Vascular surgeon Anton N. Sidawy, MD, MPH, FACS, was installed as the 106th President of the ACS during Convocation at Clinical Congress 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
During the ceremony, he unveiled his theme for the year: “The House of Surgery®: Home to All Surgeons.”
This theme reflects a longstanding vision of the ACS as a unifier of surgeons in all disciplines, career stages, practice types, and geographical locations. Dr. Sidawy emphasized the importance of surgeon unity in ensuring surgery is high in quality, equitably delivered, and safe. See “ACS President Champions Unity in Surgery” for more on his Presidential Address.ACS President Champions Unity in Surgery
Background and Career Highlights
Dr. Sidawy’s ascent to the ACS presidency adds to a career that combines achievements in his surgical discipline with leadership in the ACS. He currently is a professor of surgery and the Lewis B. Saltz Chair of Surgery at George Washington University in Washington, DC.
After earning his medical degree at Aleppo University School of Medicine in his native Syria and being inspired by the work of legendary cardiovascular surgeons Michael E. DeBakey, MD, FACS, and Christiaan Barnard, MD, Dr. Sidawy completed his general surgical residency at Washington Hospital Center, in Washington, DC, where he also spent a year as administrative chief resident.
During a fellowship in vascular surgery at Boston University Hospital in Massachusetts, he bonded with Frank LoGerfo, MD, FACS, the now-retired chief of vascular surgery and chair of the Department of Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the William V. McDermott Distinguished Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, both in Boston. With his profound influence, Dr. LoGerfo became Dr. Sidawy's longtime mentor and friend.
Returning to Washington, DC, after his fellowship, Dr. Sidawy’s surgical career has been centered primarily at George Washington University, with additional service at Georgetown University and Howard University, both in Washington, DC, and at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.
Achievements with the ACS
An ACS Fellow for nearly 40 years, Dr. Sidawy served as a member of the ACS Board of Governors from 2001 to 2007 and a member of the Board of Regents from 2015 to 2024, including a year as Chair (2021–2022).
In addition, he spearheaded a joint effort by the ACS and the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) to create the Vascular Verification Program, an ACS Quality Program that accredits vascular surgery programs in hospitals around the US. This partnership was facilitated by his many years with the SVS, including as the organization’s president (2009–2010) and the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Vascular Surgery. For this work, he received both a 2020 SVS Presidential Citation Award and the 2025 SVS Lifetime Achievement Award.
A longstanding member of the ACS Metropolitan Washington DC Chapter, Dr. Sidawy received the 2006 LaSalle D. Leffall Jr., Award for his contributions to surgery and the broader community. He also enjoyed the rarer distinction in 2008 of being the namesake of the Anton N. Sidawy Lectureship of the Metropolitan Washington DC ACS Chapter.
An introductory video with more information about Dr. Sidawy is available below.
