Dr. Chester Royals was among 1,970 Initiates from around the world who became Fellows of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) during the Convocation ceremony at the College’s 2018 annual Clinical Congress in Boston, Mass., last month. This year’s class of Initiates was among one of the largest ever admitted into the College.
Dr. Royals received a medical doctorate from Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon and is currently practicing at Coffee Regional Medical Center with CRH Surgical Group.
By meeting the College’s stringent membership requirements, Fellows of the College have earned the distinguished right to use the designation of “FACS” (Fellow, American College of Surgeons) after their names. An applicant for Fellowship must be a graduate of an approved medical school; must have completed advanced training in one of the 14 surgical specialties recognized by the College; must possess certification by an American surgical specialty board; and must have been in practice for at least one year at the time of his or her application. Before admission into Fellowship, the surgeon must further demonstrate ethical fitness and professional proficiency, and his or her acceptance as a Fellow of the College must be approved by three-fourths of its Board of Regents.
The Convocation ceremony was the highlight of the five-day Congress at which initiation into ACS Fellowship took place. The Congress also featured reports on research-in-progress, postgraduate courses, panel discussions, symposia, and scientific and industrial exhibits. Total estimated attendance at the Congress was 12,463, including 8,522 physicians. Allied health professionals and members of the scientific and consumer media also attended the meeting.