The Board of Directors of the ACS Board of Regents (BoR) and ACS Professional Association (ACSPA) met June 5–6 at the ACS Headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.
Key presentations focused on updates to the Division of Advocacy and Health Policy, Division of Education, Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Rural Surgery Collaborative efforts, 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.
ACSPA
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).
ACS Strategic Plan
The key performance indicators for the Strategic Plan for Fiscal Year 2026 were reviewed.
Advocacy and Health Policy
Christian Shalgian, Senior Vice President of the Division of Advocacy and Health Policy, provided an update on proposed bipartisan legislation to reform Medicare physician payment.
Education
Patrice Gabler Blair, DrPH, MPH, Associate Vice President of the Division of Education, Annesley (AJ) Copeland, MD, FACS, Chair of the BoR Education Advisory Committee, and Kyla P. Terhune, MD, MBA, FACS, Senior Vice President of the Division of Education, provided an update on the Division’s strategic priorities.
The discussion focused on expanding access to high-quality educational content, creating a more personalized and technology-enabled learning ecosystem, strengthening support for trainees and fellowship programs, increasing engagement with surgical specialty societies, fostering innovation across surgical disciplines, and enhancing Clinical Congress as a global forum for education, collaboration, and the exchange of best practices.
Information Technology
Genevieve Melton-Meaux, MD, PhD, FACS, FACMI, Chief Health Informatics Officer, provided an update on the ACS Clinical Data Strategy Initiative, which is expected to reduce hospital expenses, increase value, and lay the foundation for innovation and new products.
Journal of the American College of Surgeons
Thomas Varghese Jr., MD, MS, MBA, FACS, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, presented a market analysis of the journal’s performance and outlined strategies to strengthen its position as a leading source of scientific and clinical information for practicing surgeons. Dr. Varghese reported on efforts to broaden editorial board representation across specialties and career stages, revise author guidelines, expand multimedia requirements, and increase emphasis on ACS work products, clinical practice guidelines, health policy, the surgical workforce, and surgical business data.
He also reviewed the journal’s rapid-response publication initiatives, including publications supporting ACS advocacy efforts and workforce sustainability. These included “Longitudinal Trends in Efficiency and Complexity of Surgical Procedures: Analysis of 1.7 Million Operations Between 2019 and 2023,” which supported the ACS response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Proposed Rule for the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, and “Developing Specialty-Specific Workplace Standards for Surgeons: A Framework to Support Sustainable Surgical Careers,” which was developed in collaboration with the BoR Optimal Working Environment for Surgeons Task Force.
Member Services
The BoR accepted the resignations of 15 Fellows and changed the status of 83 Fellows from Active or Senior to Retired. The formation of the Zambia Chapter and the consolidation of the Metropolitan Philadelphia Chapter and Keystone Chapter into the new Pennsylvania Commonwealth Chapter also were approved.
Rural Surgery Collaborative
Andrea Hayes-Dixon, MD, FACS, FAAP, Chair of the Committee on Patient Access and Surgical Excellence, Bonnie Simpson Mason, MD, FAAOS, FAOA, Medical Director of the Office of Inclusive Excellence, and Gary Timmerman, MD, FACS, Regent member on the ACS Rural Surgery Strategic Development Collaborative Taskforce presented an overview of the challenges facing rural surgical care, including ongoing financial and workforce pressures that affect hospital sustainability and patient access.
Presenters reviewed the ACS Rural Surgery Collaborative, which seeks to strengthen rural surgical capacity through education, advocacy, research, innovation, and partnerships that support workforce development, evidence generation, and delivery of high-quality surgical care.
ACS Foundation
The mission of the ACS Foundation, a separate 501(c) (3) organization, is to secure financial support for initiatives in surgical research, education, rural surgery, trauma, and more, ultimately promoting better patient outcomes. The foundation offers a wide spectrum of funding opportunities for ACS Fellows and supporters to ensure the highest level of surgical care and education. As of April 30, 2026, the foundation secured $1.5 million in restricted and unrestricted support for the College.
Additional Activity
In addition to these presentations, the Regents heard updates from the Advisory Councils, Investment Subcommittee, and the Finance Committee. They also reviewed several informational reports and approved revisions to the Statement of Principles Underlying Surgeon Responsibility Toward the Patient and on Needlestick and Sharps Safety, and to the Committee on Trauma’s Statement on Post-Transfusion Care After RhD-positive Transfusion and Timely Intervention of Hemorrhage Control.
Dr. Cherisse D. Berry is Chair of the ACS Board of Governors and surgery vice chair of academic affairs and professor of surgery at Rutgers Health, New Jersey Medical School in Newark.
