Foreword

One of the major challenges in surgical practice over the last two decades has been the education of surgeons in the use of minimally invasive technology, an area of surgical practice which today occupies a major portion of most surgical specialties. In this issue of Current Problems in Surgery, Dr. Daniel Jones and his colleagues at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston have written an excellent monograph on “Surgical Skills Training and Simulation.” Their treatise covers important aspects of the field and addresses the use of skills training in areas other than minimally invasive surgery. This outstanding monograph provides an excellent reference for all medical students, house officer, and practicing surgeons who will be or presently are confronted with the need to master a new surgical skill or applied technology.