About Us
About us
As a coalition of more than 50 organizations representing more than 800,000 physicians, CMSS elevates the unique role of medical specialty societies.
Our mission is to advance the expertise and collective voice of specialty societies in support of physicians and the patients they serve.
We share our members’ commitment to ensure high quality, evidence-based healthcare is available and accessible to all patients.
We believe in the power of a diverse, shared learning community; a unified voice; and an expansive perspective to help shape the future of healthcare.
Working together, we advance healthcare for patients and physicians.
Our new logo
The essential value of CMSS is inherent in our new logo, introduced during our annual meeting, Nov. 8-10 in Washington D.C.
Overlapping lines evoke various dynamics—knowledge, collaboration, expertise, etc.—convening to advance healthcare, with the patient at the center.
Our new mark conveys continuity and openness to diverse inputs and new ideas. Everything rests upon a solid, shared foundation, representing the strength and cohesion that come from working better together.
Better together
CMSS understands the speed of change and complex pressures shared by physicians and professional societies. Emerging opportunities and looming threats highlight the urgent need for collaboration and transformative leadership. Working together, we empower specialty societies by—
- Providing a community to learn from one another, hear diverse viewpoints, address critical issues, and innovate across specialties;
- Accelerating the skills and impact of society leaders and staff through professional peer groups, education, training, and mentorship;
- Amplifying the influence and reach of specialty societies by speaking with a unified voice on essential topics in science, medicine, and public health;
- Elevating perspective by inspiring society leaders to think more expansively about issues across the house of medicine;
- Connecting member organizations with a broad network of research and funding opportunities, clinical and patient coalitions, public and private partnerships.
- Investing in capacity and smart scale solutions to effectively serve the evolving needs of specialty societies.
Our strategic priorities
Our strategic priorities and some examples of our work include:
- Engaging Community & Building Capacity
- Foster collaboration across the CEO Council and over 20 Professional Peer Groups
- Convene the CMSS Governance and Leadership Excellence Across Medicine (GLEAM) Program
- Sharing Learning & Innovation
- Support innovative grant and scholar programs for specialty societies and their members
- Share emerging practices on issues of importance to specialty societies at our Annual Meeting and other venues
- Addressing Critical Issues Together
- Drive coordination and collaboration across specialty societies on critical issues across medicine through convening and collective action
- Recent critical issues include misinformation, burnout, AI/ML, and driving equity in clinical algorithms.
History
Founded in 1965 as the Tri-College Council, CMSS was created to provide an independent forum for the discussion by medical specialists of issues of national interest and mutual concern.
Founding members were the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Physicians, and the American College of Surgeons. In 1967, as other specialty societies joined, CMSS adopted its current name. In 2005, CMSS voted to expand membership to sub-specialists and associate membership to organizations with which CMSS interacts.
Join us
Membership is open to societies who meet the stated criteria and are likely to engage and participate in CMSS’ mission and priorities, including support for education, quality, science, and scholarship.
Today, 53 societies with more than 800,000 U.S. physician members are members of CMSS.
Structure and governance
CMSS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit association incorporