Basic and Translational Research
Mission
It shall be the duty of the Basic and Translational Research committee to address issues related to developing the basic and translational research components of the AAS including, but not limited to the annual meeting, educational courses, and awards.
Objectives:
- Develop programming for the Fundamentals of Surgical Research Course, in collaboration with the Clinical and Health Services Research Committee (alternating lead responsibility annually).
- Develop educational sessions for the annual Academic Surgical Congress meeting, in collaboration with the SUS Basic Science Committee (alternating lead responsibility annually).
- Develop educational resources for AAS members engaged in basic/translational research.
- Solicit, review and score applications for AAS Awards (AAS Research Fellowship, Student Research and Faculty Research Awards).
Clinical and Health Services Research
Mission
It shall be the duty of the Clinical and Health Services Research Committee to address issues related to developing the outcomes research components of the AAS including but not limited to the annual meeting, educational courses, and awards.
Objectives
- Research Course held during the AAS Fall Courses each October before the start of ACS.
- Develop related programming for ASC meeting
- Promote submission of high-quality abstracts to the ASC and review of abstracts.
Committee on Academic Advancement
Mission
The AAS strives to meet the needs of its members by providing opportunities that support young surgeons in establishing their careers in academic surgery. In order to meet this objective, the Committee on Academic Advancement will initiate and complete a project over the course a year that will serve to generate information for the membership that will broaden their understanding of issues that impact their practice and future career development.
Objectives
The main objective of the committee is to support career development of AAS members in early career stages. Through focused online content development and creative programmatic efforts in partnership with other AAS initiatives, the committee will strive to provide one-stop early career support in three domains as defined by the National Career Development Guidelines (NCDG) framework:
Personal and Social Development:
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- Foster self-assessment (e.g. individual development plan) through online toolkit
- Provide resources for inter-personal skill development including respect for diversity
- Provide resources to integrate growth and change into career development
- Facilitate balance in personal, leisure, community, learner, family, and work roles
Educational Achievement and Lifelong Learning:
- Showcase AAS career development initiatives that allow members to attain educational achievement and performance levels needed to reach their personal and career goals
- Help members participate in ongoing, lifelong learning experiences to enhance their ability to function effectively in a diverse and changing academic environment
Career Management:
- Foster and promote mentoring and networking efforts that allow members to develop a robust career plan.
- Provide accurate, current, and unbiased career information during career planning and management. e.g., create a document to guide involvement in surgical societies.
- Help members master academic skills in order to obtain, create, maintain, and/or advance their academic mission e.g., create assistant professor playbook.
- Integrate changing societal and academic trends into career guidance content.
Committee on Technology and Communications
Mission
It shall be the duty of the Committee on Technology and Communications to recommend and implement newer methods to optimize communication or dissemination of information within the organization. The committee’s mission shall be to bring advances in informatics to the benefit of the Association membership and to serve as liaison between the Association and industry in developing and showcasing new and emerging technologies as they apply to clinical care and research important to academic surgeons and surgical scientists.
Objectives
- Obtain input from all the committees and work with the AAS Webmaster to keep the website updated. Establish a timeline for updates (i.e., courses and awards timelines are pre-set, so should have dates that updated content is due).
- Advance the AAS’ use of social media. Develop a formal social media policy.
- Develop and promote novel strategies to enhance communication with our membership.
- Contribute on a recurring basis to the Academic Surgeon, the AAS blog.
- Determine how social media, IT, etc can further the missions of AAS.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
Mission
It shall be the duty of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee to review and address issues within the Association related to maintaining a membership, staff and board that is diverse, identifying a broad definition of diversity that includes race, ethnicity, nationality, immigration status, class, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, academic differentiation and institutional representation.
Objectives
- Review the AAS’s composition in terms of institutional representation, gender, race/ethnicity, years in practice, and other key factors to prepare an analysis and make specific recommendations.
- Engage with other organizations which are underrepresented and identify opportunities for collaboration.
- Identify new approaches to expand the diversity of the membership by specifically targeting underrepresented constituencies.
