Committee Member

Committees of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) represent various aspects of the surgical profession to help serve you as a member of the College. The numerous interests of our wide-ranging membership base are represented through the work of more than 30 committees. We invite you to learn more about how ACS committees are working on your behalf.

The size of each committee has been determined by the Board of Regents. Changes in the number of active members of a committee must have Regental approval.

• Committees accepting nominations/applications to fill vacancies are announced in the spring. The selection of new members is generally made over the summer by the committee, and new committee members are approved at the October Clinical Congress.
• The call for nominations generally outlines the specific skills/expertise the committee is looking for, meeting attendance requirements, and expense reimbursement.
• Interested volunteers are generally requested to submit a letter of interest and CV.
• Members interested in serving on a College committee are encouraged to review the complete list of committees, identify the committee(s) of interest, and contact the ACS staff liaison(s) listed for information on how to submit a nomination/application.
• The Board of Regents strongly urges each committee to seek diversity in its membership by recommending members from: all practice venues, research and administration; all surgical specialties; a variety of geographical locations; all age groups while being mindful of the need for young surgeons; as well as women and other minorities which may be under-represented populations of the Fellowship.
• When members of the College volunteer for committee service, they should be given serious and fair consideration for membership.

• Committee members serve from October to October. The dates coincide with the annual Clinical Congress.
• Fellows, Associate Fellows, Residents, and affiliate members serve for a term of three years with possible reelection for an additional three-year term.
• Fellows, Associate Fellows, and Residents have full voting privileges and may serve as Chair and/or Vice Chair of any standing committee of the College.
• No Fellow, Associate Fellow, Resident, Medical Student, or Affiliate member may serve as a member of more than two standing committees except in very unusual circumstances and with Regental approval.
• The Chair of an existing committee is elected by the Board of Regents. The committee may forward nominations for a Chair to the Board of Regents. The Chair is to be elected for a term of two years and is eligible for reelection to a second two-year term.
• The Vice Chair is nominated from among the active members of the committee by the Chair, and appointed by the Board of Regents, to serve for a term of one year with the privilege of reelection.

• Duties for a specific committee varies
• Review the committee listings to get an idea of what the various ACS committees do.

Committee members are generally requested to attend a minimum of one in-person per year along with conference calls, and to actively contribute to committee projects and initiatives.