Dr. J. David Richardson, Professor and Vice Chair of Surgery, Division of General Surgery, was installed as the 96th President of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) at the 2015 Clinical Congress in Chicago.

A general, thoracic and trauma surgeon, and surgical educator, Richardson became an ACS Fellow in 1980. Since then, he has served the ACS in various leadership capacities, most recently as chair of the Board of Regents (2011,2012). In that role, he also chaired the Regents' Finance and Executive Committees.

A prolific author, Richardson has published more than 345 articles in peer-reviewed publications, 50 book chapters, and currently has 10 publications in press. In addition to his leadership roles within the ACS, he has served as former director and chair of the American Board of Surgery, director of the American Board of Emergency Medicine, president of the American Association for Surgery of Trauma, president of the Southeastern Surgical Congress, and secretary and president of the Western Surgical Association. He is editor-in-chief of The American Surgeon.

Richardson is a 1970 graduate of the University of Kentucky School of Medicine. He completed a surgery internship and worked as a junior assistant resident at the University of Kentucky before moving to the School of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio to complete a general surgery and a thoracic surgery residency.

After completing his surgical training in 1976, he returned to Kentucky to teach and practice at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He rose through the academic ranks at the institution, starting as an assistant professor of surgery and becoming associate professor of surgery in 1979. He has served in his current positions as professor and vice chair of surgery since 1983 and 1985, respectively. He has served as chief of surgery service and director of emergency surgical services at the University of Louisville Hospital since 2005.