Episode 23: Fireside Chat with Dr. Chris Ellison

This episode features a fireside chat with ACS President E. Christopher Ellison, MD, FACS, about his career and life lessons. Dr. Ellison is the Robert M. Zollinger Professor of Surgery Emeritus at The Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus. He previously served as chair of the Department of Surgery, interim dean at the OSU College of Medicine, and president and CEO of the OSU Physicians Practice Plan.

The program host is Mohsen Shabahang, MD, PhD, FACS, for the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators.

Talk about the podcast on social media using the hashtag #HouseofSurgery.

Episode 22: What's New with the Commission on Cancer

In this episode, Dr. Steven Wexner talks with Dr. Tim Mullett, Chair of the ACS Commission on Cancer (CoC), about recent activities and accomplishments of the CoC, how everyone can get involved in cancer prevention and cancer care initiatives, upcoming changes to the National Cancer Database, and cancer program content that will be presented at the upcoming ACS Clinical Congress in Boston this October.

Episode 21: Fireside Chat with Dr. Timothy Eberlein

This episode features a fireside chat with Dr. Timothy Eberlein about his career and life lessons. Dr. Eberlein is the director of the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Olin Distinguished Professor, and Senior Associate Dean of the Cancer Programs at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the University of Washington Medical Center in Saint Louis. He also is Chair of the ACS Board of Regents. The episode host is Dr. Mohsen Shabahang for the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators. 

Episode 20: 2022 ACS CoC Oncology Lecture

This episode features Dr. Edward Partridge, a professor emeritus from the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama Birmingham and Chief Medical Office of Guideway Care. Dr. Partridge delivered the ACS Commission on Cancer Oncology Lecture during Clinical Congress 2022, reflecting on the 100-year anniversary of the C-o-C and addressing ways to decrease healthcare disparities in cancer care.

Episode 19: 2022 ACS Inaugural Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Lecture

This episode features Dr. Bruce Schirmer, a bariatric surgeon from Charlottesville, Virginia, who delivered the inaugural Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Lecture during Clinical Congress 2022. In his talk, “Don’t Stop Now,” Dr. Schirmer discusses the progress of bariatric surgery over the past 40 years and encourages more work to understand the disease of obesity.

Episode 18: Cognitive Impairment Screening

This episode features a multidisciplinary panel of experts discussing the importance of preoperative detection of cognitive impairment and dementia in the geriatric population. The host is Dr. Xane Peters, from Loyola University Medical Center who’s a clinical scholar working with the ACS Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care. His guests are Dr. Julia Berian, an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Wisconsin in Madison; Dr. Kellie Flood, a professor in the Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care, as well as the associate chief quality officer for geriatrics and care transitions at the University of Alabama at Birmingham; and Dr. Elizabeth Whitlock, an assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesia & Perioperative Care at the University of California, San Francisco.

Episode 17: 2022 ACS Conley Ethics and Philosophy Lecture

This episode features Dr. Mary Brandt, a professor of pediatric surgery at Tulane University in New Orleans, who delivered the John J. Conley Ethics and Philosophy Lecture during Clinical Congress 2022. Dr. Brandt focused on “The Ethics of Belonging,” – what it means to belong, why belonging is professionally and ethically important, and how we can all become fierce guardians of belonging.

View the 2022 Clinical Congress Named Lecture videos on the ACS website.

Episode 16: Emergency GI Surgery Webinar

This episode is from a recent ACS webinar that offered information on the burden of emergency gastrointestinal surgery in resource-constrained settings, its effect on patient outcomes, and evidence-based solutions that surgeons can implement to improve surgical access and quality in similar settings.

Episode 15: 2023 ACS Cancer Conference Keynote

This episode features Dr. Arif Kamal, the chief patient officer at the American Cancer Society, who gave the keynote address at the recent ACS Cancer Programs Conference in Atlanta. Dr. Kamal reflects on how multiple disciplines can come together to care for patients across the continuum of care, from prevention through survivorship.

Episode 14: 2023 ACS Leadership & Advocacy Conference Wrap-Up

This episode takes a look at the recent ACS Leadership & Advocacy Summit, the leadership lessons learned, and advice for surgeons in all career stages who want to improve their leadership skills. Dr. Michael Sutherland, director of the ACS Division of Member Services, talks to two high-powered surgeon-leaders—Dr. Bob Higgins, a cardiothoracic surgeon who is president of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and executive vice president of Mass General Brigham in Boston and Dr. Max Langham, a pediatric surgeon who is a professor emeritus at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, a consulting surgeon at St. Jude’s Research Hospital, both in Memphis, and CEO of Tio Companies, which seeks to digitize reproductive toxicology.

Episode 13: 2022 ACS Scudder Oration on Trauma

This episode features acclaimed trauma surgeon Dr. Ronald Stewart, the Dr. Witten B. Russ Chair of Surgery at The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Dr. Stewart delivered the Scudder Oration on Trauma during Clinical Congress 2022, reflecting on the ACS Committee on Trauma’s Century of Commitment to Optimal Trauma Care—Lessons Learned and Opportunities for the Future.

