SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., ― Raqeeb Haque, MD, FACS, FAANS, was among 1,993 initiates from around the world who became Fellows of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) during the convocation ceremony at the College’s Clinical Congress 2019 in San Francisco, California in October. This year’s class of initiates was among one of the largest ever admitted into the college.

Dr. Haque is a fellowship trained neurosurgeon with Regional West Physicians Clinic-Neurosurgery & Spine Center. He completed his undergraduate education at Harvard University and earned his medical degree at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed his neurological surgery residency at Columbia University Medical Center, followed by a fellowship in minimally invasive spine surgery at Northwestern University. He is board certified in neurosurgery by the American Board of Neurological Surgeons.  

Dr. Haque has received numerous awards in the field of neurosurgery, including the Mayfield Clinical Research Award, Leksell Radiosurgery Award, and Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation Spine and Peripheral Nerve Section Research Fellowship. He is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Medical Scholar. His expertise includes the diagnosis and treatment of conditions, illnesses, and injuries involving the nervous system, brain, skull, spinal cord, and spinal discs.

By meeting the college’s stringent membership requirements, fellows of the college have earned the distinguished right to use the designation of “FACS” (Fellow, American College of Surgeons) after their names. An applicant for fellowship must be a graduate of an approved medical school; must have completed advanced training in one of the 14 surgical specialties recognized by the college; must possess certification by an American surgical specialty board or appropriate certification by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada; and must have been in practice for at least one year at the time of his or her application. Before admission into fellowship, the surgeon must further demonstrate ethical fitness and professional proficiency, and his or her acceptance as a fellow of the college must be approved by three-fourths of its board of regents.

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient.  The college is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The college has more than 82,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. For more information, visit: www.facs.org.                               

Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff, Neb., is the parent company of Regional West Medical Center, a 188-bed regional referral center and one of three Level II Trauma Centers in the state. As the region’s only tertiary referral medical center, Regional West offers care that spans more than 32 medical specialties provided by over 28 physician clinics. With nearly 300 in-network providers, and 2,000 employees, Regional West provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming.