{"id":152,"date":"2025-11-06T17:01:31","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T17:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hca.venturacounty.gov\/hospitals\/?p=152"},"modified":"2025-11-20T18:36:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T18:36:14","slug":"dr-thomas-k-duncan-admitted-into-american-college-of-surgeons-academy-of-master-surgeon-educators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hca.venturacounty.gov\/hospitals\/2025\/11\/06\/dr-thomas-k-duncan-admitted-into-american-college-of-surgeons-academy-of-master-surgeon-educators\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Thomas K. Duncan admitted into American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators\u00ae"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Thomas K. Duncan admitted into American College of Surgeons<\/span><\/b>
\nAcademy of Master Surgeon Educators<\/span><\/b>\u00ae<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ventura, Calif., November 6, 2025<\/span><\/b>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0 Thomas K. Duncan, DO, FACS, FICS, MAMSE, a General Surgeon from Ventura, California,<\/span>\u00a0is among a group of 103<\/span>\u00a0esteemed surgeon educators inducted into membership in the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Academy of Master Surgeon Educators<\/span>\u00ae<\/span>\u00a0on September 19, 2025, during a program event in Chicago. This is the eighth cohort of members inducted into this distinguished Academy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Duncan was inducted as Member of this highly coveted Academy. He is the current Trauma Medical Director of Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC) and Medical Co-Director of Anacapa Surgical Associates.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>He is a surgeon educator with experience in contributing to the development of the trauma system in Ventura County and has received several awards for his work in surgeon education, community outreach injury prevention, as well as multiple peer reviewed publications on trauma and general surgery.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Duncan has demonstrated exceptional leadership and service across trauma care, surgical education, and community outreach. His contributions span injury prevention training (e.g.,\u202f<\/span>Stop the Bleed<\/span><\/i>,\u202f<\/span>ATLS<\/span><\/i>), trauma system development (e.g.,\u202f<\/span>prehospital whole blood program<\/span><\/i>,\u202f<\/span>violence intervention<\/span><\/i>), and education through robotics training, grand rounds, and mentorship at local and national levels. Dr. Duncan has held key roles such as chapter lead for the\u202f<\/span>ATLS 11th edition<\/span><\/i>, chair of\u202f<\/span>Morbidity and Mortality<\/span><\/i>\u202fand\u202f<\/span>Multidisciplinary Trauma Peer Review<\/span><\/i>, and contributor to national initiatives like the\u202f<\/span>ACS Automatic Crash Notification system<\/span><\/i>\u202fand\u202f<\/span>firearm injury prevention summits<\/span><\/i>. Their advocacy includes legislative efforts (e.g.,\u202f<\/span>AB2260<\/span><\/i>,\u202f<\/span>E-Bike laws<\/span><\/i>) and outreach to high schools and communities on health, safety, and medical careers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Duncan\u2019s excellence has been recognized through numerous awards, including the\u202f<\/span>Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma President\u2019s Distinguished Award<\/span><\/i>,\u202f<\/span>ACS Foundation Fellows Leadership Society<\/span><\/i>, and multiple honors from the\u202f<\/span>Ventura County Medical Center<\/span><\/i>,\u202f<\/span>California Legislature<\/span><\/i>, and\u202f<\/span>American Red Cross<\/span><\/i>. These accolades reflect a career marked by dedication to patient care, education, mentorship, and public health advocacy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Duncan has had an enormous impact on the care of surgical and trauma patients at VCMC. \u202f\u202fI have had the privilege of observing his exceptional skills in the operating room as well as his aptitude for leadership at the highest level.\u202f Whether he is repairing a stab wound in the heart, removing a thyroid cancer through the smallest of incisions, or leading system-wide initiatives to improve trauma and surgical care, he exhibits excellence and compassion.\u202f When he is not in the hospital, Dr. Duncan spends countless hours in outreach to our community.\u202f\u202f I cannot think of a more deserving physician to receive this prestigious honor,\u201d said John Fankhauser, MD, MHA, CEO VCMC and Santa Paula Hospital\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators\u00ae works to advance the science and practice of education across all surgical specialties. Individuals are selected as Members, Associate Members, or Affiliate Members following a stringent peer review process. This year\u2019s class includes Members (56 Inductees), Associate Members (42 Inductees), and Affiliate Members (5 Inductees). The first inaugural class was inducted in 2018 and the Academy has since grown to include 458<\/span>\u00a0Members<\/span>,<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Associate Members, and Affiliate Members who represent thirteen surgical specialties other than general surgery. Inductees are from 32 states and the District of Columbia. They come from nine countries in addition to those from the United States.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Once inducted, Academy members actively engage in advancing the Academy\u2019s programs and goals, which are to advance the science and practice of innovative lifelong surgical education, training, and scholarship in the changing milieu of health care; foster the exchange of creative ideas and collaboration; support the development and recognition of faculty; underscore the importance of lifelong surgical education and training; positively impact quality and patient safety through lifelong surgical education and training; disseminate advances in education and training to all surgeons; and offer mentorship to surgeon educators throughout their professional careers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis year, we celebrate another cohort of distinguished surgeon educators who are pushing the frontiers of surgical education and making outstanding contributions to our field,\u201d said Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, FSACME, MAMSE, Senior Vice President of the ACS Division of Education and Co-Chair of the Academy. \u201cAs we welcome these new members, we are excited to continue fostering innovation, collaboration, and excellence in surgical education. Together, we will define the future of surgical education and inspire the next generation of educators to advance patient care and professional practice through impactful education.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Academy members collaborate on and publish significant works of scholarship and participate in fireside chats, Grand Rounds Series, and the Academy Symposium, an annual conference that brings together Academy members to exchange best practices and discuss critical topics in surgical education. The Academy continues to focus on outreach and mentorship to surgeon educators from across the globe, with a special emphasis on engaging surgeon educators from low-middle income countries. With this year\u2019s induction ceremony, the Academy will include 64 international members, representing 25 countries outside of the U.S.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Academy of Master Surgeon Educators continues to be a dynamic force, driving the evolution of surgical education through the dedication and expertise of its members,\u201d said L.D. Britt, MD, MPH, DSc(Hon), FACS, FCCM, FRCSEng(Hon), FRCSEd(Hon), FWACS(Hon), FRCSI(Hon), FCS(SA)(Hon), FRCS(Glasg)(Hon), MAMSE, Past President of the ACS, and Co-Chair of the Academy. \u201cAs we welcome the 2025 class of exceptional educators, we reaffirm our commitment to shaping the future of surgical training and setting new educational benchmarks that ultimately enhance patient care and outcomes.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To learn more about the Academy of Master Surgeon Educations, please\u00a0<\/span>visit the Academy\u2019s homepage<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

