A recognized leader in the gastrointestinal surgical field, Fabrizio Michelassi, MD, FACS, is the new Chair of the ACS Board of Regents (BoR). His election to a 1-year term was announced yesterday following the Annual Business Meeting of Members, which concluded Clinical Congress 2024 sessions.
Dr. Michelassi is the Lewis Atterbury Stimson Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine, and surgeon-in-chief of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine, both in New York.
In his role as BoR Chair, Dr. Michelassi will work closely with ACS Executive Director and CEO Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS, and will lead the Finance and Executive Committees. The 24-member BoR formulates policy and supervises the overall management of the College.
Dr. Michelassi has been an ACS Fellow since 1987, and has a history of leadership within the organization. He has been a Regent since 2016, during which time he has served as Chair of the Nominating Committee and Vice-Chair of the Education Advisory Committee, Finance Committee, and Honors Committee.
Other leadership positions within the ACS include serving as Chair of the Board of Governors (BoG) and several committees within the BoG during his tenure, as well as Chair of the Program Committee, which is responsible for developing the Clinical Congress educational program each year.
He also has been Vice-Chair of the Advisory Council for General Surgery and Vice-Chair of the International Relations Committee.
In addition to his roles with the ACS, Dr. Michelassi has led or served on many professional organizations, including as president of The Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, Society of Surgical Oncology, and Society of Surgical Chairs.
Dr. Michelassi is a world-renowned gastrointestinal surgeon with expertise in the surgical treatment of gastrointestinal and pancreatic cancers, as well as inflammatory bowel disease. Through research and participation in multiple clinical trials, he has impacted the surgical treatment of pancreatic and colorectal cancers, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn disease. He was able to develop a novel bowel-sparing procedure, now known as the Michelassi strictureplasty, designed to avoid sacrificing large amounts of bowel at the time of surgery and facilitating quiescence of the acute disease affecting the diseased intestinal loops.
Dr. Michelassi has authored more than 330 papers, book chapters, and abstracts, served on the editorial boards of nine prominent medical journals, and received numerous awards for his research and leadership.
Dr. Napolitano Is Vice-Chair
Lena M. Napolitano, MD, FACS, a trauma and critical care surgeon, was elected Vice-Chair of the BoR.
Dr. Napolitano is a professor of surgery and associate chair for the Department of Surgery at the University of Michigan School of Medicine in Ann Arbor. Throughout her career, she has served in key roles for organizations including the Society of Critical Care Medicine, led research into trauma and surgical critical care, and been recognized for her surgical education and mentoring.
An ACS Fellow since 1985, Dr. Napolitano has held many leadership and member roles within the organization. She has been a Regent since 2018, wherein she served on the Nominating Committee, Research and Optimal Patient Care Committee, and Education Advisory Committee, among others. She also was Chair of the Board of Governors and the Committee on Perioperative Care, as well as served as President of the ACS Michigan Chapter.
