Lynn Randolph Buckner, MD Alabama ACS Governor

American Collegeof Surgeons Professional Association (ACSPA)
 
As of May 19, 2011 the ACSPA-SurgeonsPAC (http://www.facs.org/acspa/index.html) raised $260,619.  Twenty-three percent of the U.S. Governors had contributed, as did 59 percent of the U.S. Officers and Regents.  Also, the PAC contributed to 42 candidates, leadership PACs, and party committees.  In addition, the PAC Board approved a new strategic plan for the 2011-2012 election cycle.
 
American College of Surgeons (ACS)
 
Board of Governors (B/G)
The Executive Committee of the Board of Governors (http://www.facs.org/about/governors/boardgv.html) held telephone conference calls.  The B/G committee chairs participated on the calls.  An overview of the committees’ activities as well as suggestions to reorganize the committees, were discussed.
 
Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS)
The Board of Regents http://www.facs.org/about/regents/regents.htmlapproved a document entitled “Code for Interactions with Companies” developed by the CMSS.  The CMSS is a non-profit organization committed to education, professionalism, and quality of care.  The CMSS Board of Directors charged a CMSS task force with developing and recommending a voluntary code of conduct for medical specialty societies to enhance professionalism and to disclose, manage, and resolve relationships with industry.  The purpose of the code is to guide societies in the development of policies and procedures that safeguard the independence of their programs, policies, and advocacy positions.
 
Scope of Practice Partnership (SoPP)
The Regents approved renewal of ACS membership in the American Medical Association (AMA) SoPP.  The SoPP was formed to focus the resources of organized medicine to oppose inappropriate legislative or regulatory expansion of scope of practice by non-physician health care professionals that may threaten the health and safety of patients.
 
Stop Medical Taxes Coalition (SMTC)
The Regents approved renewal of ACS membership in the SMTC.  The SMTC is an advocacy group managed by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) to address primarily state-level efforts to impose cosmetic and other physician taxes.  With state budgets being a critical issue for most state legislatures in 2011, a cosmetic tax has been viewed as a potential revenue stream by a number of states.  In light of current state legislative battles over imposition of cosmetic surgery taxes, the SMTC has ramped up its activity.  The ASPS provides considerable staff time and internal support for the SMTC.
 
Public Profile
Planning is ongoing for the stops on the Inspiring Quality “tour.”  All activities and materials developed for this program are branded with the College’s name and seal, and carry the slogan and tagline:  Inspiring Quality: Highest Standards, Better Outcomes.  In addition to highlighting the College’s long tradition of developing and implementing programs focused on improving and safeguarding the quality of care provided to surgical patients, this effort is also intended to engage leading health care stakeholders in dialogue about clear, workable solutions to the challenge of improving patient outcomes while cutting the cost of care. The initiative is intended to demonstrate the relevance of the College’s quality programs to real outcomes improvement at a time when hospitals, health plans, policymakers and other health care leaders are all searching for ways to implement the Affordable Care Act. Through events, the campaign is not only to inform but to deliver a call to action opening the door for future partnerships in the public and private sectors.  http://www.facs.org/quality/index.html
 
Strategic Planning – Advisory Council for General Surgery
The Regents approved a proposal for a 1½ - 2-day strategic planning session to discuss how the ACS can best serve its general surgery community, increase membership with board-certified general surgeons, and work with general surgery-associated organizations to address issues facing the general surgery community.  The top three issues are:
 

1. How can the ACS best serve its general surgery membership?
2. How can the ACS attract all Board-certified general surgeons in the U.S. to be members?
3. Should the ACS work with and attempt to influence the American Board of Surgery, Residency Review Committee for Surgery, American Surgical Association, Association of Program Directors in Surgery and others in developing solutions to the main problems facing the general surgery community in the U.S?

 
Advocacy
The Board of Regents approved recommendations that the ACS not participate in the Joint Surgical Advocacy Conference (JSAC) beginning in 2012 and that the ACS have its own Advocacy/ Legislative Conference in 2012.  In 2008, the ACS helped develop the JSAC.  The intention was to merge all of the advocacy/legislative conferences that the surgical groups were hosting in Washington each year. The hope was to reduce costs and increase surgical strength on Capitol Hill.  While many of the surgical groups chose to participate in this conference, several of the larger surgical groups continued to have their own conference while sending a very small number of representatives to the JSAC.  The number of attendees began to drop in 2010. 
 