About the Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC)<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

VCMC<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is a fully accredited acute care hospital with a Level II Trauma Center and the County\u2019s only Pediatric Unit. As a public hospital, it plays a vital role in delivering health care to underserved and low-income residents throughout Ventura County.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

About the Anacapa Surgical Associates<\/span><\/b>\u00a0\u2122<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anacapa Surgical Associates\u2122<\/span><\/a>\u00a0partners with the Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC). As a team, they provide access to high quality, compassionate health care to residents throughout Ventura County. They also provide services at the Santa Paula Hospital, an acute, 49 bed, general community hospital providing compassionate care to Santa Clara Valley residents.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

About the American College of Surgeons<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0<\/span>American College of Surgeons<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the quality of care for all surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has approximately 90,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. \u201cFACS\u201d designates that a surgeon is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Thomas K. Duncan admitted into American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators\u00ae\u00a0 Ventura, Calif., November 6, 2025\u00a0\u2013\u00a0 Thomas K. Duncan, DO, FACS, FICS, MAMSE, a General Surgeon from Ventura, California,\u00a0is among a group of 103\u00a0esteemed surgeon educators inducted into membership in the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Academy of Master Surgeon Educators\u00ae\u00a0on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hca.venturacounty.gov\/hospitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hca.venturacounty.gov\/hospitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hca.venturacounty.gov\/hospitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hca.venturacounty.gov\/hospitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hca.venturacounty.gov\/hospitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hca.venturacounty.gov\/hospitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hca.venturacounty.gov\/hospitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hca.venturacounty.gov\/hospitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hca.venturacounty.gov\/hospitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}