Lorrie A. Langdale, MD, FACS, chief of general surgery and director of surgical critical care at the University of Washington in Seattle, is this year’s recipient of the ACS Foundation Distinguished Philanthropist Award.
The Distinguished Philanthropist Award, established in 1989, honors the donor who most embodies the mission of the ACS Foundation, which is to support surgical research, scholarships, and programs that benefit surgical patients worldwide. The award reflects not only the recipient’s history of philanthropy to the ACS, but also a record of service to the Foundation and the ACS and a commitment to leadership regarding the practice of philanthropy.
Dr. Langdale’s philanthropic journey began at the behest of a friend, Eileen M. Bulger, MD, FACS, who is a professor of surgery at the University of Washington and chief of trauma at Harborview Medical Center, both in Seattle, and the ACS Medical Director of Trauma Education Programs.
“I had been hearing about her dream for the Future Trauma Leaders (FTLs) project for some years, and then she really got the ball rolling with it,” Dr. Langdale explained. “She thought it needed to be supported.”
Dr. Langdale agreed to help.
“I looked at where the project was, and I thought, ‘How could I help put this over the top?’”
The program, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2025, helps trauma surgeons develop leadership skills early in their careers; many have gone on to prestigious positions.
“There’s a significant return on investment, and that’s what attracts me to it,” Dr. Langdale stated frankly about the program.
Dr. Langdale also has given to Stop the Bleed, the ACS’s program to educate people worldwide in how to respond to emergency bleeding, and the Injury Prevention Fund, which has helped support research and initiatives to reduce firearm-related violence.
Although not a trauma surgeon herself, Dr. Langdale brings significant insight into trauma to her philanthropic giving.
After earning her medical degree at the University of Washington, she completed her residency in general surgery at the Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, and attained double-board certification in general and critical care surgery. Over the course of her career, Dr. Langdale has carved out a surgical practice with an unusually broad range of general and critical care cases.
Notably, this work includes care for trauma patients long after acute care has been rendered. Because she is based primarily at a Veterans Affairs medical center, some of her patients have been injured in combat.
“You’d think that I was a trauma surgeon by what I support,” she said. “But it’s mostly a little bit of a reflection of what my patients have gone through. As they have survived war, they come back with chronic injuries, which somebody’s got to take care of after that, which is what my job is.”
While Dr. Langdale emphasized that her clinical practice is wide-ranging, she noted her veteran patient population also copes with emotional and psychological trauma.
“I’m helping them manage the rest of their life after the trauma. There may be aspects of it that are still at play decades later,” she said.
Dr. Langdale is an instructor for the ACS Advanced Trauma Life Support® course, which is one of several ways that she has generously contributed her time and expertise to the ACS and the broader surgical community.
Dr. Langdale also has participated in the development of the Surgical Education and Self-Assessment Program (SESAP®), one of the ACS’s most important surgical education resources. She has served on the SESAP Committee for more than 25 years, including as the Program Director for the 18th and recently released 19th editions.
Additionally, she has served on the ACS Board of Governors for 6 years and other ACS committees over several years. She is a Past-President of the ACS Washington State Chapter, where her leadership included serving as the representative to the Association of Women Surgeons, an organization for which she also served as president.
As one might expect for someone so highly accomplished, Dr. Langdale is the recipient of several awards, including the Seattle Surgical Society’s Lifetime Service Award, Shock Society’s Distinguished Service Award, John K. Stevenson Award for Resident Teaching, and Women’s Mentoring Award from the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Asked about her impact on the surgical profession, Dr. Langdale said she has identified four pathways to a legacy in surgery: leadership, scientific discovery, service, and philanthropy.
Of the four, she considered service her primary approach for creating impact. “I would say that’s probably where my legacy will predominantly lie, in how I see myself having served those who have served our country.”
Dr. Langdale also noted that philanthropy is important to her legacy. “I think each of us dips into any one of those four pathways at different times. As someone who’s been very fortunate in terms of fiscal safety, I have the option to do that, to bring some of those things forward and support projects that fit my moral compass and that I believe will make a difference.”
H. Randolph Bailey, MD, FACS, Chair of the ACS Foundation, presented Dr. Langdale with the Distinguished Philanthropist Award during Clinical Congress 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
“Dr. Langdale’s generosity is a powerful force for progress in surgery,” said Dr. Bailey. “But it is her unique combination of philanthropic support and hands-on leadership that truly sets her apart.”
The ACS Foundation, founded in 2005, supports surgeons through programs providing opportunities for research, education, innovation, and mentorship—all to improve the care of the surgical patient. In the past 2 years, the Foundation achieved record-breaking fundraising, including raising more than $240,000 during Clinical Congress 2025. To learn more, visit facs.org/foundation.
