The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has elected Anton N. Sidawy, MD, MPH, FACS, DFSVS, MAMSE as president-elect of the ACS during their Annual Business Meeting on Oct. 22. He served as president of the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) in 2010.
Sidawy completed a vascular surgery fellowship at Boston University Hospital. He later earned a master’s degree in public health in health care administration from George Washington University. He currently holds the position of Lewis B. Saltz Chair of Surgery and professor of surgery at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C.
Sidawy’s career spans several decades and has been marked by numerous achievements. He has published about 180 peer-reviewed articles, contributed 60 book chapters, and delivered numerous national and international presentations. His areas of interest covered the clinical, research, and educational fields.
He served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Vascular Surgery (JVS); during his tenure, he launched two additional journals: Journal of Vascular Surgery-Venous and Lymphatic Disorders (JVS-VL) in 2013 and Journal of Vascular Surgery-Cases, Innovations and Techniques (JVS-CIT) in 2015, both of which he served as founding editor-in-chief.
In addition to his editorial work, Sidawy has authored three influential textbooks, including Basic Science of Vascular Disease (1997), Diabetic Foot, Lower Extremity Arterial Disease, and Limb Salvage (2006), and the 9th and 10th editions of Rutherford’s Vascular Surgery and Endovascular therapy released in 2018 and 2022, respectively, a two-volume text often called the “bible” of the specialty.
Sidawy has been an ACS Fellow since 1987 and has played a key role in shaping the future of surgery. He has served on both the ACS Board of Governors (2001–2007) and the Board of Regents (2015–2024), including a term as chair of the Board of Regents from 2021 to 2022. Notably, he led a joint effort by the ACS and the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) to establish the Vascular Verification Program, an ACS Quality Program that provides hospitals with critical oversight of their vascular surgery programs. He also serves on the Steering Committee of the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators.
His previous leadership positions included: a member of the Vascular Surgery Board of the American Board of Surgery and President of the Society for Vascular Surgery, Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery, the Eastern Vascular Society, the Chesapeake Vascular Society, the Metropolitan Washington Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, the Washington Academy of Surgery, and the Vascular Disease Foundation.
In his upcoming term as President of the ACS, Dr. Sidawy envisions focusing on the well-being of Fellows, the quality of surgical care, and improving the practice environment for surgeons. He remains deeply committed to the ACS’s mission to “heal all with skill and trust,” a vision he will continue to champion in his new role.
Sidawy will be joined by Anne C. Mosenthal, MD, FACS, and Edward M. Barksdale Jr., MD, FACS, who were elected as first vice-president-elect and second vice-president-elect, respectively.