Clinical Congress 2026 Highlights

Clinical Congress 2026, held September 26–29 in Washington, DC, offered surgeons, residents, medical students, and other healthcare professionals from around the world opportunities to advance their surgical skills and knowledge while connecting with peers, ACS leaders, and staff.

More than 10,100 individuals participated, with 9,330 in-person registrants and 856 virtual registrants.

Registered participants can access on-demand content and claim continuing medical education (CME) credit through February 22, 2027. Virtual registration remains available.

Highlights of the meeting follow.

Convocation

This year, 2,118 surgeons from 88 countries—1,255 from the US and Canada and 863 from other countries—were initiated into ACS Fellowship following a procession of ACS leaders and invited guests. ACS Secretary Sherry M. Wren, MD, FACS, presented the Great Mace.

During the hourlong program, Honorary Fellowship was conferred on eight international surgeons, and several awards were presented. The 2025–2026 ACS President, Anton N. Sidawy, MD, MPH, FACS, led the installation of new officers, including Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, FACS, as President, Sharon M. Henry, MD, FACS, as First Vice-President, and Robert P. Sticca, MD, FACS, as Second Vice-President.

The 2026 Honorary Fellows were:

• Jorge Daes, MD, FACS (Bogota, Colombia)
• Paolo De Coppi, MD, PhD, FMedSci, FRCS (Hon) (London, United Kingdom)
• Christian Gerber, MD, PhD, FRCSEd(Hon) (Zürich, Switzerland)
• Rosa Maria Jorba Martín, MD, PhD (Tarragona, Spain)
• Abhay Rane, OBE, MBBS, MS, FRCSGlasg (Urol) (Surrey, United Kingdom)
• Jean-Baptiste Ricco, MD, PhD, FEBVS (Poitiers, France)
• Norbert Senninger, MD, PhD, FACS, FRCS (Münster, Germany)
• Han-Kwang Yang, MD, PhD, FACS (Seoul, Korea)

Charles Mabry, MD, FACS, received the 2026 Distinguished Service Award for more than 45 years of service to the ACS and a career dedicated to advancing trauma care, surgical advocacy, and education. Dr. Mabry helped develop the first trauma service at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, served as an Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS^®) instructor for 12 years, and held leadership roles with the ACS Committee on Trauma and Arkansas trauma organizations.

The 2026 Owen H. Wangensteen Scientific Forum Award was presented to Timothy R. Billiar, MD, FACS, for his distinguished career in surgical research and mentorship. A trauma surgeon and surgeon-scientist at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, Dr. Billiar has advanced understanding of organ injury and immune dysfunction in trauma, shock, and sepsis, including pioneering research on nitric oxide as a signaling molecule.

Jo Buyske, MD, FACS, received the 2026 Dr. Mary Edwards Walker Inspiring Women in Surgery Award for her significant contributions to advancing women in surgery. As executive director and first woman CEO of the American Board of Surgery (ABS), Dr. Buyske has helped modernize board certification, advance competency-based surgical education, and introduce greater flexibility into surgical training.

A recording of Convocation, which includes the awards presentations and ACS Presidential Address, is available on the Meeting Platform.

Named Lectures

Clinical Congress Named Lectures brought leading voices from surgery and beyond to the stage to offer fresh perspectives on innovation, leadership, collaboration, and the future of surgical care.

Ralph V. Clayman, MD, FACS, delivered the Martin Memorial Lecture, “Curiosity and Innovation: The Promise of Wonder.” He drew on his pioneering career in minimally invasive urology, including performing the first laparoscopic nephrectomy, to examine the curiosity and creativity that drive surgical innovation.

Reflecting on the questions that can drive innovation, he said, “Answering that seminal question, ‘Why are we doing something?’ Why are we still making big open incisions to take out kidneys in 1990 when there’s a laparoscope? It requires imagination and creativity.”