ACS Health Policy Research Institute (ACS HPRI)
The ACS HPRI has developed a longitudinal database that provides surgical specialist workforce  trends, demographic characteristics, geographic distribution, and training background. These data can and have been used to develop a forecasting model that compares the effects of potential policy scenarios. With this information, the ACS HPRI has provided a series of documents for distribution among members of Congress, the White House, the ACS and other relevant stakeholders. Among these documents are seven fact sheets available in print and on the ACS HPRI portal page at:  http://efacs.org/portal/page/portal/ACS_Content.  Twelve new fact sheets describing the surgical subspecialties are currently under development and should be completed by mid-summer.
 
Innovative Models of Surgical Staffing:  Rural communities across the U.S. have long struggled to maintain surgical services in local hospitals, and recent data show further contraction of the rural surgical workforce.  Efforts to provide access to surgeons have frequently involved nontraditional staffing arrangements for surgeon payment, staffing, and contractual employment
obligations.  One of these models involves the use of surgical hospitalists, who often provide E.D. call coverage to hospitals.  Anecdotal evidence suggests that this model of employment is becoming more common as a strategy to recruit surgeons and maintain essential surgery call coverage.  However, there is wide variation in the details of these arrangements and very little information regarding the impact of this surgical hospitalist model on the delivery and organization of surgical care in a hospital or community or how such staffing models might succeed or fail in rural health care environments.  Using a semi-structured case study approach, the ACS HPRI is examining this surgical hospitalist staffing model in hospitals.  The goal is to produce information that is useful to communities, especially rural ones, in addressing current or anticipated shortages in the surgical workforce.  This study will be completed in the summer of 2011.
 
Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and Regionalization:  In March 2011, CMS proposed rules for the implementation of a Shared Savings Program, and offered guidance on the design and operationalization of ACOs.  The organization of trauma care in the U.S. has emerged as a result of strong surgical leadership, recognition of the importance of providing a continuum of care, and an emphasis on interprofessional collaboration.  In May 2011, the ACS HPRI completed a white paper, “Trauma Systems: A Model for Accountable Care Organizations.”
 
Educational Program Model for Surgeon Re-entry into the Workforce:  It is becoming increasingly common for surgeons to leave clinical practice for some period during their career and then seek re-entry into the workforce. Currently, there is no standardized/ certified program that ensures that surgeons who are attempting to re-enter practice can demonstrate surgical competence.  There is also little structure provided to surgeons to help them overcome the barriers that make it difficult for them to attain needed competencies. In addition to developing a model program that could be adopted by state medical boards, the ACS HPRI will draw on the unique data housed at the North Carolina Health Professions Data System to describe the demographic and practice characteristics of surgeons who leave and re-enter practice. These data will identify the age and points in the career trajectory that surgeons are most likely to leave or re-enter practice and will provide much needed information about the length of these absences. This project is timely as the AMA and multiple state medical boards are currently developing recommendations regarding physician re-entry to the workforce.
 
National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP)
Pilot Programs:  A number of important additions and advances are currently being developed for ACS NSQIP.  As these items are being developed, pilot studies are instituted to work out issues related to developing a new item.  Three pilots that are currently ongoing include the pediatric pilot, the Florida Surgical Care Initiative pilot, and the rural hospital pilot.
 
Global Surgical Quality Initiative Pilot:  Several international sites have expressed an interest in joining ACS NSQIP.  Because of the administrative challenges many of these sites bring, international sites were previously not allowed to participate in the program unless they had English records, English-speaking staff, and the backing of a U.S. based hospital.  The ACS NSQIP is now in the process of developing a pilot program to see if the ACS NSQIP data can be correctly gathered and utilized successfully within interested international sites.  The ACS NSQIP is currently in the process of gathering information from international sites interested in joining the Global Surgical Quality Initiative pilot, and hopes to launch the initiative later this year.
 
Collaboratives:  Collaboratives allow participating sites to compare outcomes and share best practices in a cooperative, noncompetitive environment, and provide for data sharing opportunities beyond the scope of the standard ACS NSQIP participation.  The British Columbia NSQIP (BC NSQIP ) Collaborative is the first large international collaborative and is made up of hospitals belonging to Health Shared Services British Columbia.  The BC NSQIP is funded by the British Columbia Patient Safety & Quality Council and could serve as a model for other Canadian and international groups.
 
