The American College of Surgeons (ACS) recognized Timothy Eberlein, MD, FACS, Chairman of the Department of Surgery, with the Wangensteen Scientific Forum Award at the 2020 Virtual Convocation Ceremony of the Clinical Congress.
The ACS is a scientific and educational association of surgeons founded in 1913 to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient by setting high standards for surgical education and practice. Members of the ACS are referred to as “Fellows.” Currently, there are more than 82,000 Fellows in total, including more than 70,000 Fellows in the United States and Canada, making the ACS the largest organization of surgeons in the world.
This year’s Convocation—which was a virtual ceremony—conferred Fellowship in the American College of Surgeons (FACS) upon those surgeons who have successfully met ACS requirements to provide optimal care to the surgical patient. The Convocation also included recognition of new Honorary Fellows, presentation of the ACS Distinguished Service Award and other honors, the installation of the ACS Officers and the Presidential Address.
The first Convocation was held on November 13, 1913, at the Congress Hotel in Chicago, IL. The inaugural class of 1,059 surgeons hailed from the U.S. and Canada and included six female surgeons.
At the 2020 Virtual Convocation, Eberlein received the Scientific Forum Award award for his extraordinary contributions as a surgeon scientist and exemplary role model for young investigators.
Eberlein gave his first presentation at the Scientific Forum in 1981 with the abstract, “Successful adoptive immunotherapy of a disseminated murine cancer using immunized cells expanded in T-cell growth factor.” Since then, he has published over 250 peer-reviewed papers and chapters. He has received numerous grants and awards from the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society and research foundations. Eberlein has served as the Principal Investigator of a T32 grant supporting Surgical Oncology Training which has been continually funded since 1998.
In 2001, Eberlein became Director of Siteman Cancer Center, pioneering new research and providing world-class care to patients from all 50 states, right here in St. Louis. With over $145 million in research funding every year, the center rapidly incorporates research into advancements in treatment and provides care for more than 75,000 patients every year. Eberlein and Alvin J. Siteman were recognized by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as Citizens of the Year in 2019. This distinction recognizes the vital partnership between Eberlein and Siteman. Together, they formed Siteman Cancer Center, the only cancer center in Missouri to hold the prestigious Comprehensive Cancer Center designation and “Exceptional” rating from the National Cancer Institute and membership in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
Eberlein has been a tremendous force for advancing research within the ACS, the Scientific Forum and broadly across the academic surgical community.
The Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS) dedicated the Scientific Forum to Eberlein, describing him as “an inspiring role model for young surgeon-scientists, a champion for surgical research and education through his roles as department chair and in the ACS, and a staunch mentor and advocate for a diverse group of trainees and faculty.”