Association for Academic Surgery (AAS)

Committee & Position Objectives

Basic and Translational Science Committee

  1. Develop programming for the Fundamentals of Surgical Research Course, in collaboration with the Clinical and Health Services Research Committee (alternating lead responsibility annually).
  2. Develop educational sessions for the annual Academic Surgical Congress meeting, in collaboration with the SUS Basic Science Committee (alternating lead responsibility annually).
  3. Develop educational resources for AAS members engaged in basic/translational research.
  4. Solicit, review and score applications for AAS Awards (AAS Research Fellowship, Student Research and Faculty Research Awards).

Clinical and Health Services Research Committee

  1. Research Course held during the AAS Fall Courses each October before the start of ACS.
  2. Develop related programming for ASC meeting
  3. Promote submission of high quality abstracts to the ASC and review of abstracts.
  4. Recruit, involve, and develop future HSR leaders in surgery. (Consider mentorship program.)
  5. Review clinical and HSR grant applications. (Consider program for reviewing career development grants informally.)

Committee on Academic Advancement

  1. Committee members work in conjunction with the Society of University Surgeons’ Committee on Social and Legislative Issues to design a session for the Academic Surgical Congress.
  2. Provide opportunities that support young surgeons in establishing their careers in academic surgery.
  3. Transition role from planning a session at the annual Academic Surgical Congress to a more consistent, ongoing role in highlighting issues throughout the year.
  4. Create an organizational structure and environment to foster/promote surgeon mentoring, by establishing a comprehensive, innovative mentoring program based on best practices that fosters and advances personal, professional, and organizational growth
  5. Continually monitor for noteworthy and policy-related issues that affect young academic surgeons.
  6. Develop and implement a reward and recognition system that acknowledges and clarifies expectations for mentoring service and superior mentoring
  7. Continually contribute to an ongoing, active AAS blog to highlight and illuminate contemporary issues that affect young surgeons

Committee on Technology and Communications

  1. Obtain input from all of 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).
  2. Advance the AAS’ use of social media. Develop a formal social media policy.
  3. Develop and promote novel strategies to enhance communication with our membership.
  4. Contribute on a recurring basis to the Academic Surgeon, the AAS blog.
  5. Determine how social media, IT, etc can further the missions of AAS.

Education Committee

  1. To plan and moderate the education research programming at the Fundamentals of Surgical Research Course.
  2. To develop programming to promote issues relevant to surgical education and surgical education research at the Academic Surgical Congress.
  3. To promote the development of surgical educators.
  4. To moderate the Education Plenary Session at the Academic Surgical Congress.
  5. To coordinate and match faculty mentors with resident and student mentees at the Mentorship.

Ethics Committee

  1. 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.
  2. Formalize the process by which the AAS and SUS evaluate and resolve any potential COI issues as related to the Academic Surgical Congress.
  3. Explore the adoption (with or without modifications) of the COI white paper to the AAS and the Academic Surgical Congress.
  4. Update the pertinent content on the AAS Website for the Ethics Committee.

Finance Committee

  1. Assist the Treasurer in responsibly managing the finances of the AAS.
  2. Help develop opportunities to raise capital to support AAS activities.

Global Affairs Committee

  1. Perform a needs assessment of the AAS international members regarding how the AAS can best serve them.
  2. Investigate the feasibility and practicality of having AAS international chapters.
  3. Host the international visitors at the Academic Surgical Congress.
  4. Assist with the review of applications for the Global Surgery Award and interviews of finalists at the ASC.
  5. Update the pertinent content on the AAS Website for the Global Affairs Committee.

Leadership Committee

  1. Plan and oversee the Career Development Course before the ACS Fall Congress Meeting.
  2. Develop a plan for creating enduring AAS materials (Power Point slide sets) for basic, recurring lectures given at the CDC (with the Enduring Materials Task Force).
  3. Plan the AAS Meet the Leadership activity at the next Academic Surgical Congress
  4. Develop metrics for assessing the success of CDC attendees and the impact of the course on their academic careers (in particular for upcoming award winners funded by the R13 mechanism).
  5. Update the pertinent content on the AAS Website for the Leadership Committee.
  6. How can we help to develop the EC and other AAS members into leaders?

Membership Committee

  1. Evaluate, establish eligibility, and accept all qualified applicants for active, senior or candidate membership.
  2. Nominate 3 candidates to stand for election as the Councilor representing the most recent class of applicants.
  3. Update the list of Institutional Representatives and reassess/redefine their roles.
  4. Develop recruitment strategies to increase membership among the high proportion of non-member attendees to the ASC (and to the fall and international courses).
  5. Develop a mechanism for keeping membership data current (i.e., when active members become senior, when members change institutions, etc).
  6. Update the pertinent content on the AAS Website for the Membership Committee.
  7. Develop a mechanism to collect data on research interests that can be used to link members with similar research interests.

Military Committee

  1. Implement ideas to increase the military surgeon participation in the AAS and promote collaborative relationships between military members and their civilian counterparts.
  2. Recommend and implement programs that enhance the exchange of research, mentorship and career-development opportunities between the AAS and military surgeons.

Nominating Committee

  1. Evaluate, establish eligibility, and accept all qualified applicants for councilor and officer positions.

Program Committee

  1. Review all submitted abstracts in a timely fashion and select those to be presented during the combined annual meeting.
  2. Attend the meeting of the Program Committee at the ACS Fall Meeting.

Publications Committee

  1. Review all submitted manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Surgical Research in association with the AAS for the annual meeting.

Sub Specialty Committee

  1. 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.
  2. Help facilitate and select the annual sub specialty awards

Representatives to Societies

  1. Attend all three AAS Executive Council meetings and provide a written and verbal update on activities.  Actively participate in discussions and vote on motions at the EC meetings.
  2. Promote the AAS and its activities and opportunities (i.e., Fall courses, awards) to the represented society if pertinent and vice versa.  Examples include: manning a booth at the represented society’s annual meeting or emailing everyone on the society’s listserv about upcoming events.
  3. Coordinate events that are co-sponsored by the AAS and the represented society such as the AWS luncheon at the ASC or the Outcomes Plenary and Panel at the ASC.
  4. Develop ideas for improving relationships between the AAS and the represented society.

Councilors

  1. Attend all three AAS Executive Council meetings.  Actively participate in discussions and vote on motions at the EC meetings.
  2. Review and score the AAS Foundation Research Fellowship Award, AAS Student Research Award, AAS Student Travel Award, and AAS Rosyln Faculty Award.
  3. Interview the finalists for the AAS Foundation Research Fellowship Award and AAS Rosyln Faculty Award the day before the ASC.
  4. Councilors in their second year serve on the nominating committee.

AAS Historian

  1. Strategize ways to preserve the history of the AAS, through the web site or other forms of media.
  2. Report back to the AAS EC on the status of the society’s archives.