CHICAGO (February 1, 2022): Bonnie Simpson Mason, MD, FAAOS, joined the American College of Surgeons (ACS) January 31 as its inaugural Medical Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Serving in this new ACS executive role, Dr. Simpson Mason will lead the development and implementation of proactive antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in support of the College's strategic plan in partnership with Cie Armstead, DBA, ACS Director of DEI. She will also remain in her current position as a clinical professor at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in orthopaedic surgery and rehabilitative medicine.
"Dr. Simpson Mason has a long history of developing innovative programs that help foster awareness about diversity in medicine and its benefits for our profession and our patients. She is passionate about education and physician workforce development, and we are privileged to have her on the ACS leadership team," said Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS, ACS Executive Director.
"I am honored and excited about the opportunity to serve as the inaugural medical director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the American College of Surgeons. I am optimistic that we can strategically align the substantial DEI and antiracism strides currently being made by a plethora of ACS stakeholders into meaningful and sustainable equity practices that permeate the house of surgery. It is through measured and strategic action that collective transformation toward a culture of equity for all occurs—a culture that secures the longevity of our specialty and ultimately, if not most importantly, serves to benefit our patients, their families and all communities."
As a nationally recognized educator and speaker, Dr. Simpson Mason is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery with private practice experience who comes to ACS from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), where she served as vice president, diversity and inclusion. During her time at the ACGME, Dr. Simpson Mason primarily lead the design, development, and implementation of Equity Matters, a 10-year continuous learning and process-improvement initiative in DEI and antiracism. This program actively engaged a 1,000-member specialty society and GME community in education, peer-advising, and solutions development to address disparities, racism, and seek health equity in their respective environments.
