Association for Surgical Education: Empowering Surgical Educators Through Innovation and Collaboration
Introduction
The Association for Surgical Education (ASE) stands as a beacon for advancing surgical education, fostering innovation, and empowering surgical educators. Founded in 1980, the ASE brings together over 850 members representing more than 190 medical schools and institutions across the United States and Canada. This article explores the ASE's mission, strategic plan, key programs, and the impact it has on shaping the future of surgical education.
The Core Purpose: Empowering Surgical Educators
At its heart, the ASE is driven by a singular purpose: to empower surgical educators. This core mission is visually represented by a diagram developed through the collaborative efforts of numerous ASE members, undergoing multiple revisions to ensure it accurately reflects the organization's goals.
Strategic Plan: A Five-Pillar Approach
The ASE's strategic plan is built upon five core pillars, each designed to contribute to the overall mission of empowering surgical educators:
- Membership: Cultivating a diverse and engaged membership base is crucial to the ASE's success.
- Infrastructure: Developing and maintaining a strong organizational infrastructure ensures the ASE can effectively support its members and programs.
- Finance: Securing financial resources is essential for sustaining existing programs and exploring new opportunities for innovation.
- Leadership: Fostering leadership skills among its members ensures the ASE remains at the forefront of surgical education.
- Innovation: Encouraging innovation in surgical education practices and technologies drives continuous improvement and advancement.
ASCENT Program: A Curriculum for Education Innovation and Teaching
The Association for Surgical Education Curriculum in Education Innovation and Teaching (ASCENT) program, developed by the ASE Simulation Committee, provides foundational training in surgical education and simulation. Recognizing a national need for standardized, accessible, and high-impact simulation education, ASCENT aims to bridge the gap between interest and expertise.
Target Audience
ASCENT is open to a wide range of individuals, including:
Read also: Learning by Doing: The AEE Story
- Surgical residents
- Simulation fellows
- New and early-career simulation educators (within 5 years of starting faculty appointment)
- Interested mid-to-senior career simulation educators (greater than 5 years out of training)
The program is capped at 30 participants annually to ensure a personalized and engaging learning experience.
Delivery Method
ASCENT employs a year-long curriculum based on a monthly didactic series featuring renowned lecturers. Each 60-minute Zoom session includes presentations, interactive breakout sessions, and Q&A, addressing key topics and filling gaps in the current system. Scheduled for 5:00-6:00 PM Eastern time, the virtual sessions may be subject to change.
Membership and Assessments
While ASE membership is recommended, it is not mandatory for program participants. To achieve certification, participants must attend at least 14 sessions and demonstrate active participation, including completing post-session assessments and quizzes.
Registration
The registration fee for the 2025-2026 program is $800 per participant. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance by August 29 and must submit payment before the program begins.
ASCENT Program Sessions: A Deep Dive
The ASCENT program covers a wide range of topics essential for surgical educators. Here's a closer look at some of the key sessions:
Read also: Vanderbilt University Alumni
ASCENT Introduction and Orientation (September 9, 2025)
Led by Program Directors Ming-Li Wang, MD, and Erika Simmerman Mabes, DO, this introductory session sets the stage for the year-long curriculum.
Simulation Education Research- Introduction to Statistics/Qualitative Methodology (September 16, 2025)
Faculty: Anip Joshi, MBBS, MS
Dr. Anip Joshi, Chief Consultant Surgeon and Associate Professor at Bir Hospital, National Academy of Medical Sciences in Nepal, leads this workshop. He is a Member Secretary of Institutional Review Board of National Academy of Medical Sciences. He is Chair of Association of Academic Global Surgery(AAGS)-Advocacy Committee, active member of International Society of Surgery(ISS/SIC), fellow of American College of Surgeons(ACS), executive member of Society of Surgeons of Nepal(SSN), and International Task Force member of Association for Surgical Education(ASE).
Event Description: This workshop provides a comprehensive overview of opportunities to engage in simulation educational research and how to get started. It covers different study types and common qualitative statistical concepts, societal and funding support, and multi-institutional collaborative project design.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe components of study design important to consider when seeking robust data collection.
- Identify common barriers to appropriate statistical analysis and describe which analyses are most appropriate for a number of example scenarios.
- Identify challenges in interpretation of statistical analysis of qualitative data and strategies to avoid common pitfalls.
