News from the 2005 Clinical Congress

SAN FRANCISCO–Kathryn D. Anderson, MD, FACS, FRCS, a pediatric surgeon from San Marino, CA, was installed as the 86th President of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) last night during Convocation ceremonies that opened the College's annual Clinical Congress. Dr. Anderson is professor emeritus, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

A native of Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England, Dr. Anderson is a 1964 graduate of Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. She completed an internship in pediatric medicine (1964-65) at Boston Children's Hospital before serving as a resident (1965-69) and chief resident (1969-70) in the department of surgery at Georgetown University Hospital, in Washington, DC. From 1970-1972, she did a fellowship in pediatric surgery at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC. In 1971, Dr. Anderson became a diplomate of the American Board of Surgery. She went on to achieve board certification in pediatric surgery from the American Board of Surgery in 1975.

Dr. Anderson spent many years teaching and practicing in the Washington, DC area. She founded the division of pediatric surgery and served as assistant professor of surgery and pediatrics at Georgetown University from 1972 to 1974. She then held the positions of assistant professor of surgery and pediatrics, associate professor of surgery and pediatrics, and professor of surgery and pediatrics at George Washington University (1974-1992). Dr. Anderson also served as a surgical consultant to the United States Army at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, DC (1976-1992). From 1984 to 1992, she served as an adjunct scientist in the molecular hematology branch of the National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in Bethesda, MD, where she also served as a consulting surgeon from 1978 to1992. Dr. Anderson then moved to southern California to assume responsibilities as surgeon-in-chief, vice president of surgery, and head of the division of pediatric surgery, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. During this time, she served as vice-chairman in the department of surgery and professor of surgery at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Since 2004, she has been professor emeritus, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California.

A Fellow of the College since 1975, Dr. Anderson is the first woman to be elected President of the American College of Surgeons. She has served as an active participant in and leader of numerous College activities, including service as a member of the Board of Governors (1986-92), a member (1986-92) and Chair (1990-91) of the Advisory Council for Pediatric Surgery, a member of the Finance Committee (1992-95), a member of the Honors Committee (1992-2002), a member (1995-2002) and Chair (1998-2002) of the Organization Committee, a member of the Communications Committee (1995-2002), an ex-officio member of the Board of Regents (1992-2002), Secretary (1992-2001), First Vice President (2001-02), and President-Elect (2004-05).

In addition to her service to the College, Dr. Anderson has held many leadership positions in organized surgery. She has served as chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics Surgical Section (1985-86), president of the American Pediatric Surgical Association (1999-2000), and second vice-president of the American Surgical Association (2004-2005).

Dr. Anderson has also served as both a guest examiner and a senior board examiner (pediatric surgery certification) for the American Board of Surgery and as a site visitor for the Residency Review Committee for Pediatric Surgery. She is also a member of many surgical organizations, including the Royal College of Surgeons of England, the Society of University Surgeons, and the Association of Women Surgeons.

Dr. Anderson has shown a strong commitment to the dissemination of surgical knowledge, having served as associate editor of both the Journal of the American College of Surgeons and Journal of Pediatric Surgery and having served as a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Journal of Pediatric Surgery, Pediatric Surgery International, the Annals of Surgical Oncology, Practice of Surgery, and Journal of Women's Health.

Dr. Anderson has devoted a major part of her career to surgical research. She has studied esophageal replacement in infants and children, surgical implantation of gene-engineered hepatocytes, and transplantation of vascular grafts.

Additionally, Dr. Anderson has served as a visiting professor at hospitals and universities and lecturer at medical meetings around the world. She has been a lecturer at the Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital—Denver, the Royal Australian College of Surgeons, the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, and the Children's Hospital of Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 2003, the National Library of Medicine held an exhibition titled "Women Pioneers in Medicine" in which Dr. Anderson was featured.

Dr. Anderson currently resides in San Marino, CA.

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 care of the surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 66,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.

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