Call for Volunteers

The Call for Volunteers requires ASBrS membership.
Log in to your member account for access.

The American Society of Breast Surgeons' committees are responsible for developing and maintaining the programs that support the Society's mission. The Society is seeking volunteers for the committees listed below. The term for each vacancy is 2 years, and up to 3 terms may be served unless stated otherwise. The term will start immediately following the ASBrS 2024 Annual Meeting.

Each vacancy is for specified membership categories. Preference will be given to those not already sitting on a committee. All volunteers must be members in good standing. Patient Advocate members may only sit on a committee by invitation of the committee chair. The deadline to apply is January 8, 2024.


Annual Meeting Scientific Committee

This committee's charge is to select abstracts for presentation at the annual meeting, select research for presentation at the annual meeting press conference, be a resource for press inquiries for the annual meeting press conference, elicit invited manuscripts for the ASBrS dedicated issue of the Annals of Surgical Oncology (ASO), provide peer review for all manuscripts for the ASBrS dedicated issue of the ASO, and promote published research from the dedicated issue of the ASO.

Position Snapshot

  • Vacancies: 4–5
  • In-Person Meetings: 1 per year
  • Virtual Meetings: 2–3 per year

Requirements

  • Member Categories: Active or Associate
  • Practice Backgrounds: Academic, Community, Private Practice, Rural
  • Expertise: Volunteers should have experience writing manuscripts and have knowledge of how to critically review science.

Please submit a brief paragraph highlighting your experience in your application.

Staff Liaison

Breast Imaging Technologies Certification and Accreditation Committee

This committee's goal is to improve the quality of care for patients with breast disease by encouraging education and training to advance expertise and clinical competency for surgeons who use breast imaging technologies in their practices. The responsibility of the committee is to maintain the integrity of the program, improve the process and to encourage increased member participation.

Position Snapshot

  • Vacancies: 4
  • In-Person Meetings: 1 per year
  • Virtual Meetings: 1 per year

Requirements

  • Member Categories: Active or Associate
  • Practice Backgrounds: Academic, Community, Private Practice, Rural
  • Expertise: Ultrasound and/or Stereotactic proficiency, attention to detail, commitment to deadlines

Committee members must be certified in ultrasound and/or stereotactic procedures with the ASBrS and are expected to review certification applications and exam submissions throughout the year. Contributions and participation in imaging educational activities may be required as well. Special consideration to those experienced and certified in stereotactic breast procedures for 2 of the 4 positions.

Staff Liaison

Candidate Engagement Committee

This committee's charge is to provide opportunities for ASBrS candidate members (resident-in-training, surgical oncology fellow or breast surgical oncology fellow) and medical students to engage with the society, facilitate networking, develop applicable educational programs, and promote interest in lifelong membership.

Position Snapshot

  • Vacancies: 4
  • In-Person Meetings: 1 per year
  • Virtual Meetings: up to 4 per year

Requirements

  • Member Categories: Active
  • Practice Backgrounds: Academic, Community, Private Practice, Rural
  • Expertise: Experience working with and addressing the needs of breast surgical oncology fellows, residents and/or medical students through the development of networking, and education opportunities. Knowledge of the requirements, curriculum and policies of breast surgical oncology fellowship programs, surgical residency programs and/or medical schooling.

The committee will also support and enhance Breast Fellows University (BFU) programming. ASBrS believes in the promise of our candidate members (resident-in-training, surgical oncology fellow or breast surgical oncology fellow) and future of our specialty. BFU was created to support Breast Fellowship Programs, to enrich the existing breast surgical oncology fellowship curriculum, and to help prepare fellows, residents, and medical students for their careers as breast surgical oncologists. BFU is a comprehensive candidate-member-only program that includes a variety of learning and networking opportunities, including dedicated webinars, courses, hands-on training, online self-assessment tools, and events.

Staff Liaison

Coding and Reimbursement Committee

This committee's charge is to represent the interests of breast surgeons on coding and physician payment issues by monitoring changes to reimbursement systems and educating Society members about coding changes, regulations, billing, and reimbursement issues.

Position Snapshot

  • Vacancies: 4
  • In-Person Meetings: n/a
  • Virtual Meetings: 2–3 per year

Requirements

  • Member Categories: Active
  • Practice Backgrounds: Currently practicing breast surgeons with significant clinical experience.
  • Expertise: Knowledge of Medicare payment and coverage policies related to breast surgery as well as overall knowledge of coding. Experience with billing and coding and/or payor outreach.

Keep up to date on issues relating to policies on coding and reimbursement for breast surgeons. Participate in discussions via email regarding issues and concerns related to reimbursement and coding issues, as well as new policy considerations. Actively participate in all meetings.

Staff Liaison

Continuing Medical Education (CME) Committee

This committee's charge is to serve as a regulatory committee to ensure the Society's CME activities meet the Society's CME mission statement and adhere to all Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) accreditation criteria and standards, as well as assigning American Medical Association Physician's Recognition Award (AMA PRA) Category 1 Credits™ and approving continuous certification assessments.

