The American College of Surgeons (ACS) will host the ninth annual Leadership & Advocacy Summit March 28–31 at the Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel. The Summit is a dual meeting offering comprehensive and specialized sessions that provide ACS members, leaders, and advocates with the skills and tools necessary to be effective surgeon leaders. Registration for the 2020 Summit is now open.
Leadership Summit
The Leadership Summit will feature compelling speakers addressing key topics in surgical leadership. The Summit provides a venue for members to network with ACS leaders and engage with colleagues to learn new and innovative ways to face challenges and enhance their leadership skills. It begins Saturday, March 28, with a Welcome Reception open to all registrants, followed by a full day of programming on Sunday, March 29.
More than 500 ACS leaders and members are expected to participate in the Leadership Summit. Topics will focus on honing the communication and strategic thinking skills necessary for effective leadership in and out of the operating room. Speakers will address key topics, including implementing impactful ideas in care delivery; empowering young surgeons to reach their potential; incorporating innovation, diversity, and inclusiveness in your practice; being an inspirational, multifaceted, and authentic surgical leader; and more. In addition, a portion of the event will be dedicated to sharing ACS chapter success stories and working to identify strategies to enhance and strengthen chapters. The ACS is pleased to welcome Vice Admiral Jerome M. Adams, Surgeon General of the U.S., as the keynote speaker for the Leadership Summit.
For more information about the Leadership Summit, contact Brian Frankel, ACS Manager, International Chapter Services and Special Initiatives, at bfrankel@facs.org or 312-202-5361.
Advocacy Summit
The Advocacy Summit offers attendees the unique opportunity to gain insight and the additional tools needed to become knowledgeable and effective advocates for surgery. In 2020, several ACS-supported legislative priorities could be considered by Congress, and surgeon advocates play a critical role to help educate lawmakers about these important issues and effect change. Your participation at the Advocacy Summit is essential to the ACS’ success.
Attendees of this three-day conference can expect in-depth advocacy training, including effective tips and tactics to help communicate policy priorities to policymakers on Capitol Hill and at home. The Advocacy Summit is a great place to meet and collaborate with colleagues and fellow surgeon advocates, meet with key health care policymakers, and become the constituents that legislators turn to when faced with complex questions regarding surgical and health care issues.
Following last year’s summit, the ACS Division of Advocacy and Health Policy (DAHP) has been working on a plethora of federal and state legislative activities, including efforts to address unanticipated/surprise medical billing, modify and implement Medicare physician payment reform, reduce administrative burdens and regulations, ensure that patients have access to quality surgical care, improve electronic health record and health information technology (HIT) interoperability, secure funding for and enhance cancer care and accreditation, establish bleeding control training for trauma-related injuries, and more. DAHP staff will update attendees about these and other ongoing initiatives, as well as future opportunities that may be coming down the pipeline in the 117th Congress.
As in years past, the Advocacy Summit will follow the Leadership Summit and begin Sunday, March 29, with a dinner and keynote address. Previous speakers include Marine Corps fighter pilot (Retired) Dave Berke, political commentators Nicolle Wallace and Chris Matthews, journalists Bob Woodward and George Will, television journalist Chuck Todd, U.S. Army Gen. (Retired) Stanley A. McChrystal, and author Thomas Goetz.
The sessions planned for the following day will highlight the political environment in Washington, DC, and speakers will outline critical health care issues impacting the surgical community and surgical patients. Attendees then will be able to apply this knowledge at in-person meetings with members of Congress and congressional staff to continue to educate offices about ACS advocacy priorities. This portion of the program provides ACS members the opportunity not only to demonstrate surgery’s strength on Capitol Hill, but also to establish relationships with legislators and their staff to ensure they look to Fellows’ expertise when crafting meaningful health care policy.
The ACS Professional Association Political Action Committee (ACSPA-SurgeonsPAC) hosts a variety of events for members and SurgeonsPAC contributors. These events provide exclusive networking opportunities to members interested in becoming more active participants in the political process. Other SurgeonsPAC sponsored activities include an annual drawing, a political luncheon featuring a special guest speaker, and presentation of the 2019 PAC awards.
For more information about the Advocacy Summit, contact Austin O’Boyle, Grassroots and PAC Coordinator, at aoboyle@facs.org or 202-672-1511. To learn more about SurgeonsPAC activities, contact staff at surgeonspac@facs.org or 202-672-1520.
