President’s Message
July 29, 2015

This has been a year of beginning, maintaining, and encouraging relationships. It has been exciting to work with individuals and organizations that have parallel ideas and plans.

I recently had the opportunity to spend time with some leaders of the American College of Surgeons. Working together and standing united in our decisions regarding safety and quality of care will improve the future for all surgeons and our patients. It is our hope that this relationship will continue to grow in the years ahead and we are looking forward to presenting our joint program on Tuesday, October 6 during the 2015 Annual Clinical Assembly (ACA).

ACOS leaders continue to work closely with the American Osteopathic Board of Surgery (AOBS) as they review the board examination and osteopathic continuous certification (OCC) examination processes for the benefit of our surgeons. We will also continue to work with the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) regarding this process, as well. If you have any questions regarding board certification or the OCC process, visit the AOBS website at http://www.aobs.org. Please note that the ACOS, AOBS, and AOA, will assist you during the transition to the single accreditation system.

Finally, ACOS President-Elect Dawn Tartaglione and I attended the AOA Board of Trustees and House of Delegates Meeting in Chicago on July 14 - 19. ACOS staff members Linda Ayers, CEO and Carter Alleman, Manager of Health policy were also in attendance. We met with leaders of the AOA to discuss policies and networked with representatives from other specialty societies. While there, the ACOS was awarded the AOA Strategic Team Award and Recognition (STAR) for our video series promoting osteopathic surgery. Thank you to the AOA for this recognition. We will continue to maintain a stronger relationship with AOA leadership during this dynamic transition in graduate medical education. It has been a pleasure working with Dr. Robert Juhasz and are we looking forward to sharing a close working relationship with Dr. John Becher as well.

I hope that you will join me and your colleagues at the 2015 ACA in Chicago, October 4 – 7. There will be many networking opportunities and stellar educational programming. I recommend pre-registering to get early access to workshops and seminars that may sell out quickly. Visit www.facos.org/ACA for details and registration.

Valerie L. Sheridan, D.O., FACOS, FACS
President
American College of Osteopathic Surgeons