AAS COUNCILOR ELECTIONS: COUNCILOR MEMBER TO REPRESENT THE 2017 YEAR-OF-ENTRY GROUP
Each year, one Council member is elected for a two-year term for each year-of-entry group. This year’s elections consist of 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021 year-of-entry groups. Please vote for one candidate below by Monday, August 15, 2022 at 11:59pm PST so that we may complete this important election and notify you of your elected representative. Please use your Council member to convey your ideas and concerns to the Executive Council.
Name – Ashley Holder
Institution – University of Alabama at Birmingham
Statement of Interest – I joined AAS as a full member when we became attending surgeons in 2017. Over the past 5 years, I have continued to seek out opportunities to participate in and support the AAS through service on committees, posting on our blog, moderating scientific sessions, and encouraging not only other faculty but also residents to grow and develop as academic surgeons. I have previously served on the Membership Committee. I currently serve on the Basic & Translational Science Research Committee and am enthusiastically beginning my term on the Nominating Committee. I would be honored to represent our class as Councilor-at-large.
Name – Ryan Merkow
Institution – Northwestern University
Statement of Interest – I am a surgical oncologist and health services researcher at Northwestern University. My research focus is on cancer care delivery, quality improvement and perioperative patient safety. I have been a contributing member of the AAS since 2008, serving on numerous committees including the Executive Committee. I am the outgoing Chair of the Clinical and Health Services Research Committee where I co-led several successful initiatives. I am deeply committed to the core values and mission of the AAS, and would consider it a privilege to continue to serve its members as a Councilor.
Name – Heather Wachtel
Institution – University of Pennsylvania
Statement of Interest – This letter is to express my enthusiastic interest in serving as an AAS Councilor. I joined AAS as a resident in 2012, and have been a full member since 2019. I served on the Program Committee from 2019-2021, and have been a dedicated participant at the annual Academic Surgical Congress yearly. As an endocrine surgeon and translational researcher, I fully support the AAS’s mission of advancing surgical research. As the associate program director in General Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania and a dedicated mentor, I feel that the AAS fills an integral role in training the next generation of surgeon-scientists.