YFA Leader

For surgeons under the age of 46, the Young Fellows Association (YFA) represents your interests, and provides a forum for you to shape the future of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and your specialty. Get involved in this high-energy group of future College leaders today.

The Governing Council of the YFA includes the YFA Executive Committee (Chair and Vice-Chair), chairs of the five YFA Standing Workgroups (Advocacy & Issues, Communications, Education, Membership, and Quality), RAS Ex-Officio, Board of Governor Liaison, and 11 members at large.

• Must be a Fellow under the age of 46
• Connect through the work of the standing YFA workgroups
• Apply for an ACS committee, Board of Governors workgroup, or Advisory Council liaison position

A call for nominations is sent to the YFA membership in the late spring/summer if there are open positions. Members can apply and be considered for a position. The candidates are interviewed over the phone by members of the nomination committee, who then select the top candidates and make a recommendation to the YFA Vice-Chair. The top candidate(s)—if there are multiple open positions—are selected by the YFA Executive Committee. (Age criteria: You must be able to serve a full-three year term while remaining under the age of 46.)

• YFA Chair serves one year.
• YFA Chair-Elect serves one year and then ascends to Chair.
• Governing Council Member serves for three years.
• Chair of standing YFA Workgroup can serve from one to three years.

• Attend quarterly governing council calls and in-person meetings annually
• Attend Governing Council meeting at Clinical Congress (three consecutive years)
• Attend Governing Council meeting at Leadership & Advocacy Summit (three consecutive years)
• Regularly attends meetings and participate in projects of one or more of the standing YFA Workgroups

The time commitment can vary depending on what you decide to get involved in. For example, if you join one of the five workgroups, you can expect to work on projects, participate in conference calls, and potentially meet face-to-face.

Advisory Councils

Advisory Councils for the Surgical Specialties enhance ACS relationships with the specialties and enhance communications between the Board of Regents and the various specialty organizations.

Advisory Councils perform the following functions:

• Serve as a liaison in the communication of information to and from surgical societies and the Regents.
• Advise the Regents on policy matters relating to their specialties.
• Discuss matters to be presented to the Regents or other College departments or committees.
• Nominate Fellows from the surgical specialties to serve on College committees and other committees and organizations.
• Provide specialty input into the development of general and specialty sessions for the Clinical Congress.

Advisory Council for Cardiothoracic Surgery

Advisory Council for Gynecology and Obstetrics

Advisory Council for Orthopaedic Surgery

Advisory Council of Vascular Surgery

BOG Workgroups

Survey Workgroup

To support the communication of important matters to the Chair of the Board of Governors and other College leaders through the completion of an annual survey by the Board of Governors, and to review the annual survey tool, assess the content and scope of questions, propose appropriate and timely changes, and analyze the results.

Communications and Outreach Workgroup

To support communication between the Fellows and the Governors, whether specialty society or chapter, and from the Governors to the Regents of the College, as well as formulate consistent communication efforts targeting the Fellows and other surgeons and the public, policymakers and the media where appropriate. This workgroup also published the quarterly The Cutting Edge: News and Notes from the Board of Governors.

ACS Committees

ACS Commission on Cancer

The multidisciplinary Commission on Cancer (CoC) establishes standards to ensure quality, multidisciplinary, and comprehensive cancer care delivery in healthcare settings; conducts surveys in healthcare settings to assess compliance with those standards; collects standardized data from CoC-accredited healthcare settings to measure cancer care quality; uses data to monitor treatment patterns and outcomes and enhance cancer control and clinical surveillance activities; and develops effective educational interventions to improve cancer prevention, early detection, cancer care delivery, and outcomes in health care settings. CoC membership is comprised of 110 individuals who either are surgeons representing the College or member organization representatives from the 58 national professional organizations affiliated with the CoC. The activities of the CoC are coordinated through the Executive, Nominating, Accreditation, Advocacy, Cancer Liaison, Education, Member Organization Steering, Quality Integration committees, and related subcommittees and workgroups.

National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) Subcommittee

The National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) was developed through a collaboration between The OSTRiCh Consortium (Optimizing the Surgical Treatment of Rectal Cancer) and the Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons.

The NAPRC’s goal is to ensure patients with rectal cancer receive appropriate care using a multidisciplinary approach. The NAPRC is based on successful international models that emphasize:

• Program Structure: Establishing a rectal cancer multidisciplinary team comprised of trained and qualified physicians and coordinators
• Patient Care Processes: Researching supported protocols and processes for rectal cancer care.
• Performance Improvement: Data collection and monitoring to track care processes, treatment, compliance, and patient outcomes
• Performance Measures: Verifying adherence to evidence-based procedures, including total mesorectal excision, pathological assessment, MRI staging and reporting.

Subcommittee Positions:

• NAPRC – Accreditation Subcommittee (2-year position)
• NAPRC- Quality Subcommittee (2-year position)

Women in Surgery Committee

The mission of the Women in Surgery Committee (WiSC) is to enable women surgeons of all ages and practice types to develop their individual potential as professionals; promote an environment that fosters inclusion, respect, and success; develop, encourage, and advance women surgeons as leaders; and provide a forum and networking opportunities to enhance women’s surgical career satisfaction.

Because I Want to Make a Difference

Daniel Klaristenfeld, MD, FACS

I am a community colorectal surgeon at a large multigroup, non-academic practice. Being involved in the ACS does not enhance my resume or improve my institutional standing. Everything I do is on my own time and the expenses come out of my own wallet. When I asked to become a member of the YFA Governing Council four years ago, it was because I wanted to get involved. I wanted to have a seat at the table where policies and decisions were being made. I wanted to be a voice for community surgeons working every day in the trenches. And I wanted to get the big picture view of where the "House of Surgery" is heading.

Being on the YFA governing council has given me a front-row seat to what happens within the ACS. Through the YFA, I have connected with mentors and made new friends. I have participated in shaping ACS policy, helped decide and create what is available at Clinical Congress, and lobbied my elected representatives for issues that are important to me and all of my surgical colleagues. Every time I come back from an ACS meeting or conference, I have a greater understanding and appreciation for how the ACS affects the lives of every surgeon in the world whether they know it or not. My advice is to get involved. It is easy to complain about the state of surgery in America today. It is much harder, yet much more gratifying, to stand up and try to make a difference.