Society of University Surgeons

**History** Society of University Surgeons – Founded in 1938 – The mission of the SUS is promoting excellence and leadership in academic surgery. Membership – SUS will intentionally attract and engage all qualified mid-career surgeons. Scholarship – SUS will inspire and promote excellence in scholarship. Professional Development – SUS will facilitate member career advancement. Finance – SUS will maintain financial sustainability. Diversity/Equity/Inclusivity – SUS will promote DEI as a core value within the society and the field of surgery. **Our Legacy** The Society of University Surgeons was established in 1938 when Dr. Samuel J. Stabins, Chief Surgical Resident at the University of Rochester proposed the idea of a new surgical society whose members (1) had completed a rigorous training program in the tradition of Dr. William Halsted at Johns Hopkins Medical School and (2) held a faculty position at a United States medical school. Over the years, the SUS has continually grown in size and stature, to the point that we are now generally recognized as the world’s premier organization dedicated to the advancement of the surgical sciences. Our members have played crucial roles in virtually all of the critical developments within the field of modern surgery, from the most basic scientific breakthroughs to the technological advances used at the bedside and in the operating room. Over the years, the fundamental goals of the SUS have remained unchanged. With our dynamic history, poignant leadership, and pioneering programs in education and research, the society has created an undying legacy and an even more promising future. In 1952, at the fourteenth meeting of the Society of University Surgeons, the Society was presented with a gavel from the Department of Surgery at the Johns Hopkins University. Its inscription states that “the case is made from the oak seats in the gallery of Dr. Halsted’s Operating Room, the gavel head from the maple bannister, and the handle form an oak spindle of the North Staircase.” Dr. Halsted was an outstanding American teacher of surgery whose aim was to establish a school of surgery to train teachers, not merely competent clinical surgeons.