The Association for Academic Surgery 2011-present: standing on the shoulders of giants

The Association for Academic Surgery (AAS), which is a society dedicated to inspiring and developing young academic surgeons, recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Each decade since its inception has seen incredible growth. This most recent decade, from 2011 to present, has been characterized by: (1) reevaluation and clarification of the society's vision, mission, core values and organizational structure; (2) diversification of the membership and leadership; (3) support for international outreach and global surgery research; (4) expansion of its impact through social media; and (5) adaptability to a changing political climate.