ACS President Champions Unity in Surgery

Newly installed ACS President Anton N. Sidawy, MD, MPH, FACS, began his Presidential Address at Convocation at Clinical Congress 2025 in Chicago, Illinois, with a theme familiar to many: the American Dream.

After earning his medical degree at Aleppo University in his native Syria, Dr. Sidawy completed his surgical training in Washington, DC, and Boston, Massachusetts, before returning to Washington, DC, where he currently is a professor and the Lewis B. Saltz Chair of the Department of Surgery at George Washington University.

“Although I carried with me a deep belief in the promise of the American Dream, I couldn’t have imagined that dream extending into…the distinct honor of standing before you, not only as a surgeon, but as the President of the American College of Surgeons,” Dr. Sidawy said.

He called the US a place where rewards can be gained through hard work and perseverance and described how his own journey has been facilitated by numerous colleagues and peers, as well as Frank LoGerfo, MD, FACS, and James O. Menzoian, MD, FACS, “who introduced me to the joy of scientific discovery.”

Dr. Sidawy then transitioned into the main topic of his speech: his mission as ACS President. After discussing longstanding efforts of the ACS to address surgeons’ challenges via quality programs and advocacy, he focused on ensuring the present and future success of the surgical workforce.

“Beyond the surgeon reimbursement issues and administrative burdens that affect everyday surgical practice, I believe there are overarching systemic challenges in healthcare that warrant particular attention,” he said. As examples, he listed corporatization and consolidation of healthcare that compromises patient care and physician autonomy; the detrimental engagement of private equity and venture capital in healthcare; and the shortage and maldistribution of surgeons nationally.

He expanded on the last item by sharing a prediction from the Association of American Medical Colleges, issued in early 2024: A coming shortage of physicians will include a shortfall of 10,000 to 19,900 surgeons by 2036. Using further data analysis from multiple sources, Dr. Sidawy also noted that 2,250 of 3,145 US counties have no surgeons representing his own surgical discipline, vascular surgery, and the total number of vascular surgeons is less than what is needed to meet patient needs nationwide.

Using data analysis originally published in the April 2024 issue of the ACS Bulletin, Dr. Sidawy shared that the surgeon workforce is facing declines as younger age groups are smaller in size than older generations. “Strategic policy interventions to boost training capacity are no longer optional,” he said. “They are imperative to reverse workforce attrition.”

Dr. Sidawy explained the ways in which the ACS is attempting to ensure that the US will have a sufficient and equitably distributed surgeon workforce, including via updates to surgeon education promoted by the Blue Ribbon Committee II (read more in the May 2024 Bulletin issue) and unity through advocacy, as recognized in the new ACS Strategic Plan (read more in the Executive Director’s July-August 2025 column).

Throughout his speech, Dr. Sidawy emphasized the need for surgeons to unite to advance their collective position. He connected this message with his remarks on the American Dream by bringing up the motto found on US currency, “E pluribus unum,” which means “out of many, one.”

He said, “In advocacy, the surgical motto should be ‘E pluribus advocatus’: ‘out of many, one advocate.’”

He also said the unique ability of the ACS is to provide surgeons with the forum and resources to unite, for advocacy and many other purposes: “With this infrastructure, this stature, and this resolve, we must grow and draw closer together as surgical specialties.”

He continued, “In so doing, our collective voice will resonate more powerfully, our influence will multiply, and we will be better equipped to meet the challenges before us and realize the goals all surgical specialties share.”

The full Convocation ceremony is available online. The address also is available as an episode on The House of Surgery podcast.