Anton N. Sidawy, MD, MPH, FACS, will be installed as the 2025-2026 ACS President at Convocation this evening, succeeding Beth H. Sutton, MD, FACS.
Convocation will be held on the third level of McCormick Place West beginning at 5:45 pm. The ceremony—which will be livestreamed on the ACS website and available on demand soon after its conclusion—will include the Procession of Initiates and Procession of Officers, Regents, Governors, and guests. A total of 2,122 initiates from 93 countries will be inducted as new ACS Fellows.
The initiation of Dr. Sidawy’s presidency will occur as part of the installation of ACS Officers. Anne C. Mosenthal, MD, FACS, will become the 2025-2026 First Vice-President, and Edward M. Barksdale Jr., MD, FACS, will become the 2025-2026 Second Vice-President.
Dr. Sidawy will then deliver his Presidential Address, focused on the theme of his presidential year, “The House of Surgery: A Home for All Surgeons.” This theme reflects a longstanding vision of the ACS as a unifier of surgeons in all disciplines, career stages, practice types, and geographical locations. Dr. Sidawy has emphasized the importance of surgeon unity in ensuring surgery that is high in quality, equitably delivered, and safe.
Two major awards also will be presented during Convocation. The College’s highest individual honor, the Distinguished Service Award, will be presented to Marshall Z. Schwartz, MD, FACS, in recognition of his longstanding service to the ACS and surgery. Anna Marie Ledgerwood, MD, FACS, will receive the Dr. Mary Edwards Walker Inspiring Women in Surgery Award to honor her groundbreaking contributions over 5 decades in trauma surgery.
In addition, initiates from the classes of 1975 and 2000 will be recognized, and Honorary Fellowships will be given to seven surgeons from around the world:
- Hendrik Jacob (Jaap) Bonjer, MD, PhD, FACS, FRCSC, FASCRS, pioneer in simulation-based surgical education from Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Chintamani, MBBS, FRCS(Edinburgh), FRCS(England), FRCS(Glasgow), FRCSI, FACS, FICS, FIMSA, MAMSE, breast surgeon and surgical oncologist from New Delhi, India
- Luis Grande, MD, PhD, FACS, foregut, hepato-pancreato-biliary, and liver transplant surgeon from Barcelona, Spain
- Cathal J. Kelly, MB, BCh, BAO, LRCSI & PI, BSc, MCh, FRCSI (Gen.), vascular surgeon from Drogheda, Ireland, and chief executive officer of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
- Eduardo E. Montalvo‐Jave, MD, PhD, FACS, hepato-pancreato-biliary surgeon from Mexico City, Mexico
- Gabriela Möslein, MD, PhD, FEBS, FASCRS(Hon), surgeon-scientist from Dusseldorf, Germany
- Rowan Parks, MD, PRCSEd, FRCSI, FFSTEd, hepato-pancreato-biliary surgeon from Edinburgh, Scotland, and president of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
The Windy City Welcome Reception will immediately follow Convocation. This complimentary event, which will be held in the Marriott Marquis Chicago Grand Horizon Ballroom (Level 4), celebrates the initiates, awardees, and new officers, and gives all conference attendees and their families the chance to socialize, network, and enjoy cultural and culinary highlights of Chicago.