About Us

Surgeon Leadership

The ABS is governed by a board of directors, with a council that establishes and pursues the continuous improvement of program standards, policies and procedures, and specialty boards that oversee the education, training, assessment and certification of the surgeons who practice that specialty.

group of doctors smiling at a conference
Intro

Directors, Council Members and Specialty Board Directors

Representatives of the American Board of Surgery are elected for a single six-year term through a competency-based open nomination process. Most directors, all council members, and all specialty board directors are surgeons in active practice, currently certified by the ABS, and participating in the ABS Continuous Certification Program. They receive no remuneration for their service.

Directors

The ABS Board of Directors

The ABS Board of Directors oversees the fiduciary responsibility and authority of the organization. This groups determines and advances the ABS mission, strategy, and policies, and ensures the value of ABS certification.

medical doctor conducting a seminar

Council Members

The Council of the ABS

The Council of the ABS, through the Council Committees, establishes and pursues the continuous improvement of ABS program standards, policies and procedures overseeing surgical training, assessment, certification, and research priorities. The Council is where issues that affect physicians across the ABS specialty areas are decided upon so that the Specialty Boards can constructively approach them in a discipline-specific way.

Committees

Committees of the Council

Committees of the Council are subcommittees of the ABS that address a specific phase of the certification process. These committees make recommendations to the full Council and, when appropriate, to the Board of Directors, regarding their area of concern.

Nominating Committee
Education & Training Committee
Assessment Committee
Diplomates & Surgeons in Practice Committee
Research Committee
DEI Committee
Specialty Boards

Specialty Boards of the ABS

The Specialty Boards of the ABS provide additional expertise in specific specialty areas. They consist of directors nominated by colleagues, organizations representative of the specialty, or self-nomination, as well as ABS Council members previously elected from within the specialty.

The specialty boards define and oversee all certification and examination processes in their respective specialties.

General Surgery Board
Vascular Surgery Board
Trauma, Burns and Surgical Critical Care Board
Complex General Surgical Oncology Board
Pediatric Surgery Board
Transplantation Advisory Council