The ACS Leadership & Advocacy Summit is next month, taking place at The Westin Washington, DC Downtown hotel, April 13–16. This dual meeting offers a comprehensive program designed to enhance surgeon leadership skills and provides interactive advocacy training with coordinated, in-person visits to Congressional offices.
Registration for the 2024 summit is now open.
Leadership Summit, April 13–14
The Leadership Summit—open to all US and international ACS members and nonmembers—kicks off Saturday evening, April 13, with a networking event, followed by a full day of programming on Sunday, April 14. ACS members may attend for free. A virtual option also is available.
With a theme of “A Surgeon’s Journey,” the Leadership Summit will be a powerful event with a lineup that includes compelling speakers offering real-world know-how and skills-building guidance. The content will be geared toward well-being, engaging in the surgical practice environment, and looking to the future. Featured topics will include dealing with moral injury, sustainability in healthcare, quality and safety at a national level, surgical advocacy and engagement, and career paths to becoming CEO.
Throughout the day, attendees also will have the opportunity to share best practices, while networking with ACS leaders and engaging with colleagues.
Three preconference, in-person-only workshops will be held on Saturday. These include:
Leadership in Action: Making an Impact in the Media and on Social Workshop
Practice real-world scenarios, hone your content creation skills, perfect interview techniques, and identify opportunities to increase your engagement in this interactive media training and social media development workshop. Capacity is limited.
Practice Management Workshop
Learn about the tools available to benchmark the value that surgeons bring to the negotiation table with their employers and the importance of obtaining expert professional assistance in those contract negotiations.
Controlling Risk: The Techniques of Operating Excellence Workshop
Hear from Jim Wetherbee, a former astronaut, on predicting and preventing the next tragedy, how to inspire medical teams to be more productive, and astronaut-developed techniques that can supplement rules-based procedures to optimize performance in high-risk operations.
Preregistration for the workshops is required, and there is a fee for each.
Advocacy Summit, April 14–16
Surgeon-advocates play a critical role in educating lawmakers about important healthcare issues and effecting positive change, while also broadening the ACS’s visibility and influence in Congress. Participation of ACS members at the Advocacy Summit is essential to the College’s success.
Informative and inspirational, the Advocacy Summit will connect attendees with policymakers and advocacy experts to discuss the latest developments in key healthcare policy and legislation. In-depth advocacy training, including effective tips and tactics to help communicate policy priorities on Capitol Hill and at home, along with lively panels and educational sessions, will be a part of the agenda.
After the informative panels, staff members from the ACS Washington, DC, office will detail the “asks” and provide background information in preparation for the in-person visits to the Congressional offices.
Open only to ACS members in the US, the Advocacy Summit begins Sunday evening, April 14, with a welcome reception and keynote dinner featuring Anna Palmer, CEO and founder of Punchbowl News. Palmer has covered congressional leadership, the lobbying industry, presidential campaigns, and the politics of governing for more than 15 years.
A full day of panels, training, and programming is scheduled for Monday, April 15; in-person meetings with members of Congress and congressional staff will be on Tuesday, April 16. No virtual option is available for the Advocacy Summit.
More information is available at facs.org/summit. Share updates or follow the Leadership & Advocacy Summit on X using #ACSLAS24.
