The ACS in Action: Engaging More than Just Surgeons

In this column, I often highlight the many resources for education, practice, career development, networking, and camaraderie that the ACS offers to surgeons and surgical trainees in every discipline, practice type, and career stage. This month, I want to focus on how we engage with surgical patients and other nonsurgeons in our sphere of influence.

Each year, we reach surgical patients and the public via directed educational offerings and engagement with the media. In addition to ensuring that surgeons and surgery are well-understood and well-positioned, these efforts fulfill our mission to “heal all with skill and trust” by promoting the health and safety of all.

Mainstream Media

One essential way that the ACS reaches a broad population is by participating in the national discourse on healthcare. The mainstream media is a key venue for providing information to millions of Americans, particularly those in older age groups who may have the most pressing surgical needs. Sharing ACS insights through traditional media outlets helps ensure the public is well-informed and retains a high level of trust in our profession.

Overall, the ACS was mentioned more than 32,000 times in the mainstream media stories in 2024, an increase of 55% over 2023. ACS-affiliated surgeons, programs, and achievements appeared in a wide range of outlets. For example, coverage of the Age Friendly Hospital Measure, a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services standard largely based on aspects of the ACS Geriatric Surgery Verification Program, appeared in several publications, including Modern Healthcare. A story on the origins and current use of the ACS Advanced Trauma Life Support^® program appeared on the Peabody Award-winning podcast Radiolab. In addition, research articles published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons were mentioned more than 1,900 times in the news media in 2024.

As a key part of our media engagement, we organize multiple annual media tours during which ACS-affiliated surgeons offer on-air interviews about topics important to surgery and public health. In 2024, several surgeons completed media tours on cancer awareness, urging the public to take steps toward prevention, undergo screenings, and recognize signs and symptoms. In total, these appearances reached some 30 million potential viewers (a key metric for television appearances) during our colorectal cancer awareness tour, nearly 41 million potential viewers for our lung cancer awareness programming, and 178 million potential viewers for breast cancer awareness programs.

The May 2024 national tour for Stop the Bleed Month reached nearly 34 million potential viewers. Additional articles have covered notable Stop the Bleed trainings and lifesaving interventions using Stop the Bleed skills (the case of an emergency medicine physician who rescued a New York subway train conductor after a sudden stabbing).

Stop the Bleed Trainings

The Stop the Bleed program, which teaches skills that bystanders can use when responding to bleeding emergencies, is another key piece of our public outreach. We collaborate with schools, workplaces, first responders, community organizations, and legislators to ensure that individuals from all backgrounds can learn this essential information. So far, we have engaged nearly 5 million learners in 169 countries with the help of more than 170,000 instructors.

Last October, we launched a version 3 pilot of the training, which includes an updated, richly illustrated curriculum design to help all learners attain these lifesaving skills. I highly recommend this course to all interested individuals. Learn more at StoptheBleed.org.

Resources for Patients

The ACS also connects with the public by offering information directly to them. Last year, the Resources for Patients section of facs.org was redesigned to improve accessibility and expand content. These web pages now offer plain-language advice to patients on how to prepare for surgery, what to expect on the day of a procedure, and how to approach the recovery process. The ACS Strong for Surgery program, our prehabilitation resource for patients and hospitals, is available there, as are resources for patients and families facing emergency surgery. The link to ACS Resources for Patients can be shared with any patient or caregiver who may benefit.

Social Media

In 2024, ACS social media accounts generated 10 million total impressions across X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn, and other platforms. While the audiences following the ACS social media accounts are predominantly surgeons and surgical trainees, some posts share information for nonsurgeon audiences as well.

Get Involved 

We welcome surgeon input into our ACS outreach efforts. If you are an expert in your area and are interested in volunteering for a virtual media tour, please contact our public information team at pressinquiry@facs.org.

Join Us for the Leadership & Advocacy Summit

Communicating with the public is a form of leadership, and we encourage all surgeons to engage with us on developing leadership as well as skills in communicating effectively with legislators. To that end, each spring, the ACS holds its Leadership & Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC. Please join us. Register at facs.org/summit.

Dr. Patricia Turner is the Executive Director & CEO of the American College of Surgeons. Contact her at executivedirector@facs.org.