Newswise — CHICAGO (October 23, 2012): Julie A. Freischlag, MD, FACS, Baltimore, MD, was elected Chair of the Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) during the College’s annual Clinical Congress, recently held in Chicago, September 30-October 4, 2012. A vascular surgeon, Dr. Freischlag is The William Stewart Halsted Professor, chair of the department of surgery, and surgeon-in-chief at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore.
In her role as Chair of the Board of Regents, Dr. Freischlag will work closely with the ACS Executive Director and will chair the Regents’ Finance and Executive Committees. The College’s 22-member Board of Regents formulates policy and is ultimately responsible for managing the affairs of the College. The Board’s diversity and the variety of experiences and interests among its members enable the Regents to represent views related to myriad issues in contemporary surgery.
Dr. Freischlag is an internationally renowned expert in the diagnosis and treatment of thoracic outlet syndrome, which the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke defines as “three related syndromes that involve compression of the nerves, arteries, and veins in the lower neck and upper chest area and cause pain in the arm, shoulder, and neck.” * Furthermore, she is the national principal investigator of a multicenter randomized trial of the repair of abdominal aneurysms called the Open Versus Endovascular Repair Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study, which has enrolled more than 800 patients from 34 medical centers across the United States.
A Fellow of the American College of Surgeons since 1991 Dr. Freischlag began serving on the College’s Board of Regents in 2006. In addition to serving as a Regent, Dr. Freischlag has been an active leader of many College committees, serving as Chair of the Committee on Education (2010-2011); Chair of the Scholarships Committee (2010-2012); Chair of the Board of Governor’s Committee to Study the Fiscal Affairs of the College (2002-2006); and Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors (2002-2006).
In addition, Dr. Freischlag has held leadership positions in many leading surgical organizations. She is the current president-elect of the Society for Vascular Surgery; served as chair of the Society for Surgical Chairs (2010-2011); president of the Baltimore Academy of Surgery; treasurer (1992-1995) and president (1999-2000) of the Association of VA Surgeons; treasurer of the Association for Academic Surgery (1994-1997); and chaired the Credentials Committee of the American Board of Surgery (2003-2004).
Dr. Freischlag is the editor of Archives of Surgery, and associate editor of the American Journal of Surgery. She also serves on the editorial board of several other international surgical journals including the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Vascular Surgery, and the British Journal of Surgery.
Dr. Freischlag received her medical degree in 1980 from Rush Medical College, Chicago. She completed her residency training in general surgery at UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, in 1986, and then completed a one-year fellowship in vascular surgery at UCLA Medical Center in 1987.
She is married to Philip Roethle. Their three sons are Matthew (33), who lives in Los Angeles, Paul (32), who lives in San Francisco with his wife Gretchen, and Taylor (17), a senior at Friends School of Baltimore.
The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the quality of care of surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America, and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 78,000 members, and it is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. Web site: http://www.facs.org.# # #
___*Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: NINDS Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Information Page. Available at http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/thoracic/thoracic.htm. Accessed October 18, 2012.
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