Newswise — CHICAGO (November 3, 2021): E. Christopher Ellison, MD, FACS, an esteemed general surgeon from Columbus, Ohio, has been elected to serve as the 2021–2022 President-Elect of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). Dr. Ellison’s election was announced October 27 at the conclusion of the virtual ACS Clinical Congress 2021. He will be installed for a one-year term as ACS President in October 2022 during the Convocation ceremony that will be a highlight of the next ACS Clinical Congress.

Dr. Ellison is the Robert M. Zollinger Professor of Surgery Emeritus at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus. He recently served as the George W. Paulson MD Medical Heritage Center Scholar-in-Residence for a two-year term, and Dr. Ellison was previously the president and CEO of The Ohio State University Physicians Practice Plan, an organization of which he was also a founding member.

Career highlights
A graduate of the Medical College of Wisconsin (1976), Dr. Ellison has spent nearly his entire career at Ohio State, beginning with a general surgery residency, which he completed in 1983. He entered community practice in Columbus between 1987-1993 before returning to Ohio State, where he has since remained. He led the division of general surgery and served for six years as director of the general surgery residency program. He was named chair of the department of surgery in 2000. During this time, he oversaw the expansion of the department and the creation of multidisciplinary basic science and clinical research programs.

While serving as program director in general surgery, Dr. Ellison helped build the diversity and inclusion of the program, which remains a benchmark for diversity at Ohio State. With the help of key faculty, he co-led the reestablishment of the Masters of Medical Science program, which was originally conceived by Robert M. Zollinger, Sr., MD, FACS, in the 1950s. This program has provided a foundation for Ohio State to successfully prepare the next generation of surgeon scientists.

As Practice Plan CEO and interim dean of the College of Medicine at Ohio State, Dr. Ellison worked with the admissions team to help make The Ohio State University College of Medicine a leading institution for opportunities for underrepresented minority students in medical education. He also helped build the research portfolio and provide a sound economic foundation for the College of Medicine.

Editorial accomplishments

Dr. Ellison has published more than 160 peer-reviewed articles. His primary research interest is Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome. He is principal author with Robert M. Zollinger, Jr., MD, FACS, of the 10th Edition of Zollinger’s Atlas of Surgical Operations and an associate editor of Fischer’s Mastery of Surgery, 7th Edition. He is considered an authority on surgical workforce issues and co-author of The Coming Shortage of Surgeons. Dr. Ellison has served as associate editor and editorial board member of the American Journal of Surgery and is currently Deputy Editor of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

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