The Board of Governors (B/G) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) has elected four new members of the Board of Regent s (B/R) —Annesley (AJ) W. Copeland, MD, FACS, and David J. Welsh, MD, MBA, FACS, from the U.S.; and Francoise P. Chagnon, MD, FACS, FRCSC, and Sean C. Grondin, MD, MPH, FACS, FRCS, from Canada. In addition, new B/G Executive Committee members have been elected.
Regents: U.S.
Dr. Copeland is a general surgeon and associate professor of surgery and surgery core clerkship director, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, as well as attending surgeon, Walter Reed Army Medical Center/Walter Reed Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD.
A Fellow of the College since 1994, Dr. Copeland has been involved in various capacities within the ACS, as well as in the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS), which is closely aligned with the College. She was an ACS Governor (2012–2018), serving as the B/G Liaison Representative to the Committee on Resident Education (2016–2018), Chair of the Patient Education Subcommittee (2017–2018), and Chair of the ACS Resident Award for Exemplary Teaching subcommittee (2018). Dr. Copeland also is a member of the ACS Women in Surgery Committee (WiSC) (2011–present) and has served as a member (2012–2018) and Chair (2016–2018) of the WiSC Program/Education subcommittee. She has been a member of the ACS Committee on Allied Health Personnel (1996–2002), the ACS Oncology Group (2001–present), and the ACS Surgical Training Workgroup (2012–2018). Dr. Copeland was inducted into the ACS Academy of Master Surgeons Educators in 2018 as an Associate Member. At the local level, Dr. Copeland has been a member of the Metropolitan Washington, DC, Chapter since 2002.
Dr. Copeland has been a member of the AWS since 1988, and in that time has served in many leadership capacities, including as treasurer (2004–2006), vice-president (2006–2007), and president (2008–2009). She also served as an ACS Specialty Society Governor to the AWS (2012–2018).
Dr. Welsh, a general rural surgeon, works in private practice in Batesville, IN. He provides general and vascular surgery care at Margaret Mary Community Hospital, Batesville, and is in active practice at Decatur County Memorial Hospital, Greenville, IN; and Rush Memorial Hospital, Rushville, IN.
A Fellow of the College since 1992, Dr. Welsh has been an ACS Governor from Indiana since 2013 and has been active within the B/G in a number of leadership capacities. He has been Chair of the B/G Communication Pillar (2018–2019) and of the B/G Physician Competency and Health Workgroup (2015–2017), as well as Pillar Lead on the B/G Executive Committee (2017–2019), Newsletter Workgroup (2017–2019), and Survey Workgroup (2017–2019), of which he also was Vice-Chair (2014–2016). In addition, he served as Governor for the ACS Advisory Council for Rural Surgery (2015–2019).
At the local level, Dr. Welsh was a Council Member of the ACS Indiana Chapter (2010–2012) and Chair of the chapter’s Initiate Interview Committee (2019 –present). He has been an instructor for the Advanced Trauma Life Support® program since 2003.
Regents: Canada
Dr. Chagnon, an otolaryngologist, is associate professor, department of medicine, Université de Montréal, QC (2009–present) and associate professor, department of otolaryngology, McGill University, Montréal. She also serves as consultant otolaryngologist at a number of Montréal hospitals.
A Fellow of the College since 1995, Dr. Chagnon has served as a Specialty Society Governor to the College (2010–2016). As a Governor, she was a member of the B/G Communications Pillar and the Surgery Workgroup (both 2013–2016). She also served as part of the B/G Quebec Credentials Committee.
Outside of the ACS, Dr. Chagnon has been an active leader within the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Within that professional society, she has served as a member of the Executive Committee of Council (2013–2016) and as President/Chair of the Royal College (2017–2019). She also served on the Governance Committee, Health and Public Policy Committee, Nominating Committee, and others.
Dr. Grondin, a cardiothoracic surgeon, is professor of surgery and head of the department of surgery, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, AB. He also is Calgary Zone Clinical Department Head, Alberta Health Services.
A Fellow of the College since 2006, Dr. Grondin serves as a Specialty Society Governor to the College (2018–2020). A member of the Alberta Chapter since 2018, Dr. Grondin is a member of the B/G Member Services Pillar (2019–present) and the B/G Surgical Volunteerism and Humanitarian Awards Workg roup (2018 –present). He has been a member of the ACS Oncology Group since 1999. In 2019, Dr. Grondin was inducted into the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators as a Member.
Outside of the ACS, Dr. Grondin has been a leader in a number of Canadian and international professional societies, including serving as president of the Canadian Association of Thoracic Surgery, secretary of the Western Thoracic Surgical Association, director of the James IV Association of Surgeons, and first vice-president of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
In addition, the following individuals have been reelected to serve three-year terms on the B/R:
- Gary L. Timmerman, MD, FACS, attending surgeon, Sanford Surgical Associates; and professor and chair, department of surgery, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls—General surgery
- Douglas E. Wood, MD, FACS, FRCSEd, Henry N. Harkins Professor and chair, department of surgery, University of Washington, Seattle—Cardiothoracic surgery
B/G Executive Committee
The B/G elected the following Officers of the B/G Executive Committee:
- Chair (reappointed): Ronald J. Weigel, MD, PhD, FACS, professor and chair of surgery and associate vice-president for UI Health Alliance, and professor of surgery-surgical oncology and endocrine surgery, professor of biochemistry, professor of anatomy and cell biology, and professor of molecular physiology and biophysics, University of Iowa, Iowa City. He has served on the Executive Committee since 2018.
- Vice-Chair: Nancy Lynn Gantt, MD, FACS, professor of surgery, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH, and co-medical director, Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center, St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital Center, OH. Dr. Gantt is the outgoing Quality Pillar Lead.
- Secretary: Andre Campbell, MD, FACS, FACP, FCCM, has been reelected to the B/G Executive Committee. Dr. Campbell is professor of surgery, division of general surgery; director, surgery 110 clerkship; and director, surgical critical care fellowship, University of California San Francisco. Dr. Campbell is the outgoing Education Pillar Lead. He has served on the Executive Committee since 2019.
New members of the B/G Executive Committee elected to serve one-year terms include the following:
- Ross F. Goldberg, MD, FACS, is vice-chairman, department of surgery, and specialty ambulatory medical director, Valleywise Health, and associate professor of surgery at both the Creighton University School of Medicine and University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix. He is a member of the Legislative Committee and will now serve as Advocacy and Health Policy Pillar Lead.
- Bryan K. Richmond, MD, MBA, FACS, is professor of surgery and chair, department of surgery, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Charleston. He will now serve as Communications Pillar Lead.
- Anne G. Rizzo, MD, FACS, is a trauma and critical care surgeon, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA. She was Vice-Chair, B/G Patient Education Workgroup, and member, Health Policy and Advocacy Workgroup. She will now serve as Education Pillar Lead.
- Danielle Saunders Walsh, MD, FACS, FAAP, associate professor of surgery, division of pediatric surgery, East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine and Vidant Medical Center; and director of surgical quality, James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital, Greenville. She will now lead the Quality, Research, and Optimal Patient Care Pillar.
One member of the B/G Executive Committee was reappointed:
- Mark Alan Dobbertien, DO, FACS, is a minimally invasive surgeon in Jacksonville, FL. He is affiliated with Naval Hospital Jacksonville and Flagler Hospital, St. Augustine, FL. He is a member of the Health Policy and Advocacy Workgroup, Advocacy and Health Policy Pillar, and Co-Chair, Opioid Use/Abuse Subcommittee of the Workgroup. He is the Member Services Pillar Lead.
