Dean Ford Leads American College of Surgeons
As president, he will work to set the organization’s strategic priorities
By Richard Westlund
Photography by Jeffery Salter
Henri R. Ford, M.D., M.H.A.
H
enri R. Ford, M.D., M.H.A., dean and chief academic officer of the Miller School, became the 104th president of the American College of Surgeons at the organization’s 2023 Clinical Congress, held October 22-25 in Boston. An ACS Fellow since 1996, he was named president-elect at last year’s meeting, where he also received the Owen H. Wangensteen Scientific Forum Award, which honors a successful individual who has advanced academic surgery as an expert clinician, accomplished researcher and outstanding educator and mentor.
The ACS, one of the most prestigious organizations in medicine, is dedicated to improving the care of the surgical patient and to safeguarding standards of care in an optimal and ethical practice environment. Founded in 1913, it has some 87,000 members worldwide. More than 50 million patient records are tracked through its surgical registries, and over 2,500 hospital participants are included in its quality programs.
Dean Ford has long been an international leader in pediatric and adolescent surgery. He has conducted groundbreaking research on a variety of medical issues, including necrotizing enterocolitis, a deadly gastrointestinal condition that affects premature infants. He has received numerous grants to support his work from the National Institutes of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and others, and has published more than 300 research papers. During his one-year term as president, he will work collaboratively with ACS leadership, the Board of Regents and the Board of Governors to set strategic priorities for the organization, maintaining a cohesive and influential voice nationally and internationally.
“This is a tremendous privilege,” Dean Ford said. “It has been extremely meaningful to be part of the ACS, an organization with a rich history of inspiring quality and guiding generations of surgeons. I am honored to step into this role and continue our essential work.” 