Education Committee
Mission
The mission of the AAS Education Committee is to further the education of medical students, residents, and faculty in the field of surgery. This shall be accomplished through coordinating speakers at the annual meeting, contributing to publications (in the society’s website, newsletter, and/or journal), and developing special programs (i.e. Fundamentals of Surgical Research Course). The committee members shall strive to bring education to the forefront of the society’s membership.
Objectives
- To promote the development of surgical educators, surgical education researchers, and mentors.
- To develop programming around issues relevant to surgical education, including the Education Plenary, Surgical Jeopardy and the Robotic Surgical Olympics at the Academic Surgical Congress.
- To develop programming to support surgical education researchers, including through promotion and review of Education Research Grants plus planning and moderating education research programming at the FSRC.
- To develop programming to enhance and allow the practice of mentorship skills, including at the Fall Courses through the ECDC Mentorship track and at the Academic Surgical Congress through the Mentor-Mentee Breakfast.
- To stimulate a culture supportive of surgical education, surgical education research, and mentorship within the academic surgical community.
Ethics
Mission
The Ethics Committee’s charge is to address issues related to academic ethics, including conflicts of interest, disclosure, and scientific professionalism. This may includes providing input during the development of sessions related to ethical issues into a possible Ethics Session during the Academic Surgical Congress in February.
Objectives
- Collect information regarding conflict of interest from the AAS leadership and publish it on our website so that there is transparency to our membership. Explore the next steps regarding whether any actions will be taken based on the COI information.
- Formalize the process by which the AAS and SUS evaluate and resolve any potential COI issues as related to the Academic Surgical Congress.
- Explore the adoption (with or without modifications) of the COI white paper to the AAS and the Academic Surgical Congress.
- Update the pertinent content on the AAS Website for the Ethics Committee.
Finance
Mission
It shall be the duty of the Finance Committee to assist the Treasurer in responsibly managing the finances of the AAS and to help develop opportunities to raise capital to support AAS activities.
Objectives
- Identify potential revenue-generating ideas for the Association beyond membership dues/sponsorships.
- Assist the Treasurer in responsibly managing the finances of the AAS.
- Help develop opportunities to raise capital to support AAS activities.
Global Affairs
Mission
The Global Affairs Committee’s charge is to recommend and implement programs that enhance the exchange of educational opportunities between the AAS and international surgical organizations. For example, the Global Affairs Committee members will also participate in the development of international courses, coordinate international exchange programs, reviewing the applications for the AAS Visiting Professorship Awards and for assisting in hosting the AAS’ international guests during the Academic Surgical Congress.
Objectives
- Perform a needs assessment of the AAS international members regarding how the AAS can best serve them.
- Investigate the feasibility and practicality of having AAS international chapters.
- Host the international visitors at the Academic Surgical Congress.
- Assist with the review of applications for the Global Surgery Award and interviews of finalists at the ASC.
- Update the pertinent content on the AAS Website for the Global Affairs Committee.
Leadership Committee
Mission
The Leadership Committee was established to maintain the society’s focus and commitment to leadership and faculty development. It is comprised of members who are elected to 2 year terms. The chair of the committee is appointed by the president. The committee’s chief responsibility is to coordinate the fall Career Development Course which immediately precedes the annual American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress. In doing so, the committee members develop the course curriculum, coordinate speakers for each topic, and serve as moderators for each of the sessions.
Objectives
- Plan and oversee the Career Development Course before the ACS Fall Congress Meeting.
- Develop a plan for creating enduring AAS materials (Power Point slide sets) for basic, recurring lectures given at the CDC
- Plan the AAS Meet the Leadership activity at the next Academic Surgical Congress
- Develop metrics for assessing the success of CDC attendees and the impact of the course on their academic careers
- Update the pertinent content on the AAS Website for the Leadership Committee.
