Surgical Chairs Playbook

Looking for an effective tool to help advance your career? The American College of Surgeons and the Society of Surgical Chairs (SSC) have published the Surgical Chairs Playbook to help current and future surgeons navigate their career progression.

Authored by more than 80 surgical chairs, the Playbook features innovative leadership strategies, evidence-based examples, and personal experiences.

The Playbook is organized into four sections: Managing Missions, Managing Oneself, Managing People, and Managing Business. Within each section, the content is structured in a question-and-answer format, providing readers the opportunity to quickly identify topics that may be of particular interest.

Order a print edition copy ($75) or a PDF version ($40) today!

Print Edition PDF Edition

“This book is a comprehensive reflection on the skills and characteristics a surgeon can learn to be an effective leader or chair. There also are elements that are meaningful for those who have moved into a dean’s role, the hospital C-suite, or who desire those positions."

Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS
ACS Executive Director and CEO

Meet the Surgeon Editors

Robert S. D. Higgins, MD, MSHA, FACS

President, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Executive Vice President, Mass General Brigham, Boston, MA

Jeffrey B. Matthews, MD, FACS

Dallas B. Phemister Professor of Surgery
Chair, Department of Surgery, UChicago Medicine, Chicago, IL

Todd K. Rosengart, MD, FACS

Professor and DeBakey-Bard Chair of the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX

Sandra L. Wong, MD, MS, FACS

William N. and Bessie Allyn Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center Geisel School of Medicine, Lebanon, NH

“It’s clear that the role of the department chair is evolving in many ways given the complicated nature of healthcare in the current environment. This Surgical Chairs Playbook provides valuable perspectives and lessons learned on these evolving roles and responsibilities for our surgical leadership community."
—Robert S. D. Higgins, MD, MSHA, FACS

“The surgical department chair leads a complex enterprise engaged in multiple missions across a matrixed organization. The playbook offers, for the first time, a resource featuring practical advice that we hope will prove valuable to experienced, new, and future department leaders.”
—Jeffrey B. Matthews, MD, FACS

“The playbook is a leadership guide from chairs who have been in their roles for a number of years. This resource highlights the dos, don’ts, and suggestions that will help make your transition from faculty to leadership smoother, more effective, and more powerful.”
—Todd K. Rosengart, MD, FACS

There are a few great leadership books on the market, but the Surgical Chairs Playbook is really focused on surgical leadership. This is practical advice from people who generously share their experiences, helping to inform how to navigate obstacles and put together ‘game plans’.”
—Sandra L. Wong, MD, MS, FACS