American College of Surgeons 2013 Annual Clinical Congress

Dear Colleagues,

I invite you to attend the American College of Surgeons 2013 Annual Clinical Congress, scheduled for October 6–10, 2013 in Washington, DC. This year’s Clinical Congress will continue our celebration of the 100 year anniversary of the founding of the American College of Surgeons. In 2013 as at the time of our founding, the Congress will offer high-quality educational programs designed to educate and train surgeons and improve the health and safety of surgical patients.

The Program Committee chaired by Valerie W. Rusch, MD, FACS, and the Division of Education, under the leadership of Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, have put together an outstanding Scientific Program. Our President, A. Brent Eastman, MD, FACS, has chosen the President’s theme as “The Next 100 Years.”

The educational program includes a wide array of timely and important topics that are essential to delivery of surgical care of the highest quality. Among those are diverse Panel Sessions presented by experts from across the surgical specialties and nonsurgical disciplines, and Named Lectures delivered by top leaders in their fields. The Didactic and Skills-Oriented Postgraduate Courses will focus on important domains and will help attendees advance their knowledge and acquire new skills. Experiential, hands-on learning will be used to achieve the objectives of these courses.

The Scientific Program for the Clinical Congress will also include presentations on innovative research and surgical practices presented in the Scientific Paper and Surgical Forum Sessions, as well as the Scientific Poster Presentations. The Video-Based Education Presentations will highlight interesting surgical procedures from across the world. These sessions will be complemented by intimate, topic-specific Meet-the-Expert Luncheons and interactive Town Hall Meetings. In addition to the valuable educational sessions, activities focusing on our profession will be highlighted.

Attendees will be able to obtain certificates of verification following their participation in Postgraduate Courses and additional certificates will be provided for participation in specific sessions to help meet various regulatory mandates. Many of our courses will have self-assessment CME credits this year, which are vital in the Maintenance of Certification process.

The Clinical Congress Program has been arranged in thematic tracks that address content of interest to all surgical specialties, as well as specialty-based tracks that address the learning needs of various specialty groups. The stimulating educational content, which includes special opportunities to address regulatory requirements and interact with experts, and the ability to reconnect with professional colleagues make the 2013 Clinical Congress an essential meeting for all practicing surgeons, surgery residents, and members of surgical teams. On behalf of the American College of Surgeons, I look forward to welcoming you to Washington, DC for the 2013 Annual Clinical Congress.

With best regards,
Julie A. Freischlag, MD, FACS
Chair, Board of Regents