Newly installed 107th ACS President Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, FACS, used his Presidential Address to highlight the future of surgery and the ACS as a unifying force for surgeons, reflecting the theme of his presidential year, “The House of Surgery: Stronger Together.”
“I honestly cannot think of a more rewarding career than being a surgeon,” he said as he congratulated all newly inducted Fellows of the ACS.
“This may be the best time to enter surgery,” Dr. Eberlein later said, describing himself as “excited about the future.”
He offered numerous examples of scientific and clinical advances, including artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted phenotyping in ophthalmology to improve disease detection and precision treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes; minimally invasive laser treatment in neurology for brain tumors and epilepsy; regenerative medicine with the potential to eliminate dialysis for patients with kidney disease; advances in surgical oncology, including personalized cancer vaccines and neoadjuvant chemotherapy and chemoimmunotherapy regimens.
“These are incredible advancements across the House of Surgery, which have led to better patient care and less morbidity,” he said. “Each of these examples have been led by surgeons and involve many specialties, which demonstrates that we can learn from each other and make the House of Surgery stronger together.”
Dr. Eberlein then highlighted organizational transformations the ACS is making to keep pace with and lead advances in surgery.
These included new offerings at Clinical Congress 2026, such as distinguished speakers and sessions on AI and medical informatics. He also highlighted transformations in the ACS Division of Education, including new course offerings and updates to educational conferences and programs.
Dr. Eberlein then discussed the College’s clinical data strategy. Drawing on his own institution, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, he explained that better access to data improved surgical performance and patient outcomes. Similarly, the ACS is implementing an enterprise-wide data transformation. He described the destination of this ongoing effort: “actionable real-time feedback with advanced analytics that is AI-driven” with “predictive models and new solutions for quality and safety.”
Finally, Dr. Eberlein highlighted ACS efforts to support surgeons through advocacy. Among the achievements he mentioned were budget appropriations funding hospital preparedness programs, emergency medical services for children, and injury care. He also noted ongoing priorities to protect physician payment, sustain merit-based peer-reviewed funding, and promote Medicare payment reform legislation. “Members of Congress from both parties look to the ACS for leadership and guidance on physician payment and workplace enhancements to better serve all of our Fellows,” he said.
Dr. Eberlein emphasized that surgical care is changing and the ACS is transforming itself to meet the challenges of the future and help surgeons thrive.
“Your College is doubling down on its efforts to be the best home for the entire House of Surgery, creating programs to benefit every specialty,” he said. “Whether educational programs, Quality Programs, the new digital strategy, or advocacy, the American College of Surgeons has reinvented itself.”