As ACS NSQIP becomes increasing multispecialty, ACS continues to collaborate with specialty experts from a number of different specialties and surgical societies.  The addition of specialty specific data variables and modules will continue to enhance the ACS NSQIP targeted procedure dataset and the overall program.
 
ACS Bariatric Surgery Centers Network (BSCN):  ACS leadership, on behalf of the ACS BSCN, submitted a proposal to the FDA for a contract for services to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) and gastric bypass surgery.  After review of the ACS plan and subsequent conversations, the FDA selected the ACS proposal for funding.  The ACS provided the FDA with the study protocol for each analysis in the proposal.  Final analysis of the data has since been completed and compiled into a final report.  In summary, the findings concluded that at a minimum, all bariatric surgical procedures included in the study have relatively low rates of serious adverse outcomes.  Both before and after risk adjustment, LAGB procedures have a rate of adverse events significantly below other procedures.  The final report was delivered to the FDA.  The FDA responded that it would like to pursue additional analyses beyond the scope of the initial contract.
 
The 2011 ACS NSQIP National Conference took place at the Westin Copley Place in Boston, Massachusetts from July 24-26, 2011.  For the first time this year, the conference highlighted a bariatric track for ACS BSCN participants in attendance, as well as NSQIP participants that were considering future accreditation through the BSCN.
 
Trauma
The Committee on Trauma (COT) and all of its subcommittees met during the COT annual meeting in March.  An Advocacy Day was organized by the Washington Office as well.  Ongoing COT activities include:
 

• Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) Course
• Rural Trauma Team Development Course (RTTDC)
• Disaster Management and Emergency Preparedness (DMEP) Course
• Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma (ASSET) Course
• Advanced Trauma Operative Management (ATOM) Course
• Optimal Trauma Center Organization and Management Course
• (Optimal)
• Trauma Outcomes and Performance Improvement Course (TOPIC)

 
Other initiatives include:
          - Consultation/Verification Program for Hospitals

           - National Trauma Data Bank® (NTDB)

• Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP)

 
Education
Special Committee to Support Peak Performance in Surgery through Strategies Aimed at Recognizing and Mitigating the Impact of Fatigue:  Over the past several years, national concern about negative consequences of sleep deprivation has resulted in new regulations and more stringent oversight.  The new regulations for accreditation of residency programs include greater
restrictions on resident duty hours, most notably in the first year of training.  Concerns about the short- and long-term negative consequences of these restrictions on patient care and on the education and training of surgery residents are widespread.  These have brought to light the need to comprehensively study this important issue as it relates to surgery, and to develop appropriate strategies to recognize and mitigate the impact of fatigue.  The solutions will require thorough analyses of various factors as they relate to surgery and will need to be based on principles of self-regulation and exemplary professionalism.  During the last meeting of the Board of Regents, Dr. Pellegrini presented the concept of appointing a special committee of experts that would be charged to address this complex issue and propose concrete recommendations.  During the next fiscal year, leadership will work very closely with Dr. Pellegrini to support this important endeavor, which should be of great interest to the entire House of Surgery.
 
Disclosure of Errors:  The Greenwall Foundation recently supported a National Consensus Conference of experts from the U.S. and Canada to discuss pertinent issues relating to disclosure of errors of other team members, and to design educational interventions to address the needs identified.  This complex topic is an extension of the previous national efforts that have focused on disclosure of one’s errors within the context of promoting patient safety.  The College has previously contributed to this important field.  A DVD on Disclosing Surgical Errors: Vignettes for Discussion was launched in 2005, and another DVD on Communicating with Patients about Surgical Errors and Adverse Outcomes was launched in 2007.  The latter program includes simulated scenarios, didactic content, and other resources, and offers the opportunity to earn 2.5 Category 1 CME credits.  The involvement of the College in the Greenwall Foundation project is an extension of these efforts.
 
Clinical Congress:  The 2011 Clinical Congress Program is broad in scope and encompasses a wide range of important clinical and nonclinical topics in surgery and the related fields.  These topics address new directions and advances in surgery and also focus on national imperatives that continue to impact surgical practice.  The Program is composed of 21 tracks that include 11 named lectures, 105 panel presentations, 27 postgraduate didactic and skills-oriented courses, 109 scientific papers, 339 poster presentations, 377 presentations in the Owen H. Wangensteen Surgical Forum sessions, 23 video-based education sessions, and 48 Meet-the-Expert luncheons.  In addition, 13 town hall meetings will be convened.  A total of  approximately 1,500 speakers and faculty will participate in the 2011 Clinical Congress Program.
 