Dr. Clayman encouraged surgeons to question established practices, remain comfortable with uncertainty, learn from failure, and collaborate across disciplines. He also considered artificial intelligence (AI) as a potentially powerful partner in innovation while emphasizing the importance of human imagination and creativity.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson of the Supreme Court of the United States joined ACS Executive Director and CEO Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS, for the Olga M. Jonasson Lecture, offering reflections on leadership, resilience, mentorship, and working productively across differences.

Justice Jackson discussed experiences that shaped her path to becoming the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, including the importance of role models and mentors and the resilience she developed while navigating professional environments in which few people shared her background. She also provided insight into relationships among the nine Supreme Court Justices, explaining how they deliberate, disagree, and continue working together despite strongly held differences.

Her observations offered parallels for surgeons who collaborate with colleagues holding different perspectives and expertise. Listening and mutual respect remain essential to effective decision-making and leadership.

“Working closely with people who have different views is a wonderful model for our country,” Justice Jackson said.

Trauma surgeon Michael F. Rotondo, MD, FACS, delivered the Scudder Oration on Trauma, “The Last Preventable Death: Will Digital Transformation Change Injury Care Forever?” Dr. Rotondo traced the evolution of organized trauma care from the landmark 1966 Accidental Death and Disability report through the development of trauma centers and systems, ATLS, risk-adjusted outcomes measurement, and contemporary quality improvement programs.

Despite that progress, he argued that fragmented information continues to impede the goal of eliminating preventable injury deaths. Dr. Rotondo envisioned a digitally connected trauma system that uses continuous data, analytics, artificial intelligence, and automation to identify deterioration earlier and support better decisions from the scene of injury through hospitalization and recovery. Technology, however, would complement rather than supplant the expertise and judgment of trauma professionals.

“We need to integrate continuous data and analytics across a patient’s entire journey,” Dr. Rotondo said.

Awards and Honors

Surgeons, residents, and medical students were recognized for their achievements in surgical science, volunteerism, and leadership. See Clinical Congress News for a complete list of this year’s awards, honors, and dedications.

Annual Business Meeting

The Annual Business Meeting of Members was held on September 29, with Dr. Eberlein presiding. Following reports from the Board of Regents (BoR), Board of Governors (BoG), ACS Foundation, and the ACS Professional Association Political Action Committee, new ACS Officers and other officials were elected for 2026–2027.

Regenerative medicine pioneer Anthony Atala, MD, FACS, was elected 2026–2027 ACS President-Elect. A practicing urologist, Dr. Atala is director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he leads research into engineered tissues and organs, including 3D bioprinting technologies. He also brings more than 25 years of ACS leadership experience, including service on the BoG and 9 years on the BoR, which he chaired from 2023 to 2024.

Steven D. Wexner, MD, FACS, system chief of colorectal surgery for MedStar Health in Washington, DC, was elected First Vice-President-Elect. A colorectal surgeon and longtime ACS leader, Dr. Wexner helped develop the ACS National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer and serves as its Immediate Past Chair. Steven M. Roser, DMD, MD, FACS, DeLos Hill Professor of Oral Surgery and chief at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, was elected Second Vice-President-Elect. An oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Dr. Roser has served as Chair of the ACS Advisory Councils and received the 2026 ACS/Pfizer International Surgical Volunteerism Award.

Diana L. Farmer, MD, FACS, was named Chair of the BoR, succeeding Lena M. Napolitano, MD, FACS. An internationally recognized fetal and neonatal surgeon and chair of the University of California (UC) Davis Department of Surgery, Dr. Farmer is known for advancing prenatal treatment of myelomeningocele and previously served as Chair of the ACS BoG. Kenneth W. Sharp, MD, FACS, professor of surgery at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, was named Vice-Chair. A Regent since 2018, Dr. Sharp has held numerous ACS leadership positions, including roles with the BoG, advisory councils, Program Committee, and ACS Foundation.

Christopher R. McHenry, MD, FACS, was named ACS Secretary. A general and endocrine surgeon and professor of surgery at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. McHenry has been active in the ACS for more than 30 years, including service on the BoG and Advisory Council for General Surgery. His broader surgical leadership has included serving as a director of the ABS and president of several organizations, including the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons.

