Committee on Surgical Palliative Care

The American College of Surgeons Committee on Surgical Palliative Care is dedicated to improving the quality of surgical care of individuals, families, and populations facing serious illness, disability, death and bereavement. Through education, research, and advocacy our mission is to advance the integration of palliative care into surgical practice throughout the spectrum of surgical disease.

The goal of the committee’s work is to support surgeons and surgical teams in providing high-quality patient-centered care for individuals with serious or life-limiting illness.

Activities

• Develops, reviews, and updates educational resources that integrate palliative care principles into surgical education at all training levels.

  • Surgery, Palliative Care, and the American College of Surgeons

  • Principles and Core Competencies of Surgical Palliative Care: An Overview

• Advises on educational competencies related to communication, symptom management, ethical and patient-centered decision making, interdisciplinary care coordination, and caregiver support.
• Organizes educational sessions and courses at the ACS Clinical Congress and other national ACS conferences, as well as other educational offerings, including the annual ACS Surgical Palliative Care Research Symposium.
• Identifies gaps in surgical science and practice, proposes innovations, and promotes the inclusion of palliative care competencies in ACS initiatives pertaining to surgical quality, research, and advocacy.
• Advocates for policies and processes that uphold surgeon integrity, accelerates delivery of high-value care, and foster patient trust through improved access to and incorporation of palliative care principles into surgical practice.

Contact

The Committee on Surgical Palliative Care welcomes your comments. Please write to the Committee's staff liaison, Cassie Buchignani, MS, PMP at cbuchignani@facs.org.

For additional support, contact Michelle Armstrong, MAEd, MA, at marmstrong@facs.org.