
By Henri R. Ford, MD, MHA, FACS, FRCS, FAAP, Chair, ACS Clinical Congress Program Committee; and Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, FASCME, MAMSE, Director, ACS Division of Education
It is our sincere pleasure to invite you to attend the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Virtual Clinical Congress 2021, which will take place Saturday, October 23, through Wednesday, October 27. The ACS Clinical Congress remains the premier annual surgical meeting for surgeons, surgery residents, medical students, and members of surgical teams. The hallmarks of the Clinical Congress are a broad range of outstanding learning opportunities on the most relevant surgical practices and research.
J. Wayne Meredith, MD, FACS, MCCM, ACS President, has selected Resilience in the Pursuit of Excellence as this year’s theme. We believe the Program Committee has developed an outstanding, cutting-edge Scientific Program to address critical education and training needs and equip surgeons with the knowledge and skills to achieve the best outcomes in the ever-changing environment of health care.

The Virtual Clinical Congress 2021 Program addresses essential clinical and nonclinical content. An exciting series of Named Lectures will again be delivered by world-renowned experts in their respective fields. Postgraduate Courses will be available and will incorporate best practices in education and training methods. More than 105 Panel Sessions on relevant and timely topics will be offered. The Scientific Forum will include many exciting surgical research presentations and ePosters.
The program content will remain accessible for a full year after the meeting for on-demand viewing. More than 200 American Medical Association (AMA) PRA Category 1 Credits™ will be available. Attendees may claim Continuing Medical Education credits until February 1, 2022, following participation in the five-day program or through subsequent review of the recorded content.
Other highlights of the Clinical Congress include three Special Sessions on late-breaking topics, which will take place at 12:00 noon Central Time Monday, October 25, to Wednesday, October 27; Convocation, Sunday, October 24, during which we will welcome this year’s ACS Initiates and 10 Honorary Fellows from around the globe; and the Opening Ceremony, at 8:00 am Central Time Monday, October 25, followed immediately by the Martin Memorial Lecture, which Anthony Fauci, MD, Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will deliver. In addition, many opportunities to engage with ACS staff and leaders and your peers will be available.
If you have yet to register for the Clinical Congress, go to www.facs.org/clincon2021/registration at your earliest opportunity. On behalf of the American College of Surgeons, we look forward to your participation in the Virtual Clinical Congress 2021.