Adult Learning Theory Shifting Focus from Teaching to Learning (October 14, 2025)
Faculty: Joon Shim, MD, MPH
Read also: Supporting South High Students
Dr. Joon K. Shim, Program Director at Bassett Healthcare Network, leads this session. Dr. Shim is a fellowship-trained advanced minimally invasive and bariatric surgeon at Bassett Healthcare Network and Columbia-Bassett Program.
Event Description: This workshop introduces participants to principles relating to adult learning, including prominent theories and concepts. Discussion will center around how these relate to teaching strategies, covering behaviorism, cognitive information processing, constructivism, learning and memory, motivation, and self-regulation in adult learning.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe principle theories relating to adult learning.
- Identify how adult learning theories relate to the participant’s current teaching strategies.
- Identify areas of the participant’s teaching strategies in which adaption can allow these to be centered around principles of adult learning.
Diffusion of Innovation Theory: Application to Educational Leadership (October 28, 2025)
Faculty: Karen Dickinson, MBBS, BSc. MD, MEd, FRCS, CHSE-A
Dr. Karen Dickinson, Assistant Professor of Surgery and Surgical Director of UAMS Centers for Simulation Education ACSAEIUAMS, leads this workshop. She is Surgical Director of the American College of Surgeons-Accredited Educational Institute (ACSAEI) UAMS Centers for Simulation Education.
Event Description: This workshop introduces the participant to theories of diffusion of organizational change and pertinent literature. The learning event will highlight the practices of leaders who guide change on an organizational level at educational institutions.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe theories of diffusion of organizational change.
- Apply the principles of theories of diffusion of organizational change to design a safe-to-fail experiment addressing an important aspect of the participant’s practice.
- Develop a strategy for durable changed based on the results of the safe-to-fail experiment.
Instructional Design and Instructional Evaluation (November 11, 2025 & December 2, 2025)
Faculty: Jamie Robertson, PhD, MPH
Dr. Jamie M. Robertson, Senior Research Scientist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, leads this two-part workshop.
Event Description: The workshop will discuss the major components of instructional development. Participants will brainstorm designing a stand-alone instructional module that could be used in their educational environment. The workshop will discuss educational evaluation and theories pertaining to this. The workshop will discuss how to assess outcomes of learning events and plan evaluation strategies. Participants will brainstorm how to best apply these strategies to instructional evaluation at their institution.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the major components of instructional development.
- Create an outline for an instructional module that could be used in the participants institution for education.
- Describe best practices for evaluating instructional design and apply them to the educational module created by the participant within the workshop.
Learner Assessment and Giving Feedback (December 9, 2025)
Faculty: Barbara Pettitt, MD, MHPE
Dr. Barbara Pettitt, Director of Medical Student Education and Professor of Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine, leads this workshop.
Event Description: This workshop describes the principles of formative and summative learner assessment and the utilization of assessment for learning in medical education. Discussion will include validated assessment tools. The workshop will discuss the importance of feedback delivery, and strategies to optimize the process including methods to overcome challenges and barriers to feedback delivery
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the different forms of learner assessment
- Describe strategies for giving learner feedback e.g. Pendleton rules, feedback sandwich, ARCH and outline the benefits and limitations of each
- Identify challenges in delivering feedback in participant’s own practice and apply strategies to optimize performance in this area
Curriculum Development Part 1 (Kerns Steps 1-3) (January 13, 2026)
Faculty: James N. Lau, MD, MHPE
Dr. James Lau, Professor and Chair at University of Missouri Kansas City, leads this session.
ASE Surgical Education Research Fellowship (SERF)
The ASE Surgical Education Research Fellowship (SERF) program, celebrating its 20th anniversary, is an excellent starting point for AAS members considering a career in surgical education research. The fellowship features a didactic curriculum to equip junior faculty with the skills and knowledge to plan and implement a surgical education project. Each fellow is matched with a SERF Advisor for mentorship and guidance.
Financial Support and the ASE Foundation
Financial support is crucial for the ASE to continue and expand its programs. The ASE Foundation's Board of Directors has established high standards of research excellence for grant applicants. These standards have attracted generous investments from national corporations. Contributing to the ASE Foundation helps enhance surgical education.
tags: #association #surgical #education #resources
