Surgeons Share Their Journey to CEO

A panel of esteemed surgeons imparted their advice to attendees of the ACS Leadership & Advocacy Summit 2024 on how they worked their way to becoming CEO of their respective institutions. Attendees learned from the speakers’ experiences about how they can enhance their own surgical leadership.

The panel, “Surgeons as CEO: Career Paths to the Corner Office,” was moderated by Timothy J. Babineau, MD, MBA, FACS, Retired President and CEO, Lifespan, Professor Emeritus of Surgery, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Principal, Academic Healthcare Division, ECG Management Consultants, Boston, MA.

Speakers on the panel included Selwyn M. Vickers, MD, FACS, President and CEO, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Robert S. D. Higgins, MD, MSHA, FACS, President and Chief Academic Officer, RUSH University, Chicago, IL; Julie A. Freischlag, MD, FRCSEd(Hon), DFSVS, MAMSE, FACS, CEO, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston Salem, NC; Glenn D. Steele Jr., MD, PhD, FACS, Former President and CEO, Geisinger Health System, Washington, DC; Bert W. O’Malley, MD, FACS, President and CEO, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD.

“Even though we are committed to process, we hold ourselves accountable to execution. We value systems and processes, but we don’t end there,” Dr. Vickers said during his remarks.

Dr. Freischlag shared her story during the session, saying, “There are still very few women deans, chairs, and CEOs. As you get into these rooms, you have to learn how to use your voice.”

The engaging session of experts happened during the afternoon of the Leadership portion of the Summit on Sunday, April 14. The Advocacy portion, beginning Monday, April 15, includes updates on the policy priorities the College followed by congressional visits with federal lawmakers.