Welcome to the Academy of Surgical Research!

We’re happy you’re here! Please take some time to become familiar with the website and all that we have to offer. We offer varying surgical certification levels to help you become a leader in your field, a mentorship program to help you grow your professional career, multiple publication opportunities in either the Academy’s official journal ‘Surgeries’ or a members-only newsletter, Surgical Savvy. Two scholarships are also available to assist you in either attending the annual meeting, paying the annual membership fee, or taking a certification exam. A members-only section allows visibility to other members to connect with, presentations from prior annual meetings, and access to our Surgical Savvy newsletter. Stayed tuned to our social media pages for the latest news and developments within the Academy. LinkedIn can be found by clicking here. You can also visit and join our Facebook page here.

We invite you all to join us for our 40th Annual meeting in Clearwater, FL, September 25-27, 2024, for good conversation, the opportunity to meet new friends, greet old friends and learn new things. As always, we encourage new, up and coming surgeons and techs to come learn new ideas, techniques and procedures from ASR mentors, presenters, and the multitude of experience of our members.

We encourage all members, new and old to submit abstracts for posters and presentations. If you have an idea or information that might be useful to the industry, please share! We also have a “Curious George “session where new presenters are encouraged to present short presentations in a safe environment. No subject is too insignificant to present on!

Our wet labs will held at The University of South Florida and we’re excited to partner with them this year. The wet labs and certification exams will take place on September 25th followed by the annual meeting on September 26 and 27, 2023. As always, we are always looking for volunteers for the wet labs and meeting.

We welcome all within the veterinary and human medical field who are performing surgical research or experimental surgery to attend. The annual meeting is also a great way to connect with vendors who can provide you with the right resources to improve your surgical outcomes. Multiple awards are also granted during the annual meeting promoting professional development. No subject is too insignificant to present on!

See you all in Florida!!!! — Steve

Overview

Founded in 1982, the Academy of Surgical Research promotes the advancement of professional and academic standards, education and research in the arts and sciences of experimental surgery. The Academy interfaces with medical and scientific organizations, and governmental agencies in establishing and reviewing ethics, theories, practices and research pertaining to surgery and promotion of the results for clinical application.

Mission

The Academy of Surgical Research fosters interdisciplinary transfer of ideas and theories by offering a common platform through which the reporting of valid surgical research efforts is a reality.

The Academy of Surgical Research was founded to:

  • Encourage, foster, promote, and advance professional and academic standards, education, research, and development in the arts and sciences of experimental surgery.
  • Promote, initiate, support, and accomplish academic and practical educational programs, cooperative research, and development in experimental surgery in the public interest.
  • Promote humane use and treatment of experimental animals and prevent their use when other means can bring about the same scientific results.
  • Cooperate with medical organizations, other scientific organizations, government agencies, and other interested parties in establishing, reviewing, and evaluating ethics, theories, practices, and research pertaining to surgical research and promotion of the product of surgical research for clinical application.
  • Encourage the advancement of the field of surgery in all aspects, including research, education, and critical promotion of research products for clinical applications.

Bylaws

The ASR is a corporation registered in the State of Minnesota, USA. The principal office may be located inside or outside the state of Minnesota. The ASR may have such other offices, either within or without the State of Minnesota, as the Board of Directors may determine necessary or desirable. The ASR shall have and continuously maintain in the State of Minnesota, a registered office and a registered agent. The registered office and the registered agent may be changed from time to time by the Board of Directors.
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Board of Directors

Leslie Stoll
Leslie Stoll2024 Immediate Past President and Nominating Committee
SRS, AS, LATG, LVT
Steve Kreuser
Steve Kreuser2024 President
SRS, SRA
Jan Bernal
Jan Bernal2024 Veterinary Oversight Committee Chair
DVM
Amy Martunas
Amy MartunasDirector at Large 2021-2024
SRA, SRT, CVT, RLATG
 Jose Negron-Garcia
Jose Negron-Garcia2024 President Elect
MS, SRS
Jen Sweet
Jen Sweet2024 Liaison Officer
SRS, BS, LATG
Jane Perkins
Jane PerkinsDirector at Large 2023-2026
Frederick Emond
Frederick EmondDirector at Large 2023-2026
Darcy Gagne
Darcy GagneDirector at Large 2021-2024
SRS, LATG, CVT, BS, ScM
Gayle Nugent
Gayle NugentDirector at Large 2022-2025
BA, SRS, LATg
Kathryn Nichols
Kathryn Nichols2024 Membership Committee Chair and Director at Large 2022-2025
SRS, MS
Jon Ehrmann
Jon Ehrmann 2024 Secretary and Treasurer-Bylaws Committe Chair-EALAS Liaison
SRS, SRA, LATG, BS
Lisa Johnson
Lisa Johnson2024 Certification Committee Chair
SRS, RLATG, BA
Susan Fleming
Susan Fleming2024 Exhibitor Chair
Melanie Graham
Melanie Graham2024 Journal Liaison
MPH, PhD
Heather Bogie
Heather Bogie2024 Communications Committee Co-Chair
BS, CVT, SRS, RLATG
Tracy Ziegelhofer
Tracy Ziegelhofer2024 Communications Committee Co-Chair

Staff

Christine Siebert
Christine SiebertASR Executive Director
Robert Siebert
Robert SiebertASR Owner and Managing Technical Director

Continuing Education

Course & Certifications

Learn More

Mentorship Program

Learn More

Academy of Surgical Research Education Foundation

The mission of the ASR Education Foundation shall be to advance the profession of surgical research through supported educational activities. Continuing education awards shall be made in a non-discriminatory basis to selected individuals working in the surgical research field.

