The ACS welcomed two new medical directors in June—Thomas C. Tsai, MD, MPH, FACS, is the Medical Director for Health Policy Research and Margaret “Megan” C. Tracci, MD, JD, FACS, is the Medical Director for Surgeon Engagement. In this episode, Steven D. Wexner, MD, PhD(Hon), FACS, talks with Drs. Tsai and Tracci about their new roles, including their current projects and strategies to advance the profession.

• Steven D. Wexner, MD, PhD(Hon), FACS, is a colorectal surgeon from the Cleveland Clinic in Florida
• Thomas C. Tsai, MD, MPH, FACS, is a minimally invasive gastrointestinal and bariatric surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston
• Margaret “Megan” C. Tracci, MD, JD, FACS, is an endovascular surgeon at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville

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This episode features a fireside chat with Barbara Lee Bass, MD, FACS, who is the vice president for health affairs, dean of the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Washington, DC, and a past president of the ACS. Dr. Bass talks about what drove her into surgery at a time when very few women were in the profession, why she joined the Army, what it was like to perform her last operation, and why it’s essential to be authentic as the leader of a large institution. The program host is Dr. Mohsen Shabahang for the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators.

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This episode offers an overview of the recent ACS Leadership & Advocacy Summit, held in Washington, DC, including popular sessions on knowing your worth as a surgical leader and learning how to lead at every level. Michael J. Sutherland, MD, MBA, FACS, Senior Vice President of ACS Member Services, discusses these sessions and more with Kimberly M. Lumpkins, MD, MBA, FACS, the Dr. J. Laurance Hill Endowed Professor in Pediatric Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, and Joshua M. V. Mammen, MD, PhD, FACS,  the Merle M. Musselman Centennial Professor of Surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

HOST:

Michael J. Sutherland, MD, MBA, FACS, Senior Vice President, ACS Division of Member Services, Chicago, IL

GUESTS:

Kimberly M. Lumpkins, MD, MBA, FACS, Pediatric Surgeon-in-Chief at the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital and the Dr. J. Laurance Hill Endowed Professor in Pediatric Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD

Joshua M. V. Mammen, MD, PhD, FACS, Merle M. Musselman Centennial Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Department of Surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE

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In this episode, ACS Committee on Trauma (COT) Chair Jeffrey D. Kerby, MD, PhD, FACS, and Rural Trauma Committee Program Lead Michael Person, MD, FACS, discuss key takeaways and lessons learned from the recent COT Annual Meeting in Chicago. They talk about the 10th anniversary of the Future Trauma Leaders Program, pre-hospital blood protocols, the importance of a rural trauma system, and trauma readiness in the United States in the event of a mass population event.

PARTICIPANTS: Jeffrey D. Kerby, MD, PhD, FACS, Chair of the ACS Committee on Trauma, Birmingham, Alabama

Michael Person, MD, FACS, COT Region Chief, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

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In this episode, trauma surgeon Dany Westerband, MD, FACS, talks with John Sutyak, MD, FACS, and Joakim Jorgensen, MD, FACS, about the recent ACS Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) Global Symposium that attracted 400 people from 48 countries. The meeting was held in Chicago in March 2025. They discuss key takeaways from the symposium and preparations to launch ATLS 11 later this year.

HOST: Dany Westerband, MD, FACS, ATLS International Program Director from Silver Spring, Maryland

GUESTS: John Sutyak, MD, FACS, member of the ACS Committee on Trauma Executive Committee and ATLS Chair, from Springfield, Illinois Joakim Jorgensen, MD, FACS, ATLS Region Chief from Hovik, Norway

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This episode features a fireside chat with Keith D. Lillemoe, MD, FACS, who is the surgeon in chief at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and the W. Gerald Austen Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Lillemoe talks about his surgical career, developing expertise in gallbladder and biliary tract disease, and lessons learned along the way. The program host is Dr. Mohsen Shabahang for the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators.

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Graduating from residency or fellowship to attending is a pivotal moment for surgeons in training. Jyoti D. Chouhan, DO, PharmD, MBA, FACS, from Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, talks with three of her colleagues about mentorship, tips to prepare for surgery, managing complications, work-life integration, and other advice to make the transition as smooth as possible.

Presented by the ACS Women in Surgery Committee, guests include:

Tiffany Sinclair, MD, FACS

Cheyenne Sonntag, MD, MS

Irlna Trantchou, MD, FACS, FASCRS

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This episode features a fireside chat with ACS Past President Henri R. Ford, MD, MHA, FACS, who is the dean and chief academic officer at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Ford talks about his humble beginnings, his passion for surgery, lessons learned, and leadership skills that have helped him become the world-renowned surgeon he is today. The program host is Dr. Mohsen Shabahang for the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators.

Talk about the podcast on social media using the hashtag #HouseofSurgery.