Episode 12: Power of Quality

This episode features the audio from a press conference that the ACS held in Washington, DC, on April 14 to officially kick off the Power of Quality Campaign. Following opening remarks from ACS Executive Director and CEO Dr. Patricia Turner, panelists discuss the importance of quality care for all surgical patients and expanding the reach of ACS Quality Programs into more hospitals.

Episode 11: 2022 ACS Edward D. Churchill Lecture

This episode features Dr. David Feliciano, a leader in trauma and acute care surgery who currently is a clinical professor of surgery at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. Dr. Feliciano gave the Churchill Lecture during Clinical Congress 2022 on the “Extraordinary Evolution of Surgery for Abdominal Trauma.”

Episode 10: 2022 ACS Herand Abcarian Lecture

This episode features Dr. David Beck, a renowned colorectal surgeon and US Air Force veteran who currently is a professor of clinical surgery at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Beck delivered the Abcarian Lecture during Clinical Congress 2022 on the benefits of applying critical thinking toward each component of care to help advance workflow efficiencies and improve patient outcomes.

Episode 9: 2022 ACS International Society of Surgery Lecture

This episode features Dr. Eduardo Moreno Paquentin, founder and director of the Surgery Hub in Mexico City, who delivered the International Society of Surgery Lecture during Clinical Congress 2022. Dr. Paquentin describes his experience training surgical residents in Mexico on safe laparoscopic techniques and developing quality surgical training programs around the world.

Episode 8: 2023 ACS Cancer Conference Recap

In this episode, Dr. Steven Wexner talks with three key leaders from the ACS Cancer Programs, which held their first-ever joint conference in early March in Atlanta for members of the cancer care team. The leaders—Drs. Laurie Kirstein, Timothy Mullett, and Katharine Yao—provide insights and highlights from the conference, including the release of new Breast Center standards, exciting results of national quality improvement projects, and how to make good use of the National Cancer Database.

Episode 7: 2022 ACS Jonasson Lecture by Dr. Omaida Velazquez

This episode features Dr. Omaida Velazquez, a vascular surgeon at the University of Miami Health System. During Clinical Congress 2022, Dr. Velazquez delivered the Olga M. Jonasson Lecture, which honors Dr. Jonasson’s trailblazing leadership and significant contributions to surgical practice and surgery education. The lecture highlights Dr. Velazquez’s belief that academic surgery is entering a “second renaissance,” where enlightenment and progress on diversification will be exponential and lead to greatly improved patient care.

Episode 6: 2022 ACS Ravdin Lecture by Dr. Carla Pugh

This episode features Dr. Carla Pugh, vice chair of innovation in the department of surgery at Stanford University in California. Dr. Pugh delivered the I.S. Ravdin Lecture during Clinical Congress 2022 on wearable technology and artificial intelligence—how the medical field has just begun to scratch the surface of their potential and how they can be used to improve patient outcomes.

Episode 5: 2022 ACS Drake Lecture by Dr. James Drake

This episode features Dr. James Drake, a pediatric neurosurgeon from the University of Toronto in Canada, and son of Charles G. Drake for whom the Clinical Congress lecture was named. During the lecture this past October, Dr. James Drake provided a history of his father’s legacy as a pioneer in adult neurological surgery and world expert in vascular malformations of the brain … along the way discovering new things about his father’s career, relationships, and work philosophies.

Episode 4: 2022 ACS Gibbon Lecture by Dr. Gail Darling

This episode features Dr. Gail Darling from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, who delivered the Gibbon Lecture at Clinical Congress 2022. In her lecture, Dr. Darling offered her experiences with a new process for Morbidity and Mortality Conferences that provides a safe environment to discuss adverse events and focus on system issues rather than pointing fingers at individuals.

Episode 3: 2022 ACS Martin Memorial Lecture by Dr. David Hoyt

This episode features Dr. David Hoyt, who was Executive Director of the ACS for 12 years until his retirement at the end of 2021. Dr. Hoyt delivered the Martin Memorial Lecture at Clinical Congress 2022, providing an overview of the ACS’s historical commitment to patient care and quality, and describing how science and data are the foundation for how surgeons will treat patients going forward.

Episode 2: Fireside Chat with Dr. Patricia Turner

This episode features a Fireside Chat with ACS Executive Director and CEO Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS, a general surgeon with minimally invasive expertise. Dr. Turner shares career advice and explains how has navigated her roles as a surgeon, scientist, academician, and busy executive. She also answers questions from the audience who participated in the program in early November 2022.

Episode 1: Our Professional Journey: Surgeons United

This episode features Dr. Christopher Ellison, who was installed during Clinical Congress 2022 in San Diego as the American College of Surgeons 103rd President. Shortly afterward, he delivered his Presidential Address, Our Professional Journey: Surgeons United.