Membership Committee
Mission
It shall be the duty of the Membership Committee to evaluate, establish eligibility, and accept all qualified applicants for active, senior or candidate membership and keep the secretary informed of newly accepted members. From this group, the committee shall nominate three new members to stand for election as the councilor representing their class of applicants. The committee shall further strive to develop and promote methods for recruitment of the best and brightest from throughout academic surgery to join active AAS membership. In addition, the committee shall continuously re-evaluate membership benefits and propose improvements in order to strive to maintain the highest standards for AAS members. Finally, the committee shall be responsible for maintaining accurate member records, promoting compliance with dues, and encouraging active participation from the membership.
Objectives
- Evaluate, establish eligibility, and accept all qualified applicants for active, senior or candidate membership.
- Nominate 3 candidates to stand for election as the Councilor representing the most recent class of applicants.
- Update the list of Institutional Representatives and reassess/redefine their roles.
- Develop recruitment strategies to increase membership among the high proportion of non-member attendees to the ASC (and to the fall and international courses).
- Develop a mechanism for keeping membership data current (i.e., when active members become senior, when members change institutions, etc).
- Update the pertinent content on the AAS Website for the Membership Committee.
- Develop a mechanism to collect data on research interests that can be used to link members with similar research interests.
Military Committee
Mission
It shall be the duty of the Military Committee to recommend and implement programs that enhance the exchange of research, mentorship, and career-development opportunities between the AAS and military surgeons. Membership to this committee will not be limited to currently serving military members, and may include candidates with prior military service, civilians with demonstrated interest or expertise in military surgery, members representing the Veterans Administration medical system, and non-U.S. military representatives.
Objectives
- Implement ideas to increase the military surgeon participation in the AAS and promote collaborative relationships between military members and their civilian counterparts.
- Recommend and implement programs that enhance the exchange of research, mentorship and career-development opportunities between the AAS and military surgeons.
Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee consists of the President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Recorder, and Councilors in the second year of their terms and three (3) members elected by the membership to serve a one-year term.
Objectives
- Evaluate, establish eligibility, and accept all qualified applicants for councilor and officer positions.
Program Committee
Mission
According to the AAS Constitution, the Program Committee shall be chaired by the Recorder and consist of at least 12 additional members who are appointed by the president to two-year terms. The committee should have an adequate number of representatives from each of the major subspecialties within academic surgery. The principal responsibility of Program Committee members is to review the abstracts submitted for presentation at the annual Academic Surgical Congress. Typically, this review process occurs over a 3 week period in August. During this time, reviewers will be asked to read and score between 100 and 150 abstracts. Committee members need to commit a significant amount of time during this 3 week period to accomplish their goal. The members are also required to attend the Program Committee meeting to formalize the program; this meeting typically occurs at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress in October. In addition to selecting abstracts for the meeting, the committee members will also be asked to review manuscripts associated with the meeting that are submitted for publication in the Journal of Surgical Research. The number of papers reviewed by each member ranges between 10 and 20 over a 1 year period. Members of the committee are usually asked to either formally discuss presented abstracts or moderate sessions at the annual Academic Surgical Congress. This is a very busy committee, so be prepared to work!
Objectives
- Review all submitted abstracts in a timely fashion and select those to be presented during the combined annual meeting.
- Attend the meeting of the Program Committee at the ACS Fall Meeting.
Publications Committee
Mission
Members of the Publications Committee review manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Surgical Research (JSR) in association with the AAS annual meeting. Members are expected to review assigned manuscripts in an expedited fashion, and are generally busiest completing reviews during the winter and spring. The manuscripts occasionally cover topics outside of a member’s area of specialty.
Members who excel in their committee role will be strong candidates for joining the Editorial Board of Journal of Surgical Research (JSR) after completing their term.
Objectives
- Review all submitted manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Surgical Research in association with the AAS for the annual meeting.
Sub Specialty Committee
Mission
It shall be the duty of the Sub-Specialty Committee to further engage sub-specialties within the AAS and to address issues related to sub specialties in various components of the AAS including, but not limited to, the annual meeting, educational courses, and awards.
Objectives
- Further engage sub specialties within the AAS and to address issues related to sub specialties in various components of the AAS including, but not limited to, the annual meeting, educational courses, and awards.
- Help facilitate and select the annual sub specialty awards