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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 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.
ACS Clinical Congress 2025 in Chicago, Illinois, provided surgeons, residents, medical students, and other healthcare professionals from around the world with opportunities to advance their surgical skills and knowledge and interact with their peers, ACS leaders, and staff.
Approximately 11,600 individuals participated, with 10,559 in-person registrants and another 1,019 individuals registering for the on-demand program.
All registrants can view on-demand content and claim continuing medical education credits through February 23, 2026, and registration remains open for new participants.
This article summarizes some of the meeting highlights.
More than 2,100 surgeons from 93 countries became ACS Fellows at Clinical Congress 2025.
Convocation
This year, 2,122 surgeons from 93 countries— 1,293 domestic and 829 international—were initiated into ACS Fellowship following an inspiring procession of ACS leaders and invited guests. Secretary Sherry M. Wren, MD, FACS, presented the Great Mace.
During the hour-long program, seven international surgeons were conferred Honorary Fellowship, and several prestigious awards were presented. 2024–2025 ACS President Beth H. Sutton, MD, FACS, led the installation of new officers, including Anton N. Sidawy, MD, MPH, FACS, as President, Anne C. Mosenthal, MD, FACS, as First Vice-President, and Edward M. Barksdale Jr., MD, FACS, as Second Vice-President.
The 2025 Honorary Fellows were:
Hendrik Jacob (Jaap) Bonjer, MD, PhD, FACS, FRCSC, FASCRS (Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
Marshall Z. Schwartz, MD, FACS, received the 2025 Distinguished Service Award for his more than 40 years of service to the ACS, with leadership positions including Vice-Chair of the Board of Regents (BoR), multiple roles with the Advisory Council for Pediatric Surgery, and head of several key committees. Perhaps his most impactful role was as a proponent in the 1990s for the ACS to become more engaged in healthy policy and advocacy, which he helped advance as Chair of the Health Policy and Advocacy Group.
The 2025 Owen H. Wangensteen Scientific Forum Award was presented to John L. Cameron, MD, FACS, for more than 50 years of dedication to advancing scientific and clinical knowledge in hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery. Among his achievements, Dr. Cameron is best known for dramatically improving outcomes and survival from the Whipple procedure at both his home institution, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and throughout the world as a result of his research.
Anna Marie Ledgerwood, MD, FACS, received the Dr. Mary Edwards Walker Inspiring Women in Surgery Award. Dr. Ledgerwood is a general and trauma surgeon with Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan, where in her 40-year tenure as a full professor, she has built a reputation for mentoring and advising students and junior colleagues in surgery.
A recording of Convocation, which includes the awards presentations and ACS Presidential Address, is available at facs.org/convocation.
Named Lectures
Clinical Congress featured eight Named Lectures, which provided attendees with opportunities to hear internationally renowned surgeons and healthcare experts share their insights on medicine and surgery.
David J. Skorton, MD, president and chief executive officer of the Association of American Medical Colleges, delivered the Martin Memorial Lecture, “Looking Forward Together in an Uncertain Time,” wherein he discussed how navigating the exponential growth of scientific knowledge necessitates an integrated approach.
Dr. Skorton’s presentation highlighted the value of maintaining the “beginner’s mind” to embrace new ideas and possibilities, the importance of maintaining surgeon well-being during periods of rapid transformation and instability, and supporting equal opportunities for improving the health of all patients as a catalyst for promoting collaboration.
“Working together to find a way forward requires us to be open to new perspectives—and at the same time, it is equally important to coalesce around time-tested, enduring concepts that should withstand the rapidly evolving world in which we live,” he said.
In the I. S. Ravdin Lecture in the Basic and Surgical Sciences, “The Past, Present, and Future of the Total Artificial Heart: A Very Houston-Centric Story,” cardiothoracic surgeon William E. Cohn, MD, FACS, explored the promise of the total artificial heart.
In his talk, Dr. Cohn described not only the history of artificial heart innovation—work that is rooted in Houston, where he practices—but also the paradigm-shifting work that may finally bring a permanent solution for end-stage heart failure. He described the radically different approach that his team is taking by embracing continuous-flow technology to create a small titanium device with a single moving part, suspended in a magnetic field, spinning silently to pump blood into the body and lungs without valves, membranes, or wear points.
