Newswise — CHICAGO: Leigh A. Neumayer, MD, FACS, Tucson, Ariz., was recently elected Chair of the Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) during the College’s annual Clinical Congress, held in San Diego, Calif., October 22-26.

A general surgeon, Dr. Neumayer is a professor and chair in the department of surgery and the Margaret and Fenton Maynard Endowed Chair in Breast Cancer Research at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson. She is also the interim senior vice president for UA Health Sciences.  Prior to her time in Arizona, Dr. Neumayer was a professor in the department of surgery at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center, and the Jon and Karen Huntsman Presidential Professor, University of Utah/ Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City.

In her role as Chair of the Board of Regents, Dr. Neumayer will work closely with the ACS Executive Director and will chair the Regents’ Finance and Executive Committees. The College’s 24-member Board of Regents formulates policy and is ultimately responsible for managing the affairs of the College. The Board’s diversity and variety of experiences and interests among its members enable the Regents to represent views related to myriad issues in contemporary surgery.

A Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) since 1994 and a member of the Board of Regents since 2009, Dr. Neumayer has served many roles within the organization. She was Chair of the Committee on Medical Student Education (2001-2003), Vice-Chair of the Surgical Research Committee (2015-2016), a Governor for the ACS Utah Chapter (2002-2008), and Vice-Chair of the Board of Regents (2016-2017). Dr. Neumayer was also Vice-Chair of the Nominating Committee of the Board of Governors (2004-2006), and a Board of Governors Executive Committee Member (2008-2011).

Nationally, Dr. Neumayer has served on the board of directors of the American Board of Surgery (2005-2011) and the President of the Association of Women Surgeons (1997-1998), the Association for Surgical Education (2001-2002), and the Association of Veterans Administration Surgeons (2002-2003). Currently, she serves on the editorial boards for the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, JAMA Surgery, and Annals of Surgery.

Dr. Neumayer’s most recent work is focused on the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer via innovative technology and clinical trials. She has led investigations in hernia repair techniques, breast cancer treatment, surgical quality and outcomes, and surgical education techniques. Dr. Neumayer has mentored students, residents, and colleagues in these and other pursuits.

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About the American College of Surgeons

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 improve the quality of care for 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 80,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.  For more information, visit www.facs.org (.)

About Leigh A. Neumayer, MD, FACS

Dr. Neumayer studied biomedical engineering at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo., before getting her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Tex. She trained in general surgery at the University of California San Francisco and at the University of Arizona. Dr. Neumayer then studied clinical research design and statistical analysis at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.