2026 TSDA General Sessions
TSDA General Session (Spring 2026), Friday, May 1, 2026,5:00pm-6:30pm
Location: Hyatt Regency Chicago (151 East Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60601)
Michigan 1 Room, Concourse Level, East Tower
Agenda
Welcome and Updates (10-minutes)
Treasurer’s Report (5-minutes)
ACGME Report (12-minutes)
• Review Committee Update
• Question & Answer
ABTS Report (15-minutes)
• Updates
• Professionalism
• Case Requirements Changes
o definitions
o logging
• Question & Answer
Faculty Development for Rollout of EPAs (10-minutes)
Video Assessment (5-minutes)
Open Forum
Business Meeting (only PDs or their designates may vote—one vote per institution) (20-minutes)
• Call to Order
• Proposed Revised TSDA Bylaws
o Mission
o Attendance
• Nominating Committee Report: TSDA Officer Elections
• Nominating Committee Member Election
• Committee Chair Introductions and Service Recognition
New Business (5-minutes)
Adjourn
Presentations and related information and reports will be posted on the General Session page of TSDA.org.
Written Reports
• TSDA Treasurers Report (Ahmet Kilic, Secretary/Treasurer)
• Early Specialization Committee (Kirsten Freeman, Chair)
• Faculty Development Committee (Sara Pereira, Chair)
• Congenital Cardiac Surgery Fellowship (Richard Mainwaring, Chair)
• TSITE (Cherie Erkmen, Chair)
• TECoG (Kirsten Freeman, Chair)
• Program Coordinators Committee (Carolyn Grissom, Chair)
TSDA General Session (Winter 2026) — Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 5:30pm-7:00pm
St. Charles Ballroom, Hilton New Orleans Riverside (Two Poydras St, New Orleans, LA 70130)
Audience: Mandatory for Program Directors, encouraged for APDs, Faculty, and PCs
Agenda
Welcome Stephen Yang, TSDA President
State of CT-Surgery Education Stephen Yang, TSDA President
ACGME Report Chris Fox, Executive Director, Review Committee for Thoracic Surgery
• Review Committee Update
• Question & Answer
TSDA In-Training Exam Cherie P. Erkmen, TSITE Chair
TECoG Report/Presentation Kirsten Freeman, TECoG Chair
TSDA Strategic Priorities David Tom Cooke, Immediate Past TSDA President
ACS Report David Tom Cooke, TSDA
• ACS-RAS Membership Representative to ACS
ABTS Report Stephen Yang, TSDA President
• I-6 Case Requirements David Tom Cooke, ABTS Director
• Feedback on Pulse360
• Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs)
• Question & Answer
STS Report TBD
Business Meeting Ahmet Kilic, Secretary/Treasurer
(only PDs or their designates may vote—one vote per institution)
• Updates
• Proposed Revised TSDA Bylaws
o Executive Committee Composition
o General Session Attendance
o Quorum
o Other Revisions
• 2026-2027 Self-Nomination Process
• Open Forum
o Skills Assessment
o Future Webinars (Faculty Development, Early Specialization, etc.)
Other Revisions
New Business Stephen Yang, TSDA President
Benson R. Wilcox Resident Award Stephen Yang, TSDA President
Adjourn Stephen Yang, TSDA President
Presentations and related information and reports will be posted on the General Session page of TSDA.org.
TSDA 50th Anniversary Celebration — Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 7:00pm-8:00pm
St. Charles Ballroom, Hilton New Orleans Riverside (Two Poydras St, New Orleans, LA 70130)
Audience: Program Directors, APDs, Faculty, PCs, former TSDA leaders
Agenda
Welcome & Remarks Stephen Yang, TSDA President
History of the TSDA Jeffrey Gold, Past TSDA President
Recognition of Past TSDA Leaders Stephen Yang, TSDA President
Remembrance of Dr. John Benfield Reception