“It’s like science fiction,” Dr. Cohn said. “There’s no mechanical wear. The rotor never touches anything. There’s no reason it shouldn’t last indefinitely.”
Pediatric surgeon and trauma leader Mary E. Fallat, MD, FACS, delivered the popular Scudder Oration on Trauma, which this year focused on an urgent conversation in American healthcare: “Optimizing Strategies to Improve Trauma and Burn Care for US Children.”
In an already fragmented healthcare system, trauma and burn care in the US is notably disjointed for children: Burn centers are verified by the American Burn Association, while trauma centers are verified by the ACS, state systems, or both. Meanwhile, pediatric services often are siloed from adult care.
“Ideally, we will develop an action plan for the emergency and initial care of injured children and facilitate transfer to definitive care,” she said. “The goal is to ‘raise all boats’ and make sure the initial emergency care for kids becomes an imperative for all hospitals across all disciplines,” which will involve implementing the National Pediatric Readiness Project.
Approximately 10,560 individuals registered for the in-person Clinical Congress 2025, taking advantage of the opportunity to network and interact with peers.
Awards and Honors
Practicing surgeons, residents, and medical students were recognized for their contributions to advancing the art and science of surgery, domestic and international volunteerism, leadership in residency, and much more. Visit Clinical Congress News for a complete listing of the awards, honors, and dedications provided at this year’s conference.
Annual Business Meeting
The Annual Business Meeting of Members was held on October 7, with Dr. Sidawy presiding. Following a series of reports from the BoR, Board of Governors (BoG), ACS Foundation, and the ACS Professional Association Political Action Committee, new ACS Officers and other officials were elected for 2025–2026.
The President-Elect is Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, FACS, a renowned surgical oncologist who is the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor and senior associate dean for cancer programs at WashU Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Eberlein has been an active ACS leader for many years, serving as a Regent (2015–2024), Governor (2004–2010), and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (2004–2025).
“It is an honor to be elected to the leadership of the ACS by my national peers. In this position, I will continue to work tirelessly to help the College and its Fellows in our shared mission to care for patients and advance surgical care,” Dr. Eberlein said.
The First Vice-President-Elect is general surgeon Sharon M. Henry, MD, FACS, professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and director of the Division of Wound Healing and Metabolism at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, both in Baltimore. The Second Vice-President-Elect is surgical oncologist Robert P. Sticca, MD, FACS, emeritus professor of surgery at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Fargo.
The new Chair of the BoR is trauma and critical care surgeon Lena M. Napolitano, MD, FACS, who is a professor of surgery and associate chair for the Department of Surgery at the University of Michigan School of Medicine in Ann Arbor. The new Vice-Chair is cardiothoracic surgeon Douglas E. Wood, MD, FACS, the Henry N. Harkins Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Washington in Seattle.
The BoR also named cardiothoracic surgeon Larry R. Kaiser, MD, FACS, as the new ACS Treasurer. Dr. Kaiser is an adjunct professor of surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, the Lewis Katz Dean Emeritus at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia, and president, CEO, and Thomas W. Langfitt Chair of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia.
Three surgeons were elected to initial terms on the BoR:
Joshua Broghammer, MD, FACS, associate professor of urology at The University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City (3-year term)
Lillian S. Kao, MD, FACS, Jack H. Mayfield, MD, Chair in Surgery and professor of surgery at the McGovern School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Houston (3-year term)
Don J. Selzer, MD, FACS, associate professor and chief of the Division of General Surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis (3-year term)
The following BoG Officers were elected:
Chair: Cherisse D. Berry, MD, FACS, surgery vice-chair of academic affairs and professor of surgery at Rutgers Health, New Jersey Medical School in Newark
Vice-Chair and Communications Pillar Lead: Robert D. Winfield, MD, FACS, division chief of acute care surgery at The University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City
Secretary: Sundeep G. Keswani, MD, FACS, chief of pediatric surgery at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston
The following surgeons were elected to the BoG Executive Committee for a 1-year term:
Member Services Pillar Lead: Rohan A. Joseph, MD, FACS, clinical associate professor at Florida State University and director of the HCA Florida Capital Hospital Cancer Center in Tallahassee
Quality, Research, and Optimal Patient Care Pillar Lead: Todd K. Rosengart, MD, MBA, FACS, professor and chair of the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery and DeBakey-Bard Chair of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas
Inclusive Excellence Pillar Lead: Maheswari (Magi) Senthil, MBBS, FACS, division chief of surgical oncology in the Department of Surgery at the University of California, Irvine
Education Pillar Lead: Cynthia Talley, MD, FACS, professor of surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston
Wide-Ranging Academic Programming
A broad slate of academic, scientific, and educational programming anchored the conference, providing surgeons with an opportunity to share their unique insights into a spectrum of topics.
