President’s Message
Dear Members of the Excelsior Surgical Society, friends, colleagues,
It has been my great honor to serve as the eighth President of the re-invigorated Excelsior Surgical Society (ESS)—the House of Military Surgery (and those who support military surgeons) within the ACS. Being part of this group demonstrates a commitment to military surgery, its past, present, and future.
For the last year, I have worked closely with Vice-President Captain Matthew D. Tadlock, MD, FACS, the ESS Executive Council, the ESS committee chairs, and our ACS Governor Captain (Retired) Gordon Wisbach, MD, MBA, FACS, to further strengthen our voice and influence as the military’s home within the ACS as we guard against the peacetime effect. The peacetime effect is real, and all of us who work within the military health system can feel the impact of the peacetime effect on a daily basis. I want to extend a special thanks to Past-President Colonel (Retired) Jeremy W. Cannon, MD, SM, FACS, who’s efforts have led to the second printing of Surgeon to Soldiers, which will be available at the 2024 meeting.
The roots of the ESS go back to true greats in military surgery. We all stand on the shoulders of these giants and seek to advance what they started 79 years ago at the Excelsior Hotel in Rome, Italy, at the end of World War II. The ESS stands as a beacon of excellence, a testament to the commitment, skill, and compassion that define our noble profession, our surgical heritage, and the pillars of military surgery.
Military surgeons do not have to look far to know that we will have substantial challenges in 2024 and beyond, challenges to our readiness and our overall system of deployed and CONUS surgical care and capacity. These are not like the challenges of wartime surgery that many of us experienced in the past; instead, they are the challenges of the “peacetime effect,” which, in some ways, is more insidious and challenging to overcome.
As Dr. Mayo said in 1919, the only “victor in war is medicine,” and over the past 20 years the spoils were the lessons learned to improve the care of those injured in the combat environment. Whether you practice robotic surgery or are a pediatric surgeon or trauma surgeon, we all serve in the military knowing that we may have to care for military service members wounded at war. In ESS, we are bonded by this reality as well as a shared ethos that embodies the spirit of our two professions as surgeons and as military officers.
To combat the peacetime effect, ESS members need to remember the combat casualty lessons learned, maintain our resilience, and embrace uncertainty with agility, growth mindsets, and unification of efforts. We do this by remembering our past, growing our knowledge as a community through monthly webinars, mentoring junior surgeons, and advocating for what is best for our current and future patients—just like Colonel Edward Churchill, MD, FACS, did in 1943 for whole blood.
The ESS is a tapestry of diverse talents, experiences, and perspectives, woven together by a shared commitment to advancing military surgical care. As we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of the Military Health System, let us embrace innovation, foster collaboration, and continue to uphold the highest standards.
My hope going forward is that the ESS will have a journey of continuous growth, collaboration, and a true commitment to preserving the heritage and ethos of the military.
To our members, thank you for your commitment to military surgery and to the ESS. I know that many of you are retired from the military, and many of you have not been in uniform but nonetheless share our commitment to military surgery and combat casualty care. Thank you all for being a part of our really special organization rooted in the history of wartime ethos and collaboration of military surgeons. Thank you for continuing to make the organization and all the members better, better as surgeons, better as academics, better as leaders, and better as advocates for our patients wherever we encounter them—deployed or at home.
Thank you to the ESS staff, without whom the organization would come to a halt (especially in the year that I have served as president).
As we move into 2025, you will all love the commitment, dedication, and energy of Captain Tadlock, your new president. Please continue to support ESS through committee activities, webinars, and by joining one of the five ESS committees: Program, Membership (including DEI subcommittee), Mentorship, Outreach, and Research. Send an email to excelsior@facs.org to get involved.
Mark your calendars and start planning to be at Excelsior in Rome: Celebrating 80 years of miliary surgery tradition to improve the care of those injured in wartime service. This celebratory meeting will occur from February 18-20 2025, at the Excelsior Hotel in Rome–the same location where the original group met. I look forward to seeing many of you at the ESS Annual Meeting on October 19, 2024. Thank you again for your commitment to the ESS.
With great respect,
Colonel Jennifer Gurney, MD, FACS
Medical Corps, US Army
President, Excelsior Surgical Society