Two surgeons were elected to initial terms on the BoR:

• David Tom Cooke, MD, FACS, physician-in-chief at the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center in Sacramento (3-year term)
• Ross F. Goldberg, MD, FACS, chief of perioperative services at Jackson Health System in Miami, Florida (3-year term)

The following BoG Officers were elected:

• Chair–Robert D. Winfield, MD, FACS, division chief of acute care surgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City
• Vice-Chair and Member Services Pillar Lead–Alisha D. Reiss, MD, FACS, a general surgeon at Wayne Healthcare in Greenville, OH
• Secretary–Cynthia Talley, MD, FACS, professor of surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston

The following surgeons were elected to the BoG Executive Committee for a 1-year term:

• Quality Pillar Lead–Alan Dardik, MD, PhD, FACS, vice chair of research for the department of surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
• Education Pillar Lead–Donald T. Hess Jr., MD, FACS, system chief of bariatric, minimally invasive, and general surgery at the Boston Medical Center Health System, MA
• Advocacy Pillar Lead–Jacob Moalem, MD, FACS, professor of surgery and oncology, and professor of endocrine/metabolism at the University of Rochester Medicine, NY
• Inclusive Excellence Collaborative Co-Lead–Maheswari (Magi) Senthil, MBBS, FACS, chief in the division of surgical oncology, University of California, Irvine
• Communications Pillar Lead–Jeffrey S. Upperman, MD, FACS, surgeon-in-chief of the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN

Diverse Academic Programming

Scientific and educational programming anchored the conference, providing surgeons with an opportunity to share their insights across a wide range of clinical and professional topics.

Latest in Clinical and Professional Programming

Clinical Congress 2026 provided attendees with access to 92 expert-led Panel Sessions.

• General surgery sessions, such as the popular “10 Hot Topics in General Surgery,” covered controversies in ventral hernia surgery, evolving approaches to diverticulitis and appendicitis, and management of common bile duct stones and cholangitis.
• Specialty-focused sessions addressed moral dilemmas in pediatric trauma, perioperative management of urinary retention after surgery, and more.
• Rural surgery sessions addressed complex transfers to urban hospitals and management of trauma in resource-limited settings.
• Multidisciplinary sessions explored surgical site infection and antimicrobial resistance, laser surgery across luminal systems, and advances in telesurgery.

Sessions on professional practice examined locum tenens work and surgical workforce shortages, environmental and economic sustainability in surgery, and grassroots advocacy.

New Best of Grand Rounds and Clinical Informatics Sessions

Two new session formats were created based on surgeon feedback.

The three-session Best of Grand Rounds series featured thought-provoking presentations nominated by ACS members.

Trauma surgeon Joseph V. Sakran, MD, MPH, MPA, FACS, delivered “Leading Beyond the Bedside: The Power of Personal Narratives in Medicine,” drawing on his experience surviving a gunshot wound as a teenager and his subsequent career in trauma surgery and firearm injury prevention advocacy. Dr. Sakran emphasized how personal experiences shape surgeons’ judgment, resilience, and leadership, and how sharing those experiences can build trust, influence public policy, and inspire meaningful change. “Data persuade the analytical mind, and stories persuade the whole person,” he said.

Pediatric trauma surgeon Edward Barksdale Jr., MD, FACS, FAAP, presented “Antifragility: The New Architecture of Healing: Transforming Despair into Hope through Surgical Leadership and Social Innovation.” Dr. Barksdale challenged surgeons to look beyond treating immediate injuries and consider how they can help patients and communities emerge stronger from adversity. He highlighted his Anti-Fragility Initiative, which supports pediatric trauma patients affected by violence, as an example of how surgical leadership and community engagement can create opportunities for healing.

Trauma surgeon Tovy H. Kamine, MD, MBA, FACS, explored the future of surgical care beyond Earth in “Surgery in Space.” His presentation examined the formidable logistical and clinical challenges of operating during spaceflight, including limited equipment, confined environments, communication delays, and the potential role of robotic surgery. Dr. Kamine also highlighted lessons relevant to surgeons practicing in rural, military, and other resource-limited environments, describing spaceflight as “the most austere surgery you can probably get.”