Position Snapshot

  • Vacancies: 1
  • In-Person Meetings: 0–1 per year
  • Virtual Meetings: 2–4 per year

Requirements

  • Member Categories: Active or Associate
  • Practice Backgrounds: Academic, Community, Private Practice, Rural
  • Expertise: Members should be familiar with or willing to learn ACCME and AMA PRA guidelines and criteria.

Members may not be owners, employees or have relevant financial or non-financial/strategic business relationships with ACCME-defined ineligible companies during their term(s). Members should have sufficient volunteer time to fulfill committee responsibilities during the 6–12-month process for CME activity development and delivery.

Staff Liaison

Ethics Committee

The Ethics Committee promotes the highest standards of integrity, honesty and responsibility for all members of the Society.

Position Snapshot

  • Vacancies: 2–4
  • In-Person Meetings: 1 per year
  • Virtual Meetings: 3 per year

Requirements

  • Member Categories: Active or Associate
  • Practice Backgrounds: Academic, Community, Private Practice, Rural
  • Expertise: Interest in the field of ethics in medicine.

Duties include review of conflict of interest forms, creation and review of ethics policies, creation of ethics education materials, and serves a resource for the Board of Directors as needed.

Staff Liaison

Genetics Committee

This committee's charge is to equip ASBrS members with the tools necessary to offer germline genetic testing, interpret those results, and recommend appropriate management strategies based on those results by providing education and resources.

Position Snapshot

  • Vacancies: 6
  • In-Person Meetings: 1 per year, typically at the ASBrS Annual Conference; additional meetings as needed
  • Virtual Meetings: 3–4 per year (quarterly); additional meetings as needed

Requirements

  • Member Categories: Active or Associate
  • Practice Backgrounds: Academic, Community, Private Practice, Rural
  • Expertise: Competency and interest in the development of Genetics education and resources to improve patient experience and outcomes.

The committee may also participate in advocacy on behalf of our patients, as it may relate to insurance coverage, indications for testing, or other relevant topics. When possible, we will collaborate with other ASBrS committees and national organizations, such as SSO or ASCO, to continue to move the field of Genetics forward and to provide appropriate education and resources.

Staff Liaison

Health Equity Committee

This committee's charge is to identify, address, and decrease disparities in breast surgery care. The committee will provide member education and resources and create a framework for understanding health equity in the realm of breast disease.

Position Snapshot

  • Vacancies: 1
  • In-Person Meetings: 1 per year
  • Virtual Meetings: 11 per year (monthly) via Zoom

Requirements

  • Member Categories: Active or Associate
  • Practice Backgrounds: All practice types will be considered.
  • Expertise: Research, publication, or experience in health disparities.

Staff Liaison

International Committee

The charge of the International Committee is to promote The American Society of Breast Surgeons internationally as a leadership organization for surgeons who treat patients with breast disease and to foster global partnerships.

Position Snapshot

  • Vacancies: 1 (international); 1 (USA)
  • In-Person Meetings: 1 per year at the ASBrS Annual Meeting
  • Virtual Meetings: as needed

Requirements

  • Member Categories: Active or Associate
  • Practice Backgrounds: Academic, Community, Private Practice, Rural
  • Expertise: Seeking members who have relationships with international organizations and societies.

Please include a summary of your international experience, interactions, invitations and service.

Staff Liaison

Legislative Committee

This committee's charge is to identify, monitor, evaluate, and recommend positions on legislative and regulatory issues pertinent to the ASBrS and its membership. The committee will also promote ASBrS positions to external governmental stakeholders and plan activities where Society volunteers advocate for issues of importance to breast surgeons.

Position Snapshot

  • Vacancies: 3
  • In-Person Meetings: 1 per year
  • Virtual Meetings: 1–2 per year

Requirements

  • Member Categories: Active/Associate (2); Candidate (1)
  • Practice Backgrounds: Academic, Community, Private Practice, Rural
  • Expertise: Understanding of the legislative process and ability to assess proposed federal legislation and understand its impact on breast surgeons and their practices. Interest in articulating and advocating for the Society’s positions effectively both orally and in writing including communicating with legislators, policymakers and other stakeholders.

Committee members may be asked to visit the Hill annually on behalf of the Society.

Staff Liaison

Membership Committee

The charge of the Membership Committee is to review applications for membership in the organization.

Position Snapshot

  • Vacancies: 5
  • In-Person Meetings: 0
  • Virtual Meetings: scheduled if needed

Requirements

  • Member Categories: Active/Associate (4); Affiliate (1)
  • Practice Backgrounds: Academic, Community, Private Practice, Rural
  • Expertise: Attention to detail and commitment to deadlines.

Committee members are expected to review membership applications throughout the year with peak time January–June (annual meeting). Committee members may also be requested to provide input for recommendations submitted to the ASBrS Board of Directors for review involving membership category and eligibility requirement changes as well as any other membership related issues needing attention.

Staff Liaison

Oncoplastic Surgery Committee

This committee's charge is to create educational opportunities in oncoplastic surgical techniques for our members and increase the awareness of the advantages of oncoplastic surgery in the overall care of breast patients.

