To help support sustainable surgical careers, the American College of Surgeons recently released a framework of workplace standards that can be customized by surgical discipline. This episode features Douglas E. Wood, MD, FACS, FRCSEd, Vice-Chair of the ACS Board of Regents, and Philip R. Wolinsky, MD, FACS, ACS Regent, discussing the standards, as well as new resources on surgeon unionization.

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• Douglas E. Wood, MD, FACS, FRCSEd, is the Henry N. Harkins Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Washington in Seattle
• Philip R. Wolinsky, MD, FACS, is the Division Chief of orthopaedic trauma and a professor of orthopaedics at Dartmouth University in Lebanon, New Hampshire

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This episode features one of the fathers of metabolic surgery, Walter J. Pories, MD, FACS, from Greenville, North Carolina. In his lecture delivered at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress in Chicago, Dr. Pories will discuss his research and insights into underlying molecular biology, with particular attention to fat storage, energy production, and lactic acid levels. He also will focus on how research into bariatric surgery has led to data-driven clarifications of the pathophysiology of obesity and related conditions.

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This episode features Selwyn M. Vickers, MD, FACS, a pancreatic cancer surgeon and president and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. During the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Oncology Lecture at Clinical Congress 2025, Dr. Vickers discussed a transformative era in cancer care, where scientific breakthroughs are reshaping cancer therapeutics and redefining the role of surgeons.

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This episode features Kerstin Sandelin, MD, PhD, FACS(Hon), FRCS, a breast surgeon from Stockholm, Sweden, who gave the Distinguished Lecture of the International Society of Surgery during the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress in Chicago. In her lecture, Dr. Sandelin addressed the gaps in breast cancer care throughout the world and offered information about how low- and middle-income countries will benefit from global standardization.

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This episode features Jennifer S. Lawton, MD, FACS, a cardiothoracic surgeon from Baltimore, Maryland, who gave the Olga Jonasson Lecture during the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress in Chicago. In her lecture, “Pay It Forward—The Enduring Impact of Mentors,” Dr. Lawton discussed how the support of mentors is vital for early career surgeons and also pays dividends for experienced surgeons.

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This episode features Avery B. Nathens, MD, PhD, FACS, Medical Director for Trauma Quality Programs for the American College of Surgeons (ACS), as he welcomed attendees to the 2025 Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) Annual Conference, which marked TQIP’s 15th anniversary. Dr. Nathens offered an overview of the significant improvements in trauma care that have been made over the years, described what’s new and what’s on the horizon for ACS Trauma Programs, and explained what slime molds, starlings, and seals have in common to high-performing trauma teams.

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This episode features Mary E. Fallat, MD, FACS, a pediatric surgeon from Louisville, Kentucky, who delivered the Scudder Oration on Trauma during the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress in Chicago. In her lecture, “Optimizing Strategies to Improve Trauma and Burn Care for Children,” Dr. Fallat talked about the need to build a coordinated system that prepares pre-hospital care clinicians and emergency departments with the supplies, education, and training needed to deliver high-quality trauma and burn care this vulnerable population.

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