ACS Surgeons as Leaders: From Operating Room to Boardroom

The course is designed for surgeons who currently serve in leadership positions, or aspire to such positions, and who seek to enhance their leadership skills across a wide variety of settings, from operating room to boardroom. Surgeons in community practice and academic practice who want to advance their skills in leading people, groups, and organizations will find the course beneficial. The emphasis will be on leadership; management of such entities and the skills generally associated with management will not be addressed in the course.

Please note: This course is tailored specifically for surgeons with substantial surgical experience. If you have been in practice for less than six years, we kindly ask that you wait until you have gained more experience before applying.

The course is limited to 72 participants. ACS Members will receive priority consideration. All participants are expected to attend the entire course and remain until the conclusion of the course.

Nationally renowned faculty will guide sessions addressing the principles and practice of leadership, including preparing oneself to lead through mental readiness, applying emotional intelligence, leading as a diverse individual, and effectively managing up, down, and across as a leader.  Strategies to address personal and professional stress and burnout will be highlighted, along with approaches for taking on difficult challenges, and leading through change. The roles of coaches in leader development and the value of learning from leadership failures will be explored. Participants will experience different styles of communication, identify their and others’ preferred styles, and apply principles to communicate effectively across all styles and be better prepared to handle difficult conversations.  

Pathways to leadership positions, typical responsibilities of surgery chairs, evaluation of job opportunities, and negotiation of job offers will be discussed, along with envisioning the first 100 days of a new position, managing time and priorities effectively, and defining role responsibilities.

The principles of building and maintaining effective teams will be presented, including aligning surgeons to achieve consensus, and cultivating and leading a diverse work force. Recruiting and retaining surgeons, starting new clinical programs, integrating into health systems, changing culture, and addressing racism and diversity in organizations will be addressed. Other leadership challenges, such as managing conflict and territorial behavior, handling difficult personalities, and dealing with microaggressions will be emphasized. Finally, perspectives will be shared regarding the leadership role in crisis management, advocacy activities, guidance of surgeons with quality or other concerns, and leadership oversight of essential financial matters.

2026 Course Fees TBA

Course participants must submit full payment upon notification of acceptance to reserve their course seat. Additional details will be enclosed with the notification letters and full payment of the course fee will be due upon acceptance into the course. Personal or institutional credit cards will be accepted. Please do not include payment information when submitting the application.