141st Annual Meeting Update

The American Surgical Association invites you to attend its 141st Annual Meeting, which will take place on Thursday, April 15, and Friday, April 16, 2021. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the ASA Council has made the difficult decision to hold this meeting virtually. Since COVID-19 itself, along with institutional and governmental limitations, will certainly prevent attendees from traveling to Seattle, WA, we are planning for a virtual ASA meeting.

All meeting content will be either pre-recorded or live-streamed during an online time period that follows a condensed version of an ASA in-person Annual Meeting. While we are disappointed that this will mark the second consecutive year in which we cannot all gather in person, the Program Committee is very excited to present a top-notch scientific program.

As always, the Annual Meeting will feature traditional scientific sessions with the top 32 papers submitted, as well as the Presidential Forum and the Presidential Address. The ASA virtual meeting will be its usual engaging event with excellent scientific content.

We look forward to seeing all of you online. Should you have any questions or require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact the Association.

Robin S. McLeod, MD President, ASA

Nipun B. Merchant, MD Program Chair, ASA

Important Announcement Regarding the 140th Annual Meeting of the American Surgical Association
The ASA has been closely monitoring updates and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and from the World Health Organization (WHO) (including its declaration of a global pandemic), as well as from state and local governments (including states of emergencies and bans on gatherings). We have also been actively following travel advisories and restrictions being placed on hospitals and institutions, and we know that an ever-increasing number of our members are on the front lines facing the COVID-19 outbreak worldwide. Finally, the health, safety, and well-being of our members, staff, faculty, attendees, patients, and other stakeholders is of paramount importance. Based on all of these factors, it is with heavy hearts that the ASA has made the difficult but necessary decision to cancel its 140th Annual Meeting, which was to have taken place April 16-18, 2020, in Washington, DC.

We have answered the most pressing questions below; if you have further questions or would like more information, please contact the Association.

How will the ASA handle registration refunds?
All registered Annual Meeting attendees will be entitled to a full registration refund. You do not need to contact the ASA; information will be forthcoming.

How can I cancel my hotel reservation?
If you made your reservation within the ASA’s official block of rooms, your reservation has been cancelled. Any individual booked outside of the official block, is responsible for cancelling their own hotel reservations made at the Grand Hyatt. You may cancel you hotel reservations online or by contacting the Grand Hyatt by phone at (202) 582-1234; if cancelling online, you will need to have available the confirmation number received upon booking. Please also remember to cancel any other personal arrangements you've made, such as air travel.

Will the 140th Annual Meeting be postponed until a later date / rescheduled?
ASA Annual Meetings are planned years in advance, with careful coordination with venues that can accommodate our meeting. Rescheduling has proven impossible to find a date that is agreeable and offers the best opportunity for the majority of our membership and non-member physicians alike, to attend.

What happens if I was scheduled to present and/or discuss an abstract?
The ASA and the Annals of Surgery will be reaching out directly to paper authors and discussants to address issues of manuscript submission/publication. All papers will still be accepted for publication consideration in the September and October issues of the Annals. Again, all authors and discussants will be contacted with further information.

What will happen with ASA business conducted at the Annual Meeting?

• The current Council will continue in their roles through the 2021 Annual Meeting, with the Nominating Committee postponing its announcement of the new slate until the 2021 Business Meeting.
• Council and Committee meetings scheduled at the Annual Meeting will be conducted via conference call or web conference.
• The presentations of the Scientific Medallion, the Medallion for Advancement of Surgical Care, and the Flance-Karl Award have been postponed until the 2021 Annual Meeting.
• The photos of Fellows elected in 2019 will be posted online.
• The election of new 2020 membership candidates will be conducted via e-ballot.
• The names of membership candidates with completed applications for the 2021 cycle will be posted online.
• Committee and Representative appointments will be posted online.
• Further decisions have also been made, and updates will be posted after those directly impacted by these decisions have been contacted first.