Jennifer S. Beaty, M.D., FACS, FASCRS, associate dean of student advancement and graduate medical education and an assistant professor in specialty medicine in DMU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, is among 65 surgeon educators who were inducted into membership in the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Academy of Master Surgeon Educators® on Sept. 30, 2022. She was inducted as an associate member of the Academy.
A board-certified general surgeon and colorectal surgeon, Dr. Beaty served as program director of the colon and rectal surgery residency at Creighton University School of Medicine for 10 years prior to joining DMU. She was an associate professor of surgery at Creighton and an adjunct associate professor of surgery at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine.
“While I have always been focused on surgical education, being inducted into this elite society is a true honor,” she says. “The Academy is more than just an award; it brings together surgical educators from all over the world. The Academy is a ‘working’ group with expected active participation.”
Individuals are selected as members, associate members or affiliate members of the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators following a stringent peer review process. This year’s class of inductees includes 27 members, 36 associate members and two affiliate members. The first inaugural class was inducted in 2018, and the Academy has since grown to include 301 members, associate members and affiliate members who represent several countries and six surgical specialties other than general surgery.
Dr. Beaty, a Fellow of both the ACS and the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, is past president of the Association of Program Directors for Colon and Rectal Surgery. She currently is vice chair of the ACS Committee on Surgical Resident Education and vice chair of the Residency Review Committee in Colon and Rectal Surgery of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). In addition, she is a member of the board of directors of the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery and the Continuous Certification Committee of the American Board of Medical Specialties.
Her honors as a surgeon educator include the DMU Award for Outstanding Faculty Advisor/Mentor, the Creighton University Best Faculty Educator Award, the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Presidential Award and the Gold Humanism in Medicine Faculty Award.
Members of the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators work to advance the Academy’s programs and goals, which are to advance the science and practice of innovative lifelong surgical education, training and scholarship in the changing milieu of health care; foster the exchange of creative ideas and collaboration; support the development and recognition of faculty; underscore the importance of lifelong surgical education and training; positively impact quality and patient safety through lifelong surgical education and training; disseminate advances in education and training to all surgeons; and offer mentorship to surgeon educators throughout their professional careers.
“Membership in the Academy is active. New initiatives are under way. It’s exciting to be working alongside the ‘who’s who’ of surgery education,” Dr. Beaty says. “Many of the Academy members are people I have looked up to for many years. It’s an opportunity to work with these colleagues and help direct the future of surgery education across all levels of learners – medical students, residents, fellows, early career surgeons, mid-career surgeons and late career surgeons. The learning never stops, and the energy for innovation is palpable.”
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 all 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 influential advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 84,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.
