About JUMPSTART

The Association for Academic Surgery (AAS) and the Society of University Surgeons (SUS) have recently received funding from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Board of Regents’ Anti‐Racism Committee.  JUMP (Junior Underrepresented Mentorship and Promotion) Start program is a collaborative AAS and SUS initiative to identify and promote under-represented early career surgeons. The program was selected as one of the inaugural recipients of a $50,000 Innovative Grant for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism, and will be led by co-Principal Investigators (co-PIs) Callisia Clarke MD, MS, FACS; Brenessa Lindeman MD, MEHP, FACS; Taranjit Arora MD, FACS; and Thomas K. Varghese Jr. MD, MS, FACS, on behalf of the AAS and SUS. Recognizing the importance of promoting diversity, ACS’ goal of the grant program is to “advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in surgery and, thereby, better health outcomes for all.”

The mission of the AAS is to inspire and develop young academic surgeons. Founded in 1966 the Association is widely recognized as an inclusive surgical organization with over 4,000 members. The impetus of the membership remains advancing research-based academic surgery. AAS works to promote their core values of Scholarship, Leadership, Mentorship/Sponsorship, Innovation, Inclusion and Community.

The mission of the SUS focuses on supporting and advancing leaders in academic surgery. Established in 1938 the SUS has continually grown in size and stature, and is now generally recognized as the world’s premier organization dedicated to the advancement of the surgical sciences. SUS members have played crucial roles in 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.