GERALD B. HEALY, MD, FACS, NAMED PRESIDENT-ELECT OF
AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS

CHICAGO: Gerald B. Healy, MD, FACS, an otolaryngologist from Boston, MA, was named President-Elect of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) during the College’s 92nd annual Clinical Congress in Chicago, October 12. Dr. Healy is the Gerald B. Healy Chair in Otolaryngology and professor of otology and laryngology at Harvard Medical School, and the otolaryngologist-in-chief, at Children’s Hospital, in Boston.

A Fellow of the American College of Surgeons since 1977, Dr. Healy has been actively involved in the governance of the College, including serving as a member of the College’s Board of Regents since 1997 and as Chair from 2005 to 2006. Dr. Healy was the first otolaryngologist to serve in that capacity. He was Vice-Chair of the Board of Regents from 2003 to 2005, Chair of the Regents Finance Committee from 2005 to 2006, Chair of the Regents Executive Committee from 2005 to 2006, and served as Chair of the Member Services Liaison Committee of the Board of Regents (2003-2005). Dr. Healy has also served as a member (1999-present) and Chair (2000-04) of the Regents Central Judiciary Committee, a member of the Nominating Committee (2000-01), and a member of the Honors Committee (1999–present). Furthermore, he has been Chair of (1995-98) and Board of Governors representative to (1991-96) the ACS Advisory Council for Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Healy also served as President of the Massachusetts Chapter of the American College of Surgeons from 1997 to 1998.

Dr. Healy is a native of Boston, MA, and a 1963 graduate (cum laude) of Boston College. He earned a medical doctorate from Boston University (1967), where he also served an internship (1967-68), surgical residency (1968-69) and residency in otolaryngology (1969-72) at Boston University Medical Center. He was named a Diplomate by the American Board of Otolaryngology in 1972. In addition to his service to the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Healy has held many leadership positions in organized surgery. He was director of the American Board of Otolaryngology (1986-2004) and served as its executive vice-president (1998-2004) and was a member of the board of directors of the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery (1985-88). In addition, Dr. Healy was president of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology (1987-88); president of the American Bronchoesophagological Association (1990-1991); president of the American Laryngological Association (1999-2000); president of the American Laryngological, Rhinological, and Otological [Triological] Society (2000-2001); and vice-president of the International Bronchoesophagological Society (2001-2002).

Dr. Healy has also devoted his professional life to several significant research endeavors. His research interests have included the effect of interferon on recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, for which he received a National Institutes of Health contract and Interferon Foundation funding for a multi-center study (1982-1987), and the prevention of otitis media in infants and children, for which he received a research grant from the National Institute of Neurological and Communication Disorders and Stroke/National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (1986-1990). 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 70,000 members and it is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. The 22-member Board of Regents directs the affairs of the College and is assisted in its work by numerous College committees, councils, and advisory councils.

Online November 29, 2006

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