As Vice-Chair of the Board of Regents, Dr. Wexner will become Vice-Chair of the Board of Regents Finance Committee, Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee, and Regental Liaison to the ACS Board of Governors Executive Committee. Further, in the absence or inability to act of the Board of Regents Chair, the Vice-Chair will perform the duties of the Chair. The College’s 24-member Board of Regents formulates policy and is ultimately responsible for managing the affairs of the College. The Board members’ diversity and variety of experiences and interests enable the Regents to represent views related to myriad issues in contemporary surgery.
Dr. Wexner has been a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) since 1991 and has served as an ACS Regent since 2012. He is the founding Chair of the ACS Commission on Cancer (CoC) National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer, a member of the Executive Committee of the CoC, and served as President of the College’s South Florida Chapter (2000-2004). He also served as an ACS Governor (2000-2006), as Chair of the ACS Advisory Council for Colon and Rectal Surgery, and on both the ACSPA-SurgeonsPAC (2005-2011 and 2017-2020), and ACS Foundation Board (2020) among numerous other involvements with the College.
Dr. Wexner is renowned for his work in the field of colon and rectal surgery. He was the first surgeon in North America to popularize the colonic J-pouch for rectal cancer, a procedure which is now an acceptable standard of care for patients with rectal carcinoma. He also developed significant innovations for fecal incontinence and research of laparoscopy for colon and rectal cancer.
A prolific researcher and writer, Dr. Wexner has authored/coauthored almost 800 peer-reviewed articles in the medical literature, over 275 textbook chapters, and 140 editorial and invited commentaries. He is the editor or co-editor of 40 textbooks or freestanding volumes and is an editor-in-chief of Surgery. He is also an editor or editorial board member for numerous other journals. He has held over 65 visiting professorships, delivered more than 2,100 scientific lectures, and received 17 national, international, and regional awards for his research.
Dr. Wexner became a member of the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators in 2019. He trains 15-20 surgeons per year in advanced laparoscopic colorectal surgery, surgical oncology, and the surgical management of inflammatory bowel disease. He has been awarded numerous patents for a variety of surgical devices designed to improve patient outcomes.
Dr. Wexner is an active member of 42 learned societies and has held more than 70 appointed or elected offices in these societies. He is a past-president of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (2011-2012), past-president of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Research Foundation (2014-2016), past-president of the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery (2011), and past-president of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (2006-2007).
He is an honorary member of 30 surgical societies in 25 other countries or regions.
“FACS” designates that a surgeon is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
About Steven D. Wexner, MD, PhD (Hon), FACS, FRCS (Eng), FRCS (Ed), FRCSI (Hon), Hon FRCS (Glasg)
Dr. Wexner earned his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University, New York City, and his Doctor of Medicine degree from Cornell University, New York City. Dr. Wexner was chief of staff at Cleveland Clinic Florida from 1997-2008, chief academic officer from 2008-2012, and chairman of the division of research and education from 1995-2012. He currently holds academic appointments as affiliate professor at Florida Atlantic University; clinical professor at Florida International University; affiliate professor of surgery at the University of South Florida, Tampa; professor of surgery at the Ohio State University; clinical professor of surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University; affiliate professor of surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; professor of surgery, University of Siena, Siena, Italy; visiting professor, faculty of medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Medical Organization, Jerusalem, Israel; and visiting professor at the University of Belgrade in Serbia. The many awards and accolades Dr. Wexner has received include being awarded the degree of PhD honoris causa by the University of Belgrade, the prestigious Maimonides Award from the American Jewish Committee (2003), Professor Emeritus of I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (2013), and being named by Cleveland Clinic Florida as a Master Clinician (2016), among many others.
