Courses
Surgeons as Educators
Apply for the Spring Course by October 2!
Next Course: March 20–26, 2027
This 6-day intensive course, offered by the ACS Division of Education, is designed to provide surgeons with the knowledge and skills to enhance their abilities as teachers and administrators of surgical education programs.
The course emphasizes the needs of adult learners and the techniques necessary to develop an effective learning environment for medical students, surgical residents, and colleagues. The class size is limited, and participants are carefully selected to foster highly interactive sessions.
ACS Surgeons as Leaders: From Operating Room to Boardroom
Apply for the Spring Course by October 7!
Next Course: March 21–24, 2027
The Surgeons as Leaders Course provides a comprehensive foundation in the principles and practice of effective leadership. This 3.5-day in-person course is designed to encourage reflection, collaboration, networking, and practical application throughout the experience. Topics include emotional intelligence, communication, team building, conflict resolution, financial stewardship, managing organizational change, leadership in diverse environments, and strategies for addressing real-world leadership challenges through expert-led presentations, small-group discussions, working lunches, interactive sessions, and personalized one-on-one faculty coaching. The course is limited to 72 participants.
Residents as Teachers and Leaders (RATAL)
Next Course: April 9–11, 2027
The goal of this course is to help residents from all surgical specialties develop some of the essential nonclinical skills that will be critical to their success as senior-level residents and practicing surgeons. Topics focus on those supporting effective teaching and successful leading.
Residency Readiness Course
Next Course: June 7–9, 2027
Open to medical students expected to graduate in 2027, this course helps build the clinical confidence, technical skills, and professional readiness to start residency strong. This 3-day, in-person course is designed for students pursuing residency across all surgical specialties and will combine hands-on skills training with focused sessions centered on preparing for the professional and clinical expectations of residency.
ACS and MacLean Center Fellowships in Surgical Ethics
Application Due: January 15, 2027
In conjunction with the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago, IL, the ACS is offering fellowships in surgical ethics to interested surgeons. Since the inaugural fellowship in 2015, participants have included attending surgeons, as well as surgical residents and fellows nationwide. This fellowship program provides the opportunity for motivated individuals to obtain the specialized knowledge, skills, and training required to become leaders in the field of surgical ethics. The fellowship requires about 25% of a fellow’s academic time, which enables fellows to spend 75% of their time doing their current academic work in their respective fields. The fellowship prepares surgeons for careers that combine clinical surgery with scholarly studies in surgical ethics and will begin with a 5-week, full-time course in Chicago in July and August 2027. From September 2027 to June 2028, fellowship recipients will meet weekly for a structured ethics curriculum. In addition, fellows will participate in an ethics consultation service and complete a research project.
Application materials are due January 15, 2027. For additional information about this fellowship, visit the MacLean Center website.