Returning this year were thematic sessions, which focused on endocrine, hernia, trauma/orthopaedics, artificial intelligence (AI), and education. Meanwhile, multidisciplinary sessions explored topics such as limb salvage, adolescent bariatric surgery, thyroid disorders, and acute mesenteric ischemia.
In addition to Didactic and Skills Postgraduate Courses, Clinical Congress 2025 provided attendees with access to 102 expert-led Panel Sessions, including:
The “10 Hot Topics in General Surgery” session, comoderated by ACS Regent Kenneth W. Sharp, MD, FACS, and Benjamin K. Poulose, MD, MPH, FACS, which covered managing difficult percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes, endoscopy for acute cholecystitis, and adjuvant immunotherapy in melanoma, among others. Other “Hot Topics” sessions focused on pediatric trauma and surgical oncology.
Dynamic Great Debates, which this year were expanded to include four sessions where experts on opposing sides discussed approaches to benign biliary disease, medical versus surgical intervention to obesity, treatment for diverticulitis, and neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer.
Several sessions focused on the current uses, growing potential, and challenges of AI, including “Using ChatGPT and AI for Beginners,” “AI: Who Is in Control?,” and several more.
Three Special Sessions provided attendees with an in-depth look at relevant and timely topics in surgery:
The session, “Credentialing and Privileging in Robotic Surgery – Current State and Future Opportunities,” reviewed current state and future opportunities of providing surgeons with the tools and experience to effectively perform robotic surgery procedures.
“Succeeding in TEAM—the Transforming Episode Accountability Model” explored the potential impacts that ACS Quality Program participation could have on performance in this new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services model and took a detailed look at hospitals using historical data.
“Updates from the Blue Ribbon Committee II” covered the background and key initiatives of the Blue Ribbon Committee II, which focuses on advancements in surgical education through competency-based assessment, faculty development, and more.
In addition to the Named Lectures, Panel Sessions, Special Sessions, poster presentations (which are available for registered attendees to view via the on-demand platform), and other session types offered onsite, Clinical Congress 2025 featured more than 2,800 total presentations and more than 2,100 total faculty and presenters.
Surgical Ergonomics Clinic
In the bustling Exhibit Hall, which featured more than 160 companies showcasing the newest surgical tools, services, and technologies, the fourth ACS Surgical Ergonomics Hands-On Clinic for practicing surgeons and surgery residents generated significant interest. Approximately 200 participants took part in this year’s clinic, which emphasizes the importance of health and well-being in the physically demanding field.
Attendees learned how to optimally place/adjust their operating room components, such as the OR table, laparoscopic monitor, and robotic surgery surgeon console, to improve surgeons’ ergonomics during open, laparoscopic, or robotic surgery. In addition, the attendees practiced stretching and stabilization exercises that could be implemented inside or outside the OR.
Nearly all participants in the clinic indicated that they would use the learned exercises in their practices and that they found the event valuable. For more information on surgical ergonomics, see “Smarter Tools and Culture Shift Are Reshaping Surgical Ergonomics,” in this issue.
Special Events
Clinical Congress 2025 provided attendees and their guests with opportunities to participate in social and wellness activities, including two notable events.
The Windy City Welcome Reception took place on the evening of October 5. This new event combined the Saturday President’s Reception and Taste of the City, previously held on Tuesday, and blended Chicago’s renowned cuisine, vibrant culture, and a view of the stunning skyline with a celebration of The House of Surgery®.
Another unique event was a celebration of the career of Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, who retired in October of this year as Senior Vice President of the ACS Division of Education. In a nearly 25-year tenure, Dr. Sachdeva transformed the Division of Education from offering just a few educational programs into one that presented an expansive suite of courses, events, and resources for medical students, residents, practitioners, surgeons, and patients.
