2024 ACA Keynote Speakers

The 2024 Annual Clinical Assembly of Osteopathic Surgeons welcomes three outstanding keynote speakers. This year's keynotes will cover a range of topics including the future of surgery, parallels between changing course in space and in the OR, and unique presentations of effective use of robotics in surgery. You will not want to miss any of this year's ACA Keynotes!

Colonel Mike Mullane
Astronaut
“Countdown to Leadership, Teamwork & Safety”

Colonel Mullane was born September 10, 1945 in Wichita Falls, Texas but spent much of his youth in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he currently resides. Upon his graduation from West Point in 1967, he was commissioned in the United States Air Force. As a Weapon Systems Operator aboard RF-4C Phantom aircraft, he completed 134 combat missions in Vietnam. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and is also a graduate of the Air Force Flight Test Engineer School at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

Mullane was selected as a Mission Specialist in 1978 in the first group of Space Shuttle Astronauts. He completed three space missions aboard the Shuttles Discovery (STS-41D) and Atlantis (STS-27 & 36) before retiring from NASA and the Air Force in 1990.

Mullane has been inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame and is the recipient of many awards, including the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit and the NASA Space Flight Medal.

Mike Mullane inspires teamwork, promotes leadership and encourages safety in his motivational keynotes. Mike flew combat reconnaissance missions over the skies of Vietnam and Space Shuttle missions. He’s climbed some of the world’s highest peaks and has educated and motivated thousands of people across the spectrum of business and government.

He is the author of award-winning children’s books Liftoff! An Astronaut’s Dream and Do Your Ears Pop in Space? His memoir Riding Rockets, The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut, is also available in bookstores and Amazon.com.

Mullane, retired from NASA, also was a host for Inside Space, a nationally syndicated cable television program of the USA Network. Organizations seek him out as a speaker for his Stories From Space presentations that inspire and provide entertaining adventure.

Colonel Mullane has established himself as an acclaimed professional speaker on the topics of teamwork, leadership and safety. He has educated, entertained, inspired and thrilled tens of thousands of people from every walk of business and government with his incredibly unique programs.

Rafael Grossman, M.D., MHDS, FACS
General Surgeon
“The Future of Surgery: How will AI and Virtual Reality Augment Human Performance and the Surgical Team”

Dr. Grossman is a general surgeon with a focus and passion for the convergence of healthcare and technology to improve care delivery and education. He was instrumental in the establishment of the first ACS-verified, Trauma and Acute Care program in Maine, at Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC), in 2005.

He was the first general surgeon to perform Robotic Assisted Surgery at EMMC (2005), setting the basis for the Robotic Assisted Program, which started as the first Epicenter for Robotic Assisted General Surgery in the USA.

Following his arrival at EMMC, his team set up the basis for the Tele-Health program, providing consultations for trauma cases. There, they established a mobile tele-medicine pilot program, using iPod Touch and tablet devices to connect providers seeking emergency trauma expertise across Maine.

Dr. Grossman will share his experience, expertise and insights about the Future of Surgery.

He'll discuss how exponential technologies like AI, Extended Reality (VR,AR,MR) can augment the human performer & surgical team, bringing the science and art of surgery into the 21st century. In addition, Dr. Grossman will present a brief summary of his trajectory as a surgeon and how he views technology as an enabler, capable of "humanizing" and optimizing "what and how" we do healthcare & surgery, from education to diagnostics and therapeutics.