The Board of Directors of the ACS Board of Regents (BoR) and ACS Professional Association (ACSPA)* met June 6–7 at ACS Headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.
Key presentations centered on the College’s strategic plan, membership recruitment and retention, a new focus for the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, and updates related to ACS Trauma Programs and the overarching ACS clinical data strategy.
The following is a summary of the discussion and was current as of the date of the meeting.
ACS Strategic Plan
Lists of key activities related to pillars within the recently approved strategic plan were outlined. A webinar will be held with ACS leadership groups this summer to delve into the plan and ensure alignment of activities. In addition, Executive Director & CEO Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS, is using her July/August Bulletin column (see pages 6–7) to introduce members to the strategic plan. More details by pillar will be offered in upcoming editions of the ACS Brief enewsletter.
Member Services
The BoR accepted resignations from 19 Fellows and changed the status from Active or Senior to Retired for 120 Fellows. In addition, the Board approved a new ACS Senior Fellows Society, a life cycle program for senior surgeons to share knowledge and facilitate experiences and engagement.
To complement the strategic analysis of ACS membership, Michael J. Sutherland, MD, MBA, FACS, Senior Vice President of the Division of Member Services, offered detailed information on recent membership trends, while Lena M. Napolitano, MD, FACS, Vice-Chair of the BoR, provided an analysis of qualitative data derived from one-on-one phone conversations with members and nonmembers.
Strategies and tactics were offered to help counter a net loss of dues-paying members in the US and Canada, while also helping to attract and retain members from residency through retirement. They included:
- Increasing member participation through more customized engagement opportunities
- Implementing enhanced marketing strategies that include personalizing outreach and a simplified application process
- Improving the member experience through seamless connection of the ACS’s disparate data platforms and better use of artificial intelligence and analytics
- Increasing collaborative efforts with all surgical disciplines through stronger specialty society partnerships and throughout the entire House of Surgery
Research and Optimal Patient Care
In addition to the update and recent progress on the long-term strategy previously presented to the BoR for ACS clinical data registries by ACS Chief Health Informatics Officer Genevieve Melton-Meaux, MD, PhD, FACS, a deep-dive presentation offered details on initiatives within the Trauma Programs area of the Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care.
Among the initiatives noted by Eileen M. Bulger, MD, FACS, Medical Director of Trauma Education, Avery Nathens, MD, PhD, FACS, Medical Director of Trauma Programs, and Jeffrey D. Kerby, MD, PhD, FACS, Chair of the Committee on Trauma, were:
Advancing the development of a National Trauma and Emergency Preparedness System (NTEPS)
- Assisting the Military Joint Trauma System in verifying quality care delivery
- Collaborating with the Division of Advocacy and Health Policy to identify the key decision-makers, assess federal and military interest, and explore building a coalition
- Developing standards for Regional Medical Operations Coordinating Centers (RMOCC)
- Identifying the recommended tactics and timeline needed to promote NTEPS
- Utilizing the Regional Committees on Trauma Field Program infrastructure to further develop RMOCC
ACS Stop the Bleed
- Approximately 5 million individuals have been prepared for bleeding emergencies globally (50 states and 161 countries) since the program was launched in 2016
- Virtual, hybrid, and in-person training is offered
- The program has more than 180,000 instructors
Launches in August 2025
- Offered in Brazilian/Portuguese, English, and Spanish
- Interactive discussions and skills stations
- New student and instructor courses
- MyATLS App will be updated to the 11th edition in August and offer additional multimedia features, treatment algorithms, checklists, and calculators, and real-time education
Rural trauma program
- Evaluating existing relevant education programs and conducting needs assessment
- Identifying the technical requirements needed for improved business intelligence and the analytical tools necessary to improve experience for participants
- Conducting market research and discovery with rural stakeholders and an assessment to determine the needs of rural trauma providers
Trauma benchmarking and reporting: TQIP 2.0
Transitioning from a hybrid model to a digital first model
- Increasing penetration of programs in current markets via expanded participation in Level III Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) and verification; TQIP participation of non-ACS verified centers and repackaging of TQIP collaboratives
- Addressing the needs of new markets, including a longitudinal consultation program, rural/Level IV centers, and specialty-specific TQIP data/reports
Journal of the American College of Surgeons
New Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS), Thomas K. Varghese Jr., MD, MS, MBA, FACS, offered a market analysis of JACS performance compared to other journals and outlined his strategies to make it a go-to source for “the best science for the practicing surgeon in The House of Surgery®.” Highlights included:
- Updating the editorial board to include representation from all surgical specialties, career stages, and practice types
- Revising author guidelines and better defining article types
- Educating potential authors on manuscript best practices
- Focusing on clinical practice guidelines, work product of the ACS, health policy data, workforce data, and surgical business data
- Exploring the launch of a second journal
Additional Activity
In addition to these presentations, the Regents heard updates from the Finance Committee, Young Fellows Association, ACS Advisory Councils, and Nominating Committee. They also reviewed a number of informational reports and approved:
- Fiscal Year 2026 Budget
- Best Practice Guideline for the Management of Genitourinary Injuries
- Statement on Electric Bicycle Safety and Injury Prevention
- Statement on the Physician Acting as an Expert Witness (revision)
Dr. Marion Curtiss Henry is Chair of the ACS Board of Governors and professor of surgery at The University of Chicago Medicine, where she also serves as the medical director of the operating rooms and pediatric surgery quality officer at Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago, IL.
*The ACSPA, a 501(c)(6), allows for a broader range of activities and services that benefit surgeons and patients, including expanded legislative advocacy and political programming, such as the ACSPA-Political Action Committee (SurgeonsPAC).