Eight Clinical Informatics and AI Sessions addressed applications of AI to clinical care, surgical video, robotics, ambulatory surgery centers, and policy. Together, they examined how surgeons are using AI today and how its role in surgical practice and the profession may continue to evolve.

Special Sessions Examine Challenges Facing Surgery

Three Special Sessions examined issues affecting surgical practice.

“How to Gain Control of Our Professional Lives and Reclaim Our Autonomy” examined surgeon unionization, workplace standards, and ACS efforts to support surgeons in increasingly complex employment environments. Dr. Turner outlined the College’s work in this area, while ACS Regents Philip Wolinsky, MD, FACS, and Douglas Wood, MD, FACS, FRCSEd, considered the benefits and limitations of unionization and described a new ACS framework for specialty-specific workplace standards addressing call coverage, OR access, fatigue mitigation, and other concerns. Representatives from colorectal surgery and orthopaedic trauma shared efforts to develop standards tailored to their specialties.

Former US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin A. Makary, MD, MPH, FACS, discussed four major challenges facing American healthcare during the Special Session, “The Future of Healthcare.” Drawing on his experience as a surgeon, researcher, and federal health official, Dr. Makary highlighted administrative waste, failures in healthcare pricing, low-value medical care, and insufficient attention to the root causes of disease.

He argued that excessive administrative costs divert resources from patient care, while opaque pricing undermines public trust. He also described how greater transparency around clinical practice patterns can reduce unnecessary procedures and spending. Finally, he urged physicians to question established medical assumptions and scrutinize the evidence underlying clinical recommendations, citing examples of guidance that he said had unintended consequences.

Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, president of the National Academy of Medicine, addressed geographic disparities in American healthcare during the Special Session, “The Geography of Health.” Despite advances in medical research and treatment, Dr. Bertagnolli noted that geography continues to influence patient outcomes, including cancer mortality. She emphasized the importance of understanding the environmental, social, and economic conditions affecting individual communities alongside advances in precision medicine.

Dr. Bertagnolli also highlighted the potential of AI and learning health systems to improve care, while cautioning that incomplete or unrepresentative data could exacerbate existing inequities. She stressed that technology must support, rather than replace, the clinician-patient relationship.

In combination with the other session types and programs offered onsite, including Didactic and Skills Postgraduate Courses, the Surgery Resident Series and Medical Student Program, and Meet-the-Expert Sessions, Clinical Congress 2026 featured more than 2,400 total presentations and nearly 1,800 faculty and presenters.

On-Demand Access

Registered participants can access many Named Lectures, Panel Sessions, Special Sessions, Best of Grand Rounds presentations, and Clinical Informatics and AI sessions through the on-demand Meeting Platform. More than 500 posters and 100 videos also are available to view.

New Tools and Activities in the Exhibit Hall

The Exhibit Hall featured more than 135 companies showcasing the newest surgical tools, services, and technologies, along with new ACS resources and activities.

Attendees had an opportunity to explore the new ACS Surgical Workforce Mapping Tool, an interactive resource that provides a detailed look at where surgeons practice across the US and where potential gaps in access to surgical care exist. The tool was featured in the Education Hub at ACS Central in the Exhibit Hall, where visitors could explore the geographic distribution of surgeons across 12 surgical specialties, examine workforce patterns at the county and regional levels, and overlay the locations of hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers. Read more about the tool in this month’s issue.

The ACS Postural Stabilization and Stretch Lab offered surgeons hands-on instruction in exercises designed to address the physical demands of surgical practice, drawn from the ACS Surgical Ergonomics Recommendations.

Other activities included Networking Coffee with Your Specialty, which gave plastic, pediatric, colon and rectal, and vascular surgeons opportunities to connect informally; a “Pause for Paws” event with adoptable puppies from a local shelter; and a blood drive.

Clinical Congress 2027

Clinical Congress 2027 will take place October 16–19, 2027, in San Diego, California. Abstract submission is expected to begin in mid-December.