For more than a century, Clinical Congress has included the induction of a new cohort of ACS Fellows. Inductees take the Fellowship pledge during Convocation, which has been described as the high point in many surgeons’ careers.
This year, Convocation is on Saturday, October 19, at 6:00 pm, reflecting the shift to a Saturday-through-Tuesday schedule.
Following a procession of the Initiates and other formalities, 1,894 surgeons from the US, Canada, and 74 other countries will become ACS Fellows.
Beth H. Sutton, MD, FACS, also will be installed as the 2024–2025 ACS President. Dr. Sutton has had a long career as both a private practice surgeon in Wichita Falls, Texas, and a mainstay of the ACS via her participation in many task forces and committees, including as Chair of the Board of Regents.
After her installation, Dr. Sutton will deliver her Presidential Address, sharing her vision for the coming year with the theme “Excelling Together.” She said her vision includes bringing together surgeons across disciplines, practice types, and career stages, to increase quality not only in clinical and surgical expertise, but also professionalism and concern for patients.
“The thing that I would like to encourage all our Fellows and other members in all surgical disciplines to do is to keep the personal connection between one surgeon and one patient,” she said.
In addition to conferral of fellowship and the Presidential Address, Convocation will include the presentation of honorary fellowship to eight surgeons from around the world, recognitions of the initiate classes from 25 (1999) and 50 years ago (1974), and presentation of five significant awards.
The Distinguished Service Award is the highest individual honor granted by the College; it will be given this year to Layton “Bing” Rikkers, MD, FACS, an emeritus professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Dr. Mary Edwards Walker Inspiring Women in Surgery Award will be awarded to Barbara Pettitt, MD, MPHE, FACS, FAAP, of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The Distinguished Lifetime Military Contribution Award will be bestowed on Cmdr. (ret.) C. William Schwab, MD, FACS, FRCS, of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The Owen H. Wangensteen Scientific Forum Award will be presented to Mary T. Hawn, MD, MPH, FACS, of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. Finally, former ACS Executive Director David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, of Orange, California, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, which commemorates long-standing excellence in service to the ACS.
All Clinical Congress attendees can attend Convocation in person in the Ballroom (Level 3) of Moscone Center West or watch live via the ACS website. After Convocation, all are welcome to attend a reception in Moscone Center West, Level 2.
