WASHINGTON (September 27, 2026) — Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, FACS, FRCS (Glasg)(Hon), FRCSEd (Hon), MAMSE, a renowned surgical oncologist and long-serving past Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of American College of Surgeons (JACS), was installed as the 107th President of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) during the ACS Clinical Congress 2026 in Washington, D.C. Dr. Eberlein succeeds Anton N. Sidawy, MD, MPH, FACS, DFSVS, MAMSE, who served as president of the ACS from 2025-2026.
For his presidential year, Dr. Eberlein chose the theme, “The House of Surgery: Stronger Together.” The theme reflects a desire to collaborate across surgical disciplines to make the advancements that are only possible through such connections. This is particularly powerful now, as surgery navigates rapid changes to policy, technology, and clinical care.
“I am humbled to serve the College and our Fellows with this appointment. I look forward to listening, learning and working with all specialties to make The House of Surgery stronger,” Dr. Eberlein said.
Dr. Eberlein is the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor, founding director of the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, and senior associate dean for cancer programs at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Eberlein simultaneously served as the Bixby Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery at Washington University for 24½ years.
ACS Achievements
Dr. Eberlein has been active within the ACS for more than 30 years. He has served as a member of the Board of Governors, Chair of the Board of Regents, and longstanding Editor-in-Chief of JACS (2004–2025). His improvements to the journal included adding rigorous biostatistical reviews for all manuscripts and affiliating with regional surgical societies nationwide, as well as the Excelsior Surgical Society, the ACS military surgery group. For his numerous achievements, he has received the Rodney E. and Thomas G. Sheen Award from the New Jersey Chapter of the ACS and the ACS Owen H. Wangensteen Scientific Forum Award.
Dr. Eberlein also has held leadership positions at the American Board of Surgery, Advisory Committee to the Board for Surgical Oncology, Board of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Society of Surgical Oncology, Society of Surgical Chairs, American Surgical Association, Southern Surgical Association, and the National Cancer Institute. A prolific researcher and editorial board member, he served as associate editor of the Annals of Surgical Oncology for 17 years. He was also elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine in 2004.
Background and Training
After earning his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, he completed his internship and residency at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, including a year as chief resident. He also completed two research fellowships at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. After training, Dr. Eberlein joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School and rose to become the Wilson Professor of Surgery at Harvard and vice chair of the Department of Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital before moving to St. Louis.
Vice-Presidents
First Vice President Sharon M. Henry, MD, FACS, and Second Vice President Robert P. Sticca, MD, FACS, were also installed at the Convocation Ceremony during Clinical Congress.
Dr. Henry is the Anne Scalea Professor of Trauma Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. A highly skilled trauma surgeon, Dr. Henry is the first African American female surgeon to be inducted in the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma. Within the ACS, her service includes more than 20 years with the Committee on Trauma. She has been a course director for Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) for many years, including promulgating the course in Slovenia, Iraq, Haiti, and Bangladesh and participating in the steering committee for the 11th edition (released in 2025). For this work, she received the Meritorious Service Award in 2009.
Dr. Sticca is an emeritus professor of surgery at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine in Grand Forks, where he helped to develop and lead the only surgical residency program in that state. He has been a leader in helping improve surgical access to underserved rural populations. In that capacity, he has been part of the ACS Commission on Cancer, ATLS, and other committees and projects within the ACS. A surgical oncologist and general surgeon by training, he has also championed the use of opportunistic bilateral salpingectomy to prevent ovarian cancer.