Position Snapshot

  • Vacancies: 2
  • In-Person Meetings: 1 per year
  • Virtual Meetings: 6 per year

Requirements

  • Member Categories: Active or Associate
  • Practice Backgrounds: Academic, Community, Private Practice, Rural
  • Expertise: Perform Oncoplastic surgery regularly in your practice and have the expertise required to participate in Oncoplastics related member education.

Committee members will be willing and eligible to achieve society sponsored Oncoplastic certification, and contribute to and/or teach Oncoplastics related education for ASBrS.

Staff Liaison

Christina Lucara, clucara@breastsurgeons.org

Online Video Library Committee

This committee's charge is to develop a catalogue of basic, intermediate, and advanced breast surgical procedures for use by members seeking to improve their technical understanding of breast surgical oncology.

Position Snapshot

  • Vacancies: 5
  • In-Person Meetings: 1 per year
  • Virtual Meetings: every other month via Zoom

Requirements

  • Member Categories: Active, Associate, or Candidate (fellow)
  • Practice Backgrounds: Academic, Community, Private Practice, Rural
  • Expertise: Attention to detail and experience with creating videos.

The Online Video Library Committee is looking for surgeons who have an interest and experience in creating educational medical videos.

Staff Liaison

Patient Safety and Quality Committee

This committee's charge is to identify gaps in care and develop evidence-based, measurable quality metrics that optimize patient outcomes.

Position Snapshot

  • Vacancies: 2
  • In-Person Meetings: 1 per year
  • Virtual Meetings: 3 per year

Requirements

  • Member Categories: Active
  • Practice Backgrounds: Academic, Community, Private Practice, Rural
  • Expertise: Interest in improving quality of care delivered to our patients with benign and malignant breast disease.

Staff Liaison

Practice Management Committee

This committee's charge is to develop tools and resources to assist breast surgeons in the development and management of their practices and address the non-clinical demands of today's practice environment.

Position Snapshot

  • Vacancies: 2
  • In-Person Meetings: 1 per year
  • Virtual Meetings: 2–3 per year

Requirements

  • Member Categories: Active
  • Practice Backgrounds: Academic, Community, Private Practice, Rural
  • Expertise: Ability to anticipate practice management opportunities, and challenges for member practices and identify or help develop the tools and resources wanted/needed.

Staff Liaison

Selected Readings in Breast Surgery Committee

This committee's charge is to develop self-assessment opportunities for members to test their knowledge and determine gaps in their understanding of the quickly changing world of breast disease.

Position Snapshot

  • Vacancies: 4
  • In-Person Meetings: 0–1 per year
  • Virtual Meetings: up to 2 per year

Requirements

  • Member Categories: Active, Associate, or Candidate (fellow/resident)
  • Practice Backgrounds: Academic, Community, Private Practice, Rural
  • Expertise: Proficient at selecting informative articles and writing questions that reinforce important article points as well as further educating participants through background and conclusion areas. Timely and active committee participation.

Each committee member is responsible for choosing an appropriate article addressing an educational gap, generating posttest questions and discussions based on the articles that will measure the participant's competence and medical knowledge. Articles are posted monthly. Each participant is generally responsible for one article submission annually.

The Selected Readings in Breast Surgery Program is a free-of-charge member benefit, providing an easily accessible CME format for surgeons who treat patients with breast disease. Learn how to institute best practices for patients; both those in the office and in the operating room. This program also helps surgeons obtain the self-assessment credits necessary to fulfill the American Board of Surgery's Continuous Certification Program. Participants read an online journal article, and then complete an online posttest, which includes a "final thoughts" discussion, and a post-activity evaluation. Participants are allowed repeat attempts but must ultimately achieve a minimum score of 75% on the required posttest to claim credits.

Staff Liaison


About the Call for Volunteers

  • Committees with vacancies to fill are announced through our annual “Call for Volunteers” in the fall. If opportunities become available at other times throughout the year, members will be notified at that time. Applications will only be accepted during our volunteer enrollment periods.
  • The “Call for Volunteers” announcement will include application information and outline the specific skills/expertise the committee is looking for, meeting attendance requirements, etc.
  • Interested volunteers may access the complete list of committees available on our website.
  • All applicants must be a member in good standing.

Terms

  • Most committee members serve from April to April. The dates correspond with the ASBrS Annual Meeting. Working group terms and special project group terms may vary.
  • Members serve for a term of two years and can serve up to three two-year terms. Chairs serve for a term of two years and can serve up to two two-year terms.
  • All members may sit on committees, but only Active Members may vote or hold office. Patient Advocate members may sit on committees by invitation only from the committee chair.

Duties/Time Commitment

  • Committee duties will vary by committee. Volunteers are requested to commit to a few teleconferences per year and/or in person meetings as determined by the committee (dependent on committee projects, etc) and to actively participate as a committee member.

Questions on the Call for Volunteers?

Telephone: 410-381-9500 or 877-992-5470 (M – F 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM ET)
Email: membership@breastsurgeons.org