History and Archives Committee

The History and Archives Committee (HAC) of the American College of Surgeons, formerly known as the Surgical History Group, was organized at a breakfast meeting at Clinical Congress 2013. The group was formed with the conviction that an awareness of how surgeons and surgery have evolved can add richness to our lives and serve as a guide to the future.

One of the group’s initial goals was to make surgical history an integral part of Clinical Congress by sponsoring events such as a poster competition, a breakfast presentation, and a panel session.

History and Archives Committee Roster

The History and Archives Committee supports research in surgical history through an annual Archives Fellowship. A $2,000 stipend is awarded to support research that capitalizes on the archival resources of the ACS, which includes the records of the College in Chicago and/or the Orr Collection in Omaha, NE.

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2024

Listen to and read the presentations for the 2024 History of Surgery Community Breakfast with keynote speaker, Edward. E Cornwell III, MD, FACS, on the topic, Training Hospitals Role in the Diversification of the Surgical Workforce: The Freedmen's Hospital Story. This is followed by a Panel Session titled, "A Place of Our Own: The Rise and Fall of Ethnic Hospitals in America." Panelists include Tom Liu, MD discussing African American hospitals, Leo Gordon, MD, FACS, discussing Jewish hospitals, Jane Petro, MD, FACS, discussing women’s hospitals, and Don Nakayama, MD, FACS, discussing hospitals in the Japanese internment camps during WWII.

2023

Full Session with Archives Fellowship Presentation by Julia Chavez presenting a "History of Surgical Ethics" and the keynote address by Charles J. Yeo, MD, FACS, presenting "Thomas Eakins’ Materpiece: The Gross Clinic."

2022

Full session with keynote address by Don K. Nakayama, MD, FACS, presenting "Race and Surgery in America."

2021

Full session with keynote address by David S. Jones, MD, PhD, presenting “When Surgery Is an Experiment: Lessons from the History of Surgical Treatments for Coronary Artery Disease.”

2020

Full session with 2019-2020 Archives Fellowship presentation by Cynthia L. Tang, MSc, MA, presenting "“Seeking Control of the “Laparoscopic Revolution,” 1989-1995” and keynote address by Craig A. Miller, MD FACS, presenting "“Through a Distant Lens: Images of the Life of Dr Michael DeBakey”.

2019

Full session with keynote address by Peter J. Kernahan, MD, FACS, presenting “William J. Mayo and the Rise of American Surgery”

2018

Full session with keynote address by John L. Cameron, MD, FACS, presenting “JMT Finney—First President of the American College of Surgeons”

2017

Full session with keynote address by David L. Nahrwold, MD, FACS, presenting "The Impact of the College on Our Healthcare System"

2016

Keynote address by John A. Weigelt, MD, DVM, FACS, presenting "History of the Surgical Education and Self-Assessment Program (SESAP)"

The ACS History and Archives Committee has compiled educational resources on the history of surgery that is specifically designed for medical students and residents in training. Resources include discussions, videos, presentations, and more.

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The History of Surgery Poster Session, sponsored by the History and Archives Committee of the American College of Surgeons, offers surgical history enthusiasts the opportunity to present on their subject of interest relating to the diseases, techniques, technology, events, or personalities of particular importance to the field of surgery and its subspecialties.

The submission period is from mid-December to early March each year, with successful presenters notified in May to present their poster at Clinical Congress in October. 20 in-person poster presenters will be chosen. More posters may be chosen to be displayed as an E-poster at Clinical Congress. While E-posters are not eligible for any award, and attendance at Clinical Congress is not necessary, it is still an exciting opportunity to have your poster viewed in the E-poster area at Clinical Congress.

Photo and presenter information from prior years are listed on the web pages for the Poster Competition.

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The History and Archives Committee offers a Young Surgeons Essay Competition intended to recognize and support young surgeons who are interested in the historical roots of our profession and are dedicated to studying it. The objective is to produce a scholarly essay for publication using original historical research that will advance our knowledge of the past, thus promoting both young surgeon historians and the history of surgery itself.

Young surgeons are invited to submit an essay on a historical topic of their choosing. The winner and runner up will be invited to publish their paper in a surgical journal, with publication costs covered, if accepted.

Entries are invited from young surgeons who must be the first and primary author.

Young Surgeons are defined as:

• Fellows 45 or younger
• Associate Fellows 45 or younger
• Resident members
• Medical student members, who must be the first and primary author.

Note: Fellows above 45 years of age may serve as additional or senior authors.

The 2025 Young Surgeon Essay Competition deadline has now closed. Please check back in the Autumn for information about the 2026 Young Surgeon Essay Competition which will have a January 2026 submission deadline.

Please contact ACS Archivist Michael Beesley at mbeesley@facs.org for any questions.