Surgical Education and Self-Assessment Program (SESAP):  The new CME model for SESAP 14 has been well received.  The Authoring Committees for SESAP 15 have commenced their work.
 
ACS Comprehensive General Surgery Review Course:  The course, launched in 2010, was very well received.  It includes a robust self-assessment model, with pre- and post-tests that participants are required to complete.  The course offers the opportunity to earn 29 Category 1 CME credits, and an additional 4 credits are available for completing the optional on-line modules that are sent to participants following the course.
 
ACS Fundamentals of Surgery Curriculum (ACS FSC):  The course is a simulation-based interactive on-line program that focuses on cognitive skills and is primarily directed at addressing the educational needs of surgery residents in the early years of training.  Plans are also underway to offer selected ACS FSC scenarios to practicing surgeons.
 
As previously reported, individuals renewing their College membership in 2011 were offered the opportunity to purchase five Webcasts, at a discounted rate, from the Webcast Library of 45 sessions from previous Clinical Congresses.  A total of 295 members took advantage of the offer.
 
Preventing Errors and Near Misses in Surgery: Strategies for Individuals and Teams is a newly
released educational program on DVD that focuses on the most common types of human-factor errors made by individuals and teams.  These include errors resulting from judgment, from inattention to detail, and from failure to understand the problem.  This program is designed to facilitate better comprehension of the most common types of human-factor errors, why they happen, and the contexts in which they occur.  Realistic patient scenarios are used to depict situations that are experienced frequently in everyday surgical practice.  This program offers the opportunity to earn 3 Category 1 CME credits.
 
A newly released CD-ROM entitled Case Studies in Ethics highlights a number of complex ethical dilemmas in clinical surgery.  The program focuses on difficult choices and responsibilities in surgery relative to fatigue, age, anger, and disclosure.  Each case is debated by two surgeons who take opposing views, along with a panel of experts who discuss additional ethical, legal, and other considerations.  Interactive questions are dispersed throughout the program to help provoke analytical thinking and critical decision making.  The program offers the opportunity to earn 4 Category 1 CME credits.
 
Educational programs on practice management and financial management for residents and young surgeons have been developed to meet the needs of these groups.  The programs cover key topics and are designed to support practice-related activities.  They provide practical information and have been well received.  These programs are currently available on CD-ROM and efforts are underway to convert the new editions of the programs to an on-line format.  The revised Personal Finance CD-ROM is scheduled to be released in Summer 2011.
 
The Annual Rural Surgery Symposium was coupled with a new Skills Course, Patient Safety and Quality in Rural Surgery: Advanced Skills Training for the Rural Surgeon, and offered for the  first time in May 2011.  Both the symposium and the workshop appeared to be well received.  The final evaluations are not yet available, but the verbal feedback was very positive.
 
The College provides Category 1 CME credits for educational programs.  The rigorous and evolving standards of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education must be met for continuing accreditation of the College as a provider of CME credits.  In calendar year 2010, the College directly provided over 34,000 hours of instruction for over 68,000 physicians.  The CME Accreditation Program also offers other surgical organizations the opportunity to provide Category 1 CME credits in collaboration with the College through the CME Joint Sponsorship program.  This program has shown substantial growth during the past years and includes many prestigious surgical organizations.
 
Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS)
From January 1 to April 30, 2011, 27,999 JACS CME credits were earned by 1,764 subscribers, averaging almost 16 credits per person (15.87).  The Southern Surgical Association papers were published in the April issue of JACS.  Selected papers from the Western Surgical Association were published in the July Journal.  JACS will publish 22 papers from the Western Surgical Association meeting.
 
 
Operation Giving Back (OGB)
Disaster Response – Multi-Specialty Expansion Teams:  In June 2011, in conjunction with the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response (ASPR) in the Office of Preparedness and Emergency Operations (OPEO) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the ACS co-sponsored a meeting of medical specialty societies involved in traumatic disaster response.  OGB worked closely with Bruce Browner, MD, MS, FACS in the planning of this event.
 
Recent national and international events such as Hurricane Katrina, the 2010 Haitian earthquake and the 2011 Japanese earthquake/tsunami/radiation crisis bring stark attention to the need for a formalized mechanism to augment existing response teams in a timely and systematic fashion.  Effective preparedness includes the ability to identify proper specialists and provide a safe environment for both patients and responders.
 
