About the Excelsior Surgical Society

At the end of World War II, surgeons who had served during the conflict gathered at the Excelsior Hotel in Rome to discuss their experiences. This meeting was the first of what would be called the Excelsior Surgical Society. These meetings continued annually until the death of the last World War II member, Dr. Michael E. DeBakey.

The ESS Mission

The recent partnership between the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the Military Health System facilitated a new generation of surgeons who have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan to resurrect the Excelsior Surgical Society. With the ratification of its bylaws and election of officers in 2014, it became an official society within the ACS.

Our goal is simple: to improve Military Medicine through education, research, and fellowship.

As the Military Chapter of the ACS, the Excelsior Surgical Society provides a voice and a home for all military surgeons within the largest surgical organization in the world. The Excelsior Surgical Society serves as both an on-ramp to membership in the College as well as an off-ramp for surgeons as they separate from the military and transition to civilian practice. In the Military Health System of the 21st Century, this Military-Civilian Partnership is vitally important to preserving the lessons of the past, improving care in the present, and anticipating challenges in the future.

Excelsior Surgical Society Bylaws