Dr. Richard Bosshardt

I'm still into it with them, yes. You're still into it with them? It's approaching its third year.

I'm still into it with them, yes. You're still into it with them? It's approaching its third year.

I'm still into it with them, yes. You're still into it with them? It's approaching its third year.

I am a surgeon. I'm a plastic surgeon, but I was a general surgeon for a while. One of the things that I did after I became a surgeon was to apply for fellowship in the American College of Surgeons, which is an honorary sort of a thing to have attached to yourself. If you become a fellow, you're allowed to put the letters F-A-C-S after your name. Yes. and something I sought to do.

I am a surgeon. I'm a plastic surgeon, but I was a general surgeon for a while. One of the things that I did after I became a surgeon was to apply for fellowship in the American College of Surgeons, which is an honorary sort of a thing to have attached to yourself. If you become a fellow, you're allowed to put the letters F-A-C-S after your name. Yes. and something I sought to do.

I am a surgeon. I'm a plastic surgeon, but I was a general surgeon for a while. One of the things that I did after I became a surgeon was to apply for fellowship in the American College of Surgeons, which is an honorary sort of a thing to have attached to yourself. If you become a fellow, you're allowed to put the letters F-A-C-S after your name. Yes. and something I sought to do.

So I became a fellow on the ACS, American College of Surgeons, and went along for 30 plus years as a practicing surgeon doing my thing. And then what happened was in and around 2018, 2019, you could say I woke up. I realized that there was something going on in my area of surgery.

So I became a fellow on the ACS, American College of Surgeons, and went along for 30 plus years as a practicing surgeon doing my thing. And then what happened was in and around 2018, 2019, you could say I woke up. I realized that there was something going on in my area of surgery.

So I became a fellow on the ACS, American College of Surgeons, and went along for 30 plus years as a practicing surgeon doing my thing. And then what happened was in and around 2018, 2019, you could say I woke up. I realized that there was something going on in my area of surgery.

And it began with a transcript of a lecture by an invited lecturer to the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress that they have every year. The lecture was titled, A Pathway to Diversity, Inclusion, and Excellence. That was the title of the lecture. And for reasons that I can't explain, I read it. I wouldn't normally have done that, but I read the entire transcript. I read it twice.

And it began with a transcript of a lecture by an invited lecturer to the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress that they have every year. The lecture was titled, A Pathway to Diversity, Inclusion, and Excellence. That was the title of the lecture. And for reasons that I can't explain, I read it. I wouldn't normally have done that, but I read the entire transcript. I read it twice.

And it began with a transcript of a lecture by an invited lecturer to the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress that they have every year. The lecture was titled, A Pathway to Diversity, Inclusion, and Excellence. That was the title of the lecture. And for reasons that I can't explain, I read it. I wouldn't normally have done that, but I read the entire transcript. I read it twice.

And not once was excellence mentioned in there. And so I wrote a commentary that was actually published in the bulletin of the ACS, where I expressed some concerns about taking down excellence as the primary directive for surgery, for surgeons, and replacing it with diversity, inclusion. At that time, the equity, they didn't throw that in there. And that commentary didn't really do much.

And not once was excellence mentioned in there. And so I wrote a commentary that was actually published in the bulletin of the ACS, where I expressed some concerns about taking down excellence as the primary directive for surgery, for surgeons, and replacing it with diversity, inclusion. At that time, the equity, they didn't throw that in there. And that commentary didn't really do much.

And not once was excellence mentioned in there. And so I wrote a commentary that was actually published in the bulletin of the ACS, where I expressed some concerns about taking down excellence as the primary directive for surgery, for surgeons, and replacing it with diversity, inclusion. At that time, the equity, they didn't throw that in there. And that commentary didn't really do much.

So fast forward a couple of years, and you have COVID, which, you know, its own thing. And then you have the George Floyd killing. And I think you could realistically say that the country went crazy after George Floyd. I mean, everything from riots and whatnot to this pandemic.

So fast forward a couple of years, and you have COVID, which, you know, its own thing. And then you have the George Floyd killing. And I think you could realistically say that the country went crazy after George Floyd. I mean, everything from riots and whatnot to this pandemic.

So fast forward a couple of years, and you have COVID, which, you know, its own thing. And then you have the George Floyd killing. And I think you could realistically say that the country went crazy after George Floyd. I mean, everything from riots and whatnot to this pandemic.

mass movement to adopt the idea that the country was systemically racist, and every institution, every organization was racist, and we had to radically transform the country. And the American College of Surgeons was no different. They jumped right on that bandwagon.

mass movement to adopt the idea that the country was systemically racist, and every institution, every organization was racist, and we had to radically transform the country. And the American College of Surgeons was no different. They jumped right on that bandwagon.