I invite you and your entire surgical team to join us in Washington, DC, from Saturday, September 26, to Tuesday, September 29, for Clinical Congress 2026. If you have not yet registered, I encourage you to do so today.
ACS President Anton N. Sidawy, MD, MPH, FACS, and I are Washingtonians, and we are thrilled to invite you to our city.
Connected to our nation’s political history like nowhere else, Washington, DC, is also a place of culture and medical and educational excellence. Washington provides an especially fitting backdrop for Clinical Congress this year.
We are excited to unveil a reimagining of our educational programming, intended to better meet the moment and present the newest advances and insights in surgery. The ACS Senior Vice President of Education, Kyla Terhune, MD, MBA, FACS, has collaborated with the Program Committee, chaired by Kenneth W. Sharp, MD, FACS, and other ACS leaders to create a program offering content not available at any other meeting.
We will begin with a celebration: Convocation, in which many new colleagues are inducted into the Fellowship of our noble profession, begins at 5:45 pm Saturday. Following Convocation, all are welcome to join us at the Capital City Welcome Reception. This highly popular, festive gathering allows us to celebrate our Initiates, connect with colleagues, and enjoy the start of the meeting. The reception begins immediately after Convocation. All registrants, as well as families of newly inducted Fellows, are welcome to attend.
Sunday begins with the Opening Ceremony and the Martin Memorial Lecture, given by Ralph V. Clayman, MD, FACS, who is dean emeritus of the University of California-Irvine School of Medicine. Other notable speakers from the Washington, DC, area include Martin A. Makary, MD, MPH, FACS, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, and Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, president of the National Academy of Medicine.
Sunday will also include the first in our Best of Grand Rounds lectures. We are thrilled to launch this new series, in which surgeons, nominated by their colleagues, will share outstanding lectures they presented as visiting professors. The three selected surgeons will share their insights on using one’s own story in advocacy (Sunday), building hope into trauma care (Monday), and surgery in space (Tuesday).
On Monday, we will also offer, for the first time, a specialized track on artificial intelligence and surgical informatics, presented jointly with the American Medical Informatics Association. These sessions will allow surgeons to learn about multiple aspects of this rapidly emerging technology and its integration into our practices.
Throughout the conference, multidisciplinary sessions, panels, and abstract presentations will bring together the entire House of Surgery, with content spanning every surgical specialty and addressing the professional, scientific, and societal issues that affect us all. We are confident the 300+ sessions available will offer impactful options for every attendee, including those attending virtually, no matter their career stage, specialty, practice type, or location. You can find details about these sessions in the Meeting Platform.
Similarly, we urge all on-site attendees to visit the Exhibit Hall and see the latest surgical technologies and services; join networking events specific to your career stage or surgical discipline; and connect with mentors, mentees, collaborators, and others who share your profession, interests, and enthusiasms.
Throughout the meeting and via virtual access (which is included with your registration), you can earn continuing medical education credits and continuing education credits. Many sessions will also address specific regulatory mandates for state licensure and ACS Accreditation and Verification Programs. More information is available on the ACS website.
I look forward to seeing you next month in Washington, DC, to exchange ideas and celebrate surgical excellence.
See you soon!
Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS
