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Become a member and receive career-enhancing benefits

Our top priority is providing value to members. Your Member Services team is here to ensure you maximize your ACS member benefits, participate in College activities, and engage with your ACS colleagues. It's all here.

Become a Member
Become a member and receive career-enhancing benefits

Our top priority is providing value to members. Your Member Services team is here to ensure you maximize your ACS member benefits, participate in College activities, and engage with your ACS colleagues. It's all here.

Become a Member
ACS

Residency Readiness Course

June 15–17, 2026 | ACS Headquarters, Chicago, IL

Residency Readiness Course

Prepare for residency with confidence.

Graduating this year and starting residency this summer? Join us for a three-day, in-person course designed specifically for medical students in their final year transitioning into intern year for all surgical specialties.

This course will combine hands-on skills training with focused sessions centered on preparing for the professional and clinical expectations of residency.

What to Expect

  • Interactive, hands-on skills practice in a supportive learning environment designed to strengthen technical ability, reinforce core fundamentals, and build confidence before residency begins.
  • Example call scenarios that review how to approach challenging clinical issues, how to handle and approach basic postoperative care, and how to recognize when additional support is needed and obtain it.
  • Focused guidance on the transition from student to resident, exploring expectations, evolving responsibilities, and practical strategies for starting strong in a new clinical role.
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Contact

If you have questions about this course, please email Cassie Buchignani, MS, PMP, Program Administrator at cbuchignani@facs.org or Michelle Armstrong, MAEd, MA, Senior Manager at marmstrong@facs.org.

Who Should Attend?

Medical students between graduation and residency start who are looking to enter their intern year with greater confidence and preparation.

Location and Schedule

The course will be held at ACS Headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. The course will begin at approximately 12:00 pm CT on June 15 and conclude at the same time on June 17.

More information, including the full agenda and details, will be announced soon.

Course Fee

The fee for the course is $500.

Registration Cancelation/Substitution

Requests for cancelations and refunds must be made in writing and received on or before June 1, 2026. There is a $50 handling fee for ALL refunds and returned checks. Cancelations and registrations postmarked after the deadline date will not be eligible for refunds. Please note that substitutions from one registrant to another are not permitted.

Hotel Accommodations

A hotel room block at a special group rate has been arranged for participants. Rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis, with additional rooms available at standard rates.


701 N Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60611, US

Course Faculty

Course Chair
Jeremy Lipman, MD, MHPE, FACS, FASCRS, MAMSE
Chair, ACS Committee on Medical Student Education

Dr. Jeremy Lipman is a professor of surgery and associate dean for graduate medical education at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. He serves as the Designated Institutional Official and Director of Graduate Medical Education at Cleveland Clinic where he is a staff colorectal surgeon.
Chair
Adam Kabaker, MD, FACS
Chair, ACS/APDS/ASE Resident Prep Curriculum

Dr. Adam Kabaker is a Professor of Surgery and Assistant Dean for Clinical Development at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. His clinical practice focuses on endocrine surgery in the Department of Surgery at Loyola University Medical Center.
Vice-Chair
James Lau, MD, MHPE, FACS, MAMSE
Vice Chair, ACS Committee on Medical Student Education

Dr. James Lau is currently the Professor and Chair for the Department of Surgery at the University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Medicine. He is a minimally invasive, general, and trauma surgeon at University Health Kansas City. Dr. Lau has dedicated his professional life to undergraduate and graduate medical education through various educational leadership roles at the institutions for which he has worked.
Chair
Rebecca Williams, MD, PhD, MEd Psych
Chair, ACS Committee on Resident Education

Dr. Rebecca Williams is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and serves as Associate Program Director for the General Surgery Residency. Her clinical practice focuses on endocrine and general surgery. Her academic interests include surgical education and the learning environment, with a focus on preparing trainees for the transition to residency.

Staff Consultants

Kyla P. Terhune, MD, MBA, FACS
Senior Vice President, Division of Education
Patrice Gabler Blair, DrPH, MPH
Associate Vice President, Division of Education
Cassie Buchignani, MS, PMP
Program Administrator, Medical Student Education
Michelle R. Armstrong, MAEd, MA
Senior Manager, Programs to Enhance Resident and Medical Student Education