Founding Members

Association Solutions, Inc.

Colonial Medical Supply

Data Sciences International

Kent Scientific Corporation

Jan Bernal

John Cody Resendez

Lomir Biomedical

MPI Research

Paul & Erlinda Kirkman

Primate Products

Randy Pielemeier

WIL Research

Grants & Scholarships

Foundation Grant

The Foundation Grant is available to current Academy members. The recipient is awarded a one year ASR Annual Dues and/or ASR Annual Meeting Registration. The number of award recipients per year is dependent on available funds, the number of applicants, and is at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

Submission deadline for ASR Annual Dues is December 31st and June 30th for the Annual Meeting Registration Fee. The committee will announce grant award recipient(s) no later than January 15th and July 15 th of each year.

  1. Complete the application located here.
  2. Include a letter of recommendation from your manager or supervisor. This letter should detail your experience in surgical research, and any other information which would support your application for support from the Academy’s Foundation.
  3. Grant decisions will be based on flexible criteria to include: Academy membership, grant application content, relevance of the applicant’s profession to the Foundation’s mission, personal motivation and financial need. Individuals in the early stages of their career who are active Academy members will be given preferential consideration.
  4. If you are chosen for a grant, you may need to pay initially and then be reimbursed for the amount of the grant awarded.

Ken MacLeod Memorial Scholarship

The Ken MacLeod Memorial Scholarship is open to both Academy members and non-members.  Up to two scholarships are awarded annually to be used in support of sitting for one of the ASR certification exams.

Submission deadline is June 30th for the ASR Certification Exam Fee. The committee will announce scholarship award recipient(s) no later than July 15th of each year.

  1. Complete the application located here.
  2. Include a letter of recommendation from your manager or supervisor. This letter should detail your experience in surgical research, and any other information which would support your application for support from the Ken MacLeod Memorial Scholarship.
  3. Scholarship decisions will be based on flexible criteria to include: scholarship application content, relevance of the applicant’s profession to the scholarship mission, personal motivation and financial need.
  4. If you are chosen for a scholarship, you may need to pay initially and then be reimbursed for the amount of the scholarship awarded.

Randy Pielemeier Memorial Scholarship

The Randy Pielemeier Memorial Scholarship provides travel assistance, and meeting registration for a member to attend the annual Academy of Surgical Research (ASR) meeting.

Randy Pielemeier worked in surgical research for over 30 years and was very active within the Academy of Surgical Research. During his tenure with the Academy, he served as Director at Large on the Board of Directors as well as Chairman of the Program and Membership Committees. He received several ASR awards, including the Barry Sauer Award for the highest score on the SRS exam (2000), and the Andreas Von Recum Award for outstanding contributions to the Academy and the field of investigative surgery (2013). Randy had an encyclopedic knowledge of surgery and enjoyed collaborating with peers in the field. He frequently presented at ASR annual meetings and was an adamant supporter of ASR as a platform for sharing knowledge and fellowship with the surgical research community.

This scholarship is funded by Charles River Laboratories, Inc. in Mattawan, Michigan. They pledge to support a Memorial Scholarship with the Academy of Surgical Research in memory of Randall Pielemeier, a novel and tenured, Surgical Research Specialist at its Mattawan, Michigan facility. The Randall Pielemeier Memorial Scholarship supports an individual who adopts the essence of Randy’s innate ability to seek innovative animal research surgical solutions.  The scholarship is open to any members who are in good standing with the Academy. Financial need and/or activity in the Academy will be evaluated and positively noted.  The scholarship will fund travel within the United States, to and from the host city and hotel during the meeting.  The scholarship winner will be required to prepare and present on an anesthesia or surgical research topic during the annual meeting.

Applicant will submit their application to the board for review.  The BOD will select and present one scholarship from all applicants.

Award Amount: Up to $1,500 in travel reimbursement plus meeting registration depending on location.

Scholarship decisions will be based on flexible criteria to include scholarship application content, relevance of the applicant’s profession to the scholarship mission, personal motivation, and financial need.

  1. Complete the application located here.
  2. Be a current Academy of Surgical Research member.
  3. Currently working in the field of surgical research focusing on either surgery or anesthesia.
  4. Letter(s) of support from applicants’ management and peers, which include background and your impact on your area of focus within surgical research.
  5. Submit a 350 word or more essay on the impact this scholarship would have: including background, financial need, and involvement with ASR.
  6. Submit an abstract for a fifteen to twenty-minute presentation during the annual meeting.  This can cover any areas in experimental surgery from anesthesia to model development.
  7. Attend the Business/Awards luncheon at the Annual Meeting to personally accept the award.

Foundation Grant

2017: Ashleigh Bone, SRS, RLATg, MLAS, BA
2016 (First Year): Stacy Ly, SRS, RLATG

Ken MacLeod Memorial Scholarship

2017: N/A
2016 (First Year): Nina C. Bishop, B.S., RLATG

Corporate Partner Program

The Corporate Partner Program is a way for companies in the surgical research world to show their support and leadership in maintaining the highest levels of surgical research.

From a practical standpoint, participation in the program gives Corporate Partners access to ASR members and their expertise, specifically working with various surgical research tools and technologies in a variety of animal models.  Being an ASR Corporate Partner shows your dedication to being a leader in the surgical research field.

Stay connected with the Academy of Surgical Research by joining our email list.