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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
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
ACS
ACS Innovation Summit

Call for Content

The 2027 ACS-AEI Program Committee is soliciting educational topics for the ACS Innovation Summit, March 11–12, 2027 in Chicago, Illinois.

Onwards Proposals – Now Accepting Submissions

Onwards: A Series of Fast-Moving Pitches of Innovative Ideas from Individuals, Institutions, and Industry

Five minutes. Twenty slides. One idea that could change surgical practice.

The ACS Innovation Summit invites surgeons, simulation educators, researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and industry partners to submit Onwards proposals focused on the future of surgical practice. Onwards proposals are fast, visual, and idea-driven: 5 minutes, 20 slides, 15 seconds per slide. Each talk should spotlight one clear idea, insight, challenge, innovation, or lesson learned that can help advance surgical practice.

We welcome submissions on emerging technologies, AI, surgical simulation, immersive technologies, medical devices, robotics, learner assessment, curriculum design, human factors, implementation barriers, program sustainability, and academic–industry collaboration.

Industry submissions are welcome. Submissions may include forward-looking concepts, prototypes, implementation experiences, and industry perspectives; however, talks should be educational in tone and should not function as product pitches or promotional presentations.

The submission deadline is 11:59 pm CT on September 21.

Submit Proposal

Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Simulator/Model Showcase

We have reopened submissions for the Do–It-Yourself (DIY) Simulator/Model Showcase.

The DIY Simulator/Model Competition encourages the creation of simulators and models to advance surgical education through simulation. The competition highlights innovation and dedication within the surgical simulation education community. Please review the 2027 DIY Submission Guidelines before submitting your abstract.

The submission deadline is 11:59 pm CT on September 21

Submit Abstracts

Speaker Considerations

  • All speakers must be available to present in-person at any time during the meeting March 11–12, 2027.
  • Once accepted sessions are confirmed, all speakers will receive an official confirmation e-mail and must complete an online agreement to be confirmed for the session.
  • All speakers must register in advance for the meeting and pay the applicable registration fee.
  • Speakers will not receive any royalties, honoraria, reimbursement of expenses, or other compensation from ACS in connection with the meeting.
  • DIY and Onwards proposals must be submitted by 11:59 pm CT on September 21, 2026.

Evaluation of Proposals

Proposals will be evaluated by ACS-AEI staff and the ACS-AEI Program Committee.

DIY Simulator/Model Showcase Evaluation Criteria:

  • Creativity
  • Ease of setup/breakdown
  • Ease of use (once the simulator is made)
  • Relevance to the procedure being taught
  • Material haptics
  • Cost-effectiveness

Onwards Proposal Evaluation Criteria:

  • Innovation: Forward thinking, problem solving, creative
  • Impact: High potential to drive impact
  • Clarity: Clear and concise message and takeaway

Notification

Notification of acceptance will be sent in October 2026. AEI staff will then contact you with more details.

We look forward to your participation in the ACS Innovation Summit. Thank you for your submission! If you have any questions, please contact us at edinstitutes@facs.org.