Association of Surgical Technologists (AST) is pleased to announce L. Gene Burke, Jr. as a recipient of the Fellow of the Association of Surgical Technologists (F.A.S.T.) award.  He was recognized during the Opening Ceremony at the AST 45^th Annual National Conference recently held in Denver, Colorado.  

Burke who is the Director of the Surgical Technology Program at Augusta Technical College travelled to Colorado and was pleasantly surprised at the recognition. “This was a total shock to me as I did not apply for this award and was nominated by my peers who remained anonymous. I am truly honored and humbled by this and only hope that I continue to live up to the standards that this award represents,” he said.

The FAST award is one of AST’s highest honors designed to provide recognition to those members who have significantly contributed to the profession as practitioners, educators, researchers, and administrators.  Recipients of the FAST are recognized as having upheld the highest standards and traditions of the surgical technology profession, including their devotion to the advancement of the practice of surgical technology through volunteer professional and community activities. This is the highest award that a CST can be given and there are only three in the state of Georgia.