New Surgical Chairs Playbook Guides Surgeon Leaders

The ACS and the Society of Surgical Chairs (SSC) have released the Surgical Chairs Playbook to help current and future surgeon leaders feel more confident and more easily navigate their career progression. The Surgical Chairs Playbook is available for purchase today as a digital PDF for $40, and a print edition can be preordered for $75.

“This book is a comprehensive reflection on the skills and characteristics a surgeon can learn to be an effective leader or chair,” said ACS Executive Director and CEO Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS. “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."

The Playbook features innovative leadership strategies, evidence-based practices, personal experiences, and advice authored by more than 80 current surgical chairs.

It 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.

The Playbook’s four surgeon editors are Robert S. D. Higgins, MD, MSHA, FACS, president of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and executive vice-president of Mass General Brigham in Boston, MA; Jeffrey B. Matthews, MD, FACS, Dallas B. Phemister Professor of Surgery and chair of the Department of Surgery at UChicago Medicine in IL; Todd K. Rosengart, MD, FACS, professor and DeBakey-Bard Chair of Surgery in the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX; and Sandra L. Wong, MD, MS, FACS, William N. and Bessie Allyn Professor of Surgery and chair of the Department of Surgery at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and the Geisel School of Medicine in Lebanon, NH.