The seventh annual American College of Surgeons Leadership and Advocacy Summit will be held May 19-22 at the Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel.

The event will kick off with the Leadership portion on Saturday evening, May 19, with a Welcome Reception open to all registrants and continues with a full-day agenda on Sunday, May 20. The program on Sunday includes sessions addressing important topics such as mentoring for a career in surgical leadership, ethics in surgical leadership, leading in times of crisis, change management, managing complex teams, and more.

The Advocacy portion of the Summit begins on Sunday evening with a dinner which will feature a keynote address from a nationally recognized media personality. Monday’s program is packed with a series of sessions on informative and timely topics. Specifically, the panels scheduled for the Advocacy Summit will include:

1) “Understanding Strategic Advocacy” presented by staff of the Washington office

2) “Regulatory Reform: Past, Present, and Patient-Focused” featuring staff from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

3) A historical perspective on health care reform entitled, “Health Care Reform, Then and Now,” presented by long-time Health Affairs columnist, Professor Timothy S. Jost.

4) “The Opioid Epidemic: Long-term Solutions for Sustained Success” featuring staff from the Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

5) A luncheon, sponsored by the ACSPA-SurgeonsPAC, where attendees will hear remarks on the upcoming mid-term elections from the Executive Directors of both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).

The day will also include issue briefings and specific “asks” on topics in preparation for Hill visits. Specifically, attendees will be briefed on the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA), the Standardizing Electronic Prior Authorization for Safe Prescribing Act, the Ensuring Access to General Surgery Act, the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Screening Act, the Childhood Cancer STAR Act, and funding for the CDC to conduct research on firearm injury prevention. Following this training, Fellows will be very well prepared to discuss the issues the following day on Capitol Hill.

Pending last minute conflicts, several Members of Congress are also scheduled to address the group, including a member of leadership from the House of Representatives. Monday’s activities will conclude with an evening reception for 2018 SurgeonsPAC members at the historic Willard InterContinental Hotel. On Tuesday, May 22, attendees will then apply the knowledge and skill gained from Monday’s sessions during meetings with their individual Members of Congress and their staff on Capitol Hill.

As I write, nearly three weeks prior to the event, attendance is already projected to be at record levels. We look forward to welcoming all those already registered to DC for this exciting, informative and important event. Though by press time pre-registration will have closed, on-site registration will be available if you would be able to join us.

For questions regarding the Leadership Summit please contact Brian Frankel at bfrankfel@facs.org, or 312-202-5361. For questions regarding the Advocacy Summit please contact Michael Carmody at mcarmody@facs.org, or 202-672-1511.

Until next month ….

From the Washington Office: Upcoming Leadership and Advocacy Summit