George F. Sheldon, MD, FACS, a great humanist and icon of American surgery at home and abroad, died of heart failure June 16, 2013 in Chapel Hill, NC. He was 78 years old. Dr. Sheldon was the Zack D. Owens Distinguished Professor of Surgery and Chairman of the department of surgery, chief of general surgery, and general surgery residency program director at the University of North Carolina (UNC), Chapel Hill.
Dr. Sheldon was a tireless advocate for the American College of Surgeons (ACS). He was elected the 79th President of the organization (1998-1999), after years of service as an ACS Governor and Secretary of the Board of Governors (1979-1982); as a member of the Board of Regents (1983-1992); on key committees and task force groups including the Committee on Trauma, Pre-and Post-Operative Care, and Communications. In 1985, he testified dramatically before Congress on behalf of the College to protect funding for graduate medical education. He was also first Editorial Advisor of the Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons.
Read full tribute with commentary by A. Brent Eastman, MD, FACS, and Anthony A. Meyer, MD, PhD, FACS, FRCS