Become a member and receive career-enhancing benefits
Our top priority is providing value to members. Your Member Services team is here to ensure you maximize your ACS member benefits, participate in College activities, and engage with your ACS colleagues. It's all here.
Become a member and receive career-enhancing benefits
Our top priority is providing value to members. Your Member Services team is here to ensure you maximize your ACS member benefits, participate in College activities, and engage with your ACS colleagues. It's all here.
Welcome to Chicago (and virtually) to Clinical Congress 2025. This is the first time in a decade that we’ve gathered in the birthplace of our organization.
This year, we’ve further enhanced the new Clinical Congress Saturday–Tuesday schedule to make the programming even more impactful and relevant to you, while simultaneously offering the benefit of fewer days away from your practice, clinic, trainees, and patients.
This meeting focuses on innovations in surgery, research, education, and technology, as well as important opportunities to network with and be inspired by mentors, trainees, colleagues, and icons in our profession.
To help ensure that you make the most of Clinical Congress, please download the meeting mobile app, where you’ll find the most up-to-date program information, as well as venue maps, the exhibitor list, speaker information, shuttle bus schedules, and other useful functionality.
Convocation and Welcome Reception Tonight
Join us tonight at 5:45 pm for Convocation, where we proudly will confer Fellowship on 2,122 new Initiates. During this ceremony, we also will present several important awards, grant Honorary Fellowship on seven surgeons from around the world, and hear the Presidential Address of Anton N. Sidawy, MD, MPH, FACS, immediately following his installation.
After Convocation, we welcome all attendees and their families to the Windy City Welcome Reception, beginning at 7:00 pm, where we will celebrate our new Fellows. This complimentary celebration will include samplings of Chicago’s renowned cuisine, along with a stunning twilight skyline view of the city.
Opening Ceremony on Sunday
Tomorrow morning at 8:00 am, Dr. Sidawy will preside over the Opening Ceremony. I will give the annual State of the ACS address, and we will recognize many domestic and international leaders. The Martin Memorial Lecture will follow at 9:00 am by David J. Skorton, MD, president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Exhibit Hall Tomorrow through Tuesday
Please visit the Exhibit Hall Sunday–Tuesday to examine the latest equipment and devices, visit our Career Fair, participate in the Ergonomics Clinic, and learn about anything the College offers in ACS Central. While there, staff can assist with downloading the new MyACS mobile app and updating your online profile; this will allow us to provide you with curated content throughout the year, ensuring you always receive offerings from the ACS that align with your surgical specialty, career stage, and interests. In addition, receive a free digital headshot from our onsite professional photographer that you may add to your online member profile.
Celebrating a Master Educator and Retiring Division Leader
Sunday afternoon at 4:00 pm, please join us in celebration of the extraordinary contributions of Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, who will be retiring from his role in the Division of Education on October 31, after 24 years of dedication to advancing surgical excellence. All are welcome to join us in celebrating and congratulating Dr. Sachdeva. In addition, Kyla P. Terhune, MD, MBA, FACS, who will become Senior Vice President, Education, on November 1, will be present at this year’s Clinical Congress and looks forward to meeting as many of you as possible.
Annual Business Meeting of Members Tuesday
All ACS members are invited to attend the Annual Business Meeting of Members on Tuesday at 4:15 pm—where there will be reports from ACS leadership, election of officers, presentation of several awards, and remarks from the newly elected President-Elect.
On-Demand Content
These 4 days of Clinical Congress offer a tremendous amount of content, so please note that on-demand session access is included with your registration and available through February 23, 2026. Many sessions will be available for on-demand viewing via the Clinical Congress virtual platform soon after the live presentations. Refer to the Clinical Congress app or Program Pocket Guide, provided to you at registration, for a full list of sessions available on demand.
Clinical Congress offers something for every surgeon. I especially want to welcome the medical students, surgical residents, and early career practicing surgeons in attendance this year. Clinical Congress can help fuel your career success, just as it does for surgeons across all career stages, career types, and surgical disciplines.
Together, we are The House of Surgery®—and I am grateful to all of you who join us at Clinical Congress, where our unity makes each of us better, more skillful, and more effective at enhancing the outcomes of the patients we serve.
Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS Executive Director & CEO
Claim CME and Access On Demand
Thank you to all who attended Clinical Congress in Chicago! CME Credit claiming closes on February 23, 2026. Virtual registration is available.
