Dear Members of the Excelsior Surgical Society, friends, and colleagues,
It is a great honor to serve as the 9th President of the Excelsior Surgical Society (ESS), the House of Military Surgery within the American College of Surgeons and contribute to our to our three-part mission of preserving the lessons of the past, improving care in the present, and anticipating challenges of the future. As I write this, I am preparing to travel to our society’s namesake, the Excelsior Hotel in Rome, Italy for the ESS 80/10 Anniversary, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the first meeting of the Excelsior Surgical Club, and the 10th anniversary of the modern ESS. Leading this effort, is Immediate Past President Colonel Gurney, who was developed a phenomenal program. Thanks to the support of the American College of surgeons and the leadership of COL Gurney and countless hours by her and the ESS staff, the meeting is shaping up to be a pivotal meeting in continuing to shape and contribute to our three-part mission. COL Gurney is keeping with a long tradition of ESS presidents growing and improving the ESS. For example, our 7th president Colonel (Retired) Jeremy W. Cannon, MD, SM, FACS who pioneered several initiatives including partnering with outside organizations with a similar mission to the ESS, the development of an “Excelsior bundle,” of publications every year in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons and the second printing Colonel Edward D. Churchill’s Surgeon to Soldiers, with modern commentary which was unveiled in San Francisco at the 2024 Clinical Congress.
“Military surgery is a subspecialty of surgery, but a discontinuous one” – Dr. E.D. Churchill, Surgeon to Soldiers.
As I reflect on the Lessons L(earned) of World War II and the other wars of the 20th and 21st Century, and Dr. Churchill’s comments on the specialty of military surgery, it is clear to me that we need the Excelsior Surgical Society now more than ever as we face the contemporary challenges of our generation’s peacetime effect. Compared to the interwar periods of previous generations one major difference of this relative interwar period that gives me hope for the future in Military Medicine’s ability to successfully care for the casualties of the next war is that the Excelsior Surgical Society is thriving. Through the SYNERGY of your contributions as members spanning generations of military surgeons, the work of our committees and the partnerships with other military surgical societies and outside organizations who share our ethos, that we will be successful in caring for those who go into harm’s way.
Our Vice-President and President-Elect, Captain Matt Bradley, MD, FACS and I are working with the Executive Council and our five ESS committees – Program, Membership (including DEI subcommittee), Mentorship, Outreach, and Research – to develop outstanding content for our monthly webinars and the 2025 ESS Symposium in October. This year’s theme is, “The Military Surgeon as a Leader: Adaptive Surgical Leadership to Combat the Peacetime Effect.” This year we are also partnering with the ACS History and Archives Committee (HAC). First, the December Webinar featured HAC committee member Dr. Gordan Telford, MD, FACS, “Franklin H. Martin, MD, FACS: From Rural Boyhood to Distinguished Surgeon,” with a focus on Dr. Martin’s experiences during World War I. Second, the ESS is partnering with the HAC to participate in the History of Surgery Posters Competition where the ESS is going to formally recognize two posters and two e-posters for their relevance to Military Medicine and Surgery during the poster competition. Finally, the ESS with the ACS Military Health System Strategic Partnership, the HAC, and the ACS Committee on Trauma are all co-sponsoring the panel session, “War, Surgery, and Remembrance: The 80th Anniversary of World War II. Dr. Bradley and I hope to have some other surprises to report leading up the Clinical Congress 2025.
If you have an idea or looking for opportunities to volunteer, please Send an email to excelsior@facs.org to get involved. I look forward to seeing you October 4th, 2025 in Chicago at the ESS Symposium. Thank you for all contributions to the Excelsior Surgical Society.
With great respect,
Captain Matthew D. Tadlock, MD, FACS
Medical Corps, United States Navy
President, Excelsior Surgical Society
