a reflection of what a great place PPMC is and of what a great training program we have. This isn’t for me; this is for our team.”