APSA Board of Governors 2019-2020
On May 22, Joseph P. Vacanti, MD, became the new President of APSA at the APSA 50th Anniversary Meeting.
Dr. Vacanti is the John Homans Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School; Chief of the Department of Pediatric Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Emeritus; Surgeon-in-Chief at MGH for Children, Emeritus; and Director of the MGH Laboratory for Tissue Engineering and Organ Fabrication. He has dedicated himself to tissue engineering since its inception more than 30 years ago, with a primary goal in mind: overcome challenges presented by organ shortages. In the early years of his research, Dr. Vacanti experienced unintended fame when his studies of lab-grown tissue led to him and his brother implanting cartilage in the shape of a human ear under the skin of a mouse, subsequently named the Vacanti mouse. Over the following years and with his revolutionary approach to creating tissue and continued efforts to advance the field of regenerative medicine, Vacanti has been recognized and lauded by countless publications and awards.
In accepting the responsibility of leading APSA, Vacanti commented, “I am both honored and humbled to have been elected President by my colleagues, whom I hold in the highest regard. For the past 50 years, APSA has been a driving force in raising the bar of pediatric surgical care and disseminating the latest knowledge for continued education. I look forward to furthering this commitment to excellence and to continuing to grow APSA’s reach, as we take our first step together into the next 50 years.”
In addition to Dr. Vacanti, incoming APSA board members include President-Elect John H.T. Waldhausen, MD, Chief of Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and Governor Edward M. Barksdale, Jr., MD, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s. They join a number of current board members, including Secretary Max R. Langham, Jr., MD, University of Tennessee; Treasurer Mike K. Chen, MD, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Governor Jessica K. Kandel, MD, University of Chicago, Section of Pediatric Surgery; Governor Peter W. Dillon, MD, Penn State Hershey Medical Center; and Immediate Past President Ronald B. Hirschl, MD, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.
We offer our gratitude to those whose terms ended: Dr. Henri R. Ford and Dr. Gail E. Besner. We appreciate all your efforts on behalf of APSA.