Front Row — Left to Right: Ace St. John • Nicole Goulet • Cristobal Barrios • LJ Punch • David Shapiro
Back Row — Left to Right: Robert Blue • Armando Castro • Michaela West • Jesus Rosado • Adam Brinkman
Also Present or Attending by Phone: Sharon Weber • Sanziana Roman • Christopher Johnson • Andrew Young • Alexis Moren
Our Founding Story
How a conversation among a few surgeons grew into a movement — and a home — for LGBTQIA+ surgeons and allies across the country.
I The Spark
Long before there was an organization, there was a need — one that surgeons across the country were feeling independently, often in isolation. In 2018, conversations began circulating on social media about the absence of any formal community for LGBTQIA+ surgeons and surgical trainees. Two voices emerged in those early discussions: Dr. Ace St. John, a surgical resident at the time, and Dr. Nicole Goulet. Both were independently advocating for such a group, and it was Dr. Julie Ann Sosa who recognized the overlap and introduced them.
That introduction proved to be the catalyst. Through word of mouth alone, the idea took hold. Surgeons, trainees, residents, and attendings who had quietly wondered if others shared their experience began to find each other.
Conceptualization of the organization began the year prior as discussions over social media exposed a need — and a lack of any organization representing the LGBTQIA+ surgical community.
— AOSA White Paper
II October 28, 2019 — Bluestem Brasserie
During the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress in San Francisco, fifteen surgeons gathered in the back of Bluestem Brasserie. Two others joined virtually — before virtual meetings were standard practice. The group included residents, fellows, and attendings, united by a shared conviction that something new needed to be built.
At that inaugural meeting, the mission statement was drafted, and spirited discussions began about what to name the organization and what its logo would look like. It was here that the Association of Out Surgeons and Allies was born.
III Building the Foundation
The founders confronted meaningful questions from the start. Who should the organization serve? Should it focus exclusively on surgeons and surgical trainees, or open its doors to medical students and Advanced Practice Providers? The group agreed to begin with surgeons and trainees — while including medical students as the essential pipeline to the profession — with plans to grow as resources allowed.
The inclusion of allies was unanimous. Discussions at the founding meeting made clear that allyship from non-LGBTQIA+ colleagues was not just welcome — it was essential. The word “Allies” would become part of the name itself.
The Name & The Logo
IV Finding Our Identity
The organization’s original working name — “LGBTQIA+ Surgical Society” — was neither catchy nor memorable. The founders knew they needed something that would endure. After much brainstorming, one proposal nearly stuck: “The Society of Out Surgeons and Allies (SOSA)” — until it was realized that SOSA was one of the founding members’ surnames. Back to the drawing board, and ultimately, AOSA was born.
The logo followed a similar path. An original design by Dr. Ace St. John served as the seed, but as membership grew rapidly in the months after the founding meeting, it became clear the symbol needed to represent everyone. A member-wide design contest was held, submissions poured in, and after rounds of feedback and voting, the final logo — a true expression of the community — was adopted.
V Adversity and Perseverance
AOSA was gaining real momentum heading into 2020. Guided by advice from the late Dr. George Yang — a founding member of the Society of Asian Academic Surgeons — the organization was on a path toward formal incorporation. Then the pandemic arrived.
While the world sheltered in place, AOSA’s members were at the front lines of hospitals across the country — gowned, shielded, working long hours, and losing patients. Organizational growth paused. But it did not stop.
Through virtual meetings and continued outreach on social media, the community held together. When in-person gatherings resumed in 2021, Drs. Moren and Shapiro led the charge to formalize the organization — drafting bylaws and navigating the complexities of non-profit filing during a period when many government offices remained closed or limited.
All of that hard work paid off. In 2022, AOSA was officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization — a milestone that transformed a grassroots community into a recognized institution with the structure to grow, sustain, and serve its members for years to come.
That same year brought another first: AOSA held its inaugural elections and its first in-person Annual Business Meeting, once again in the setting of the ACS Clinical Congress — this time in San Diego. The contrast was not lost on those who had been there from the beginning. Three years earlier, a small group of surgeons had huddled in the back of a restaurant down the street, drafting a mission statement on hope and conviction alone. Now, AOSA occupied one of the official ACS Clinical Congress meeting rooms. The organization had earned its seat at the table — literally.
What began as a conversation had become a movement. And the movement had found its home.
Our purpose is clear: to promote and support an inclusive and accepting space for LGBTQIA+ surgeons and trainees — through outreach, education, mentorship, and professional development.
— AOSA Mission Statement