The ACS has hired two surgeons for reimagined, part-time leadership positions in the Division of Advocacy and Health Policy. Thomas C. Tsai, MD, MPH, FACS, will be the Medical Director for Health Policy Research, and Margaret C. Tracci, MD, JD, FACS, will be the Medical Director for Surgeon Engagement.
“Drs. Tsai and Tracci are both extraordinary additions to our team,” said Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS, Executive Director and CEO. “They'll be involved in all of areas of our advocacy efforts to help ensure that we aggressively leverage our collective influence for all of our members and have a unified voice across the House of Surgery. We have exciting work forthcoming, and we are grateful to have them on board.”
Thomas C. Tsai, MD, MPH, FACS
Dr. Tsai is a minimally invasive gastrointestinal and bariatric surgeon and associate professor of surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. He is also an associate professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.
As Medical Director for Health Policy Research, Dr. Tsai’s responsibilities will include developing and implementing a resident scholar program in health policy and advocacy and engaging in health policy research in coordination with the ACS policy agenda.
A renowned researcher in the field of healthcare payment and delivery system reform, Dr. Tsai codirects the Healthcare Quality and Outcomes Lab at Harvard. His recent research projects have focused on the consequences of Medicare privatization on surgical access and outcomes; evaluation of value-based care models on cost and quality of surgical care; the effect of hospital mergers on healthcare quality; and the consequences of private equity acquisitions of healthcare facilities.
Dr. Tsai has focused on translating research into evidence-driven clinical programs and national health policy. At Brigham and Women’s Hospital, he has served as director of clinical care redesign, leading the design and implementation of surgical home hospital programs. He has extensive health policy leadership experience in the federal government. He previously served as Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the US Department of Health and Human Services in the Obama Administration, expanding access to health insurance through implementation of the Affordable Care Act Marketplace.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he served as senior policy advisor for the COVID-19 Response Team in the Biden Administration. In his capacity as the testing and treatment coordinator on the White House COVID-19 Response Team, Dr. Tsai coordinated federal policies and programs to deliver widespread access to COVID-19 diagnostics and treatments. Dr. Tsai has also served as vice-chair of the Council on Graduate Medical Education of the Health Resources and Services Administration and a consultant to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.
Dr. Tsai earned his MD degree at the Stanford University School of Medicine in California and his MPH degree at the Chan School of Public Health. He has been an ACS Fellow since 2022.
Margaret C. Tracci, MD, JD, FACS
Dr. Tracci is an endovascular surgeon and professor of surgery in the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Medicine in Charlottesville. She also is an associate professor at the UVA School of Public Health.
As Medical Director for Surgeon Engagement, Dr. Tracci’s responsibilities will include engaging Fellows in advocacy initiatives, drafting health policy and advocacy articles, and presenting to surgeon audiences regarding advocacy and health policy issues. She also will lead the coordination and development of practice management resources to assist Fellows with the business aspects of their practices.
Dr. Tracci has served as a member or leader in several capacities in healthcare advocacy. Most recently, she was part of the teaching and research faculty within the UVA Center for Health Policy. Before that, she served as faculty liaison for government relations within the UVA Health System, wherein she coordinated federal advocacy efforts. Her responsibilities included increasing faculty awareness of and access to health system advocacy staff, strengthening health system advocacy efforts by engaging faculty, and establishing a pathway for faculty to bring issues to the attention of the government relations group.
Additionally, Dr. Tracci has worked as health counsel in the US Senate, where she helped develop legislation related to patient safety, health information technology, prescription drug monitoring, and more. She served as a liaison between the Senate and federal and state agencies, state healthcare entities, and state constituents.
Dr. Tracci has extensive experience as an advocacy leader for professional medical associations, including the ACS.
An ACS Fellow since 2012, Dr. Tracci currently is Chair of the ACS Legislative Committee, as well as a member of the Board of Regents Healthy Policy and Advocacy Group. She has been President and Secretary/Treasurer of the ACS Virginia Chapter, as well. In addition, she has worked on government relations, policy, and advocacy committees in other healthcare organizations.
Dr. Tracci earned her MD and JD in the Medical Scholars Program at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. She is a prolific researcher, having published nearly 100 combined articles and book chapters on high-impact clinical topics such as value-based purchasing and performance in federal value programs.
