By Mark Mandell-Brown, MD, President of AACS

One of my favorite quotes comes from Helen Keller, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” It was with this spirit of collaboration and cooperation that we held the first ever Cosmetic Surgery Strategy Summit on October 24, 2020. The Summit brought together the leaders and Boards of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, the Cosmetic Surgery Foundation, the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery and the American Board of Facial Cosmetic Surgery for a four-hour working meeting on the issues that matter most to the future of cosmetic surgery.

It was a landmark event for two reasons. First, as hard as it is to believe, this was the first time all four of the thought leading organizations in cosmetic surgery have met. Second, because the event was designed to create the first collaborative strategic agenda. During our time together, the organizations focused on four key topics:

• Cosmetic Surgery Education
• Cosmetic Surgery Training Fellows and the Alternative Pathways Concept
• Promoting the Profession of Cosmetic Surgery
• Protecting the Right to Advertise and Practice

The meeting included a mix of presentations, break-out sessions, and real-time reporting. It was exhilarating, exhausting, and incredibly needed. Did we solve every challenge that we face as cosmetic surgeons? No, but it did result in all four organizations agreeing that focusing on fellowship standardization, marketing, and enhancement is our mutual priority.

In the coming month, I will be working to create and manage a joint task force of organization leaders and volunteers to define roles and set both long and short term goals for AACS certified Fellowships. Fellowships are our collective future as they ensure the success of our certifying boards as well as secure the educational pathway for residents and other surgeons who wish to have specific post-graduate training in cosmetic surgery.

Tackling the issues raised at the Summit will take time, energy, and financial investment from each organization. Our profession must unite and stand together to face the next set of challenges that will surely come our way. In the past, our organizations functioned independently and were sometimes at odds with each other. Now, we are moving forward with a clear strategy to unify our four organizations. I will use my role as President of AACS to ensure we are more than ready to face the future and thrive.