Member News September 2025

Freischlag Tower Opens in Winston-Salem

Julie A. Freischlag, MD, FACS, was honored at a recent ceremony celebrating the opening of the Julie Ann Freischlag Tower at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The seven-story, 327,000-square-foot facility—part of a $426 million investment by Atrium Health—will provide advanced medical technologies, innovative treatments, and expanded critical care services. Dr. Freischlag, a vascular surgeon and ACS Past-President, will retire at the end of 2025 after 8 years as CEO of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.

Bacha Assumes AATS Presidency 

Emile A. Bacha, MD, FACS, became the 106th President of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS). He succeeded David R. Jones, MD, FACS. A recognized leader in pediatric and adult congenital cardiac surgery, Dr. Bacha is a professor of surgery at Columbia University in New York, New York, and serves as chief of the Division of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. He also is codirector of the Congenital Heart Center at NewYork-Presbyterian.

Drebin Takes Over as MSK Chief Physician Executive 

Jeffrey A. Drebin, MD, PhD, FACS, was named chief physician executive of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York, New York. In this role, he will lead the MSK academic clinical departments, hospital-based research, medical education, training programs, and faculty affairs. A hepatopancreatobiliary surgeon, Dr. Drebin joined MSK in 2017, serving as chair of the Department of Surgery.

Nfonsam Is President of APDS

Valentine H. Nfonsam, MD, MS, FACS, was appointed president of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS), a professional organization for general surgery residency program directors in the US. He will serve a 1-year term. A colorectal surgeon, Dr. Nfonsam is executive vice chair for surgery and a professor of surgery at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia.

St. John Moves to Johns Hopkins 

Maie St. John, MD, PhD, FACS, has been named the Andelot Professor and director of the Johns Hopkins Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, effective October 1. Dr. St. John currently serves as a professor and chair of the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she also holds the Thomas C. Calcaterra, MD, Chair in Head and Neck Surgery position. In addition to her surgical leadership, she is a professor of bioengineering, codirector of the UCLA Health Head and Neck Cancer Program, and executive director of cancer research and education at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Magee Leads Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at NYU Langone

Gregory Magee, MD, MSc, FACS, was appointed chief of the New York University (NYU) Langone Health Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. In this new role, Dr. Magee—also the Frank J. Veith, MD, Clinical Professor of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery in the Department of Surgery—will focus on building a multidisciplinary vascular program. Most recently, he served as the director of research in the University of Southern California (USC) Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy in Los Angeles, and held a joint appointment in aerospace and mechanical engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.

Parra-Davila Receives Ellis Island Medal of Honor 

Eduardo Parra-Davila, MD, FACS, was awarded the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor for Dedication to Medicine and Global Impact. The award honors US citizens whose accomplishments in their field and service to others exemplify the spirit of America. Dr. Parra-Davila is a general, colorectal, and bariatric surgeon at Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Have you or an ACS member you know achieved a notable career highlight recently? If so, send potential contributions to Jennifer Bagley, MA, Bulletin Editor-in-Chief, at jbagley@facs.org. Submissions will be printed based on content type and available space.