For several years, the ACS has worked HHS/ASPR/OPEO to increase the engagement of trauma related professional associations in enhancing medical disaster response to major natural, man-made, and terrorist events that result in massive trauma. Government and professional association participants comprised each of the teams that worked together on these critical issues and the important work done during this effort has continued to inform ongoing collaboration.
 
Disaster Response – Japanese Tsunami:  Beginning on Friday, March 11, 2011, the day of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and subsequent devastating 50 foot tsunami that struck the northeastern coastal region of the Japanese island of Honshu, standard situational assessments, networking procedures and preparedness efforts were undertaken by OGB and continued for several weeks.  Frequent updates on the evolving situation and the potential for volunteer disaster responders were communicated via dedicated Web pages linked to the OGB homepage. Due to the nature of the disaster, the internal resources, and level of preparedness of the Japanese government, ultimately no international surgical support was requested by the Japanese government.
 
Medical Student and Resident Issues:  OGB continues to receive multiple requests each month for support and guidance from medical students and surgical residents interested in surgery and global health, issues of health equity and surgery in the U.S., and research related to both.  Three research projects and related publications are currently underway.
 
OGB website operations:  Since the last report, 13,000 unique visitors conducted approximately 38,000 page views of the Operation Giving Back website.  The number of surgeons who have completed profiles in “My Giving Back” has increased to more than 1,700.
 
American College of Surgeons Foundation
The Foundation’s cumulative records show that over 11,000 Fellows made at least one gift to the College, and that:
 

• 95 percent of the Foundation Board members are Fellows Leadership Society (FLS) members
• 71 percent of the ACS Officers and Regents are FLS members
• 7 percent of the Board of Governors are FLS members

 
HealtheCareers (a.k.a. Job Bank)
As of May 11, there were 480 active jobs listed on the site with 330 posted résumés.  This is a valuable service for all members of the College, and is free for Resident members.
 
Resident-Associate Society (RAS)
The RAS (http://www.facs.org/ras-acs/index.html) continues to execute new and innovative ideas. Some are:
 

• Completed the first exchange program with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
• Distributed written responsibilities for program liaisons
• Established new system of recruiting program liaisons to include one senior and one junior representative
• A resident needs assessment has been formulated for distribution
• Sending a program director survey to improve recruitment
• Creating a reward program for highest membership percentages at individual programs
• Received sixteen essays for the ‘Caring for the Dying Patient’ competition sponsored by the Communications Subcommittee; ten to be published in the Bulletin
• The Issues Subcommittee received 8 essays for their debate topic: “What is the future of surgery – autonomous professionals or stuck as employees?”

 
Young Fellows Association (YFA)
The YFA (http://www.facs.org/memberservices/yfa/) continues to meet regularly via conference calls.  In addition, the YFA Governing Council held its Annual Meeting in March in conjunction with the 2011 Leadership Conference for Chapter Leaders and Young Fellows.  Based on the participants’ evaluations, the 2011 Leadership Conference for Chapter Leaders and Young Fellows was successful this year.  This was the third year that the Leadership Conference preceded the Joint Surgery Advocacy Conference (JSAC).
 
Under the guidance of Jennifer Rosen, MD, FACS, a mentoring demonstration project is being pursued.  Dr. Rosen also intends to conduct the initial, face-to-face introductions during this year’s Clinical Congress in San Francisco.
 
Two YFA members are evaluating opportunities for engaging young, international Fellows.  Quyen Chu, MD, FACS, and S. Rob Todd, MD, FACS, will conduct a questionnaire via Survey Monkey to ascertain these members’ interests and needs.  The results of the survey will also be shared with the Chapter Activities Committee.
 
The YFA Governing Council is evaluating a strategic planning session that would be conducted during the Clinical Congress.  The Governing Council members strongly support the goal that was set three years ago to create and provide an inclusive organization for all the College’s Young Fellows—both domestic and international.
 
Advisory Councils for the Surgical Specialties
The Chairs elected Thomas Tracy, Providence, RI (Pediatric Surgery) as the new Chair of the Chairs.  Dr. Tracy’s term will begin at the conclusion of the 2011 Clinical Congress.
All of the Advisory Councils continue to discuss the Jacobson Innovation Award, Sheen Award and Honorary Fellowship, and nominations will be forwarded to the Honors Committee for its consideration.
 
All of the Advisory Councils continue to propose educational programming for the Clinical Congress, and formulate programming which would benefit the varied surgical attendance at the Clinical Congress.  In addition to panel discussions and courses, several Advisory Councils have submitted recommendations for Town Hall Meetings and Meet-the-Expert luncheons.  Many
Advisory Councils develop their specialty-specific plenary sessions with a multispecialty focus, incorporating other surgical specialties.  In addition, some Advisory Councils are making recommendations for ACS representatives to Residency Review Committees, surgical boards, and other surgical committees.
 
International Relations
The Executive Committee of the International Relations Committee has been devoting itself to fundraising towards the Murray F. Brennan International Scholarship, and to improving the online application form for the International Guest Scholarships.  The Scholar Selection Subcommittee has worked to thoroughly revise and upgrade the online application form for the International Guest Scholarships.
 
The Executive Committee was encouraged by expressions of support for plans to enhance international outreach through proposed expansion of the program of International Guest Scholarships/Travel Awards.  The Awards are for academic and community surgeons and residents, with particular emphases on new technology, surgical education, and safety and quality.
 
Communications Update
The College worked in conjunction with Weber Shandwick staff to launch the Inspiring Quality campaign on the ACS website in mid-April.  Key promotional space is devoted to the campaign near the top of the homepage, and a fully dedicated “issues” page is located at:  http://www.facs.org/quality/index.html.  The page and materials are updated on a continual basis to inform ACS members about the active and evolving role the College plays in focusing its activities on the quality of care provided to surgical patients.
 
In April, a Web presence was developed and placed online for the Society of Surgical Chairs, an international organization comprising chairs of departments of surgery and surgical specialty departments of medical schools, academic medical centers, and teaching hospitals in the U.S. and Canada.
 
The members-only Web portal e-FACS.org received nearly 200,000 page views during the first quarter of 2011.  In addition, the portal had nearly 9,000 unique visitors.
 
Among the most frequently visited pages on the ACS Web portal during the first quarter of 2011
were the home page, "My Page," "My Cases," "My Profile," and "My CME."  Some of the most popular communities included rural surgeons, general surgery, ethical issues in surgery, and Residents & Associate Fellows.
 
The "Communities & Specialties" area of the portal continues to provide quality content targeted
to the main interests of members of the College.  Highlights include:
 

• Ethical challenge: "Should surgeons disclose lack of sleep?"
• Surgery News notes
• Ability to score topics added to discussion forums
• Discussion forum added to Surgical Patient Safety community
• "Of puppies and dinosaurs: Why the 80-hour work week is the best thing that ever happened in American surgery"

 
As of mid-May, the College was working on a new pilot community for rural surgeons.  The pilot will be launched sometime this summer.
 
Surgery News continues to hold the number 2 position in overall readership and ad exposures.  The standard 24-page issue size increased to 32 pages in April and again in May.
 
Report from the Archives
Exhibit and reception:  The College hosted a traveling exhibit from the National Library of Medicine History of Medicine Division from June 13 - July 27, 2011.  Entitled “Opening Doors: Contemporary African American Academic Surgeons,” the exhibit prominently featured two of the College’s former presidents: LaSalle D. Leffall Jr., MD, FACS; and Claude H. Organ Jr. MD, FACS; as well as Alexa I. Canady, MD, FACS.  About a dozen other Fellows are featured throughout the exhibit.  On Monday, July 18, 2011, an informal reception for the honorees, other invited guests, and the ACS staff took place in the lobby of the College headquarters building, at which ACS President L.D. Britt, MD, FACS was present.
 
Digitization of Eleanor Grimm retirement scrapbooks:  The three retirement scrapbooks of Eleanor Grimm, which were donated by her family members in December 2008, have now been scanned and digitized and the original artifacts de-acidified.  As close personal assistant to ACS founder Franklin H. Martin, MD, FACS from 1913 until his death in 1935, her responsibilities continually increased.  As secretary to the Board of Regents, editor of all College publications, international members’ liaison, manager of the medical motion pictures program and much more until her retirement in 1951, her scrapbooks are full of correspondence with all of the founders of the College and College leaders throughout the years.  It is a wealth of untapped material on the early history of the College, about the individual surgeons including Dr. Martin, Ms. Grimm herself, and others.  After she retired, the Board of Regents asked her to record her recollections of the history of the College, and her 26 volume recorded and typescript known as the Grimm History Notebooks is the result.  The retirement scrapbooks were prepared in the same inimitable style, so the originals have been preserved for their artifact value, but the material in them is now easily accessible by researchers without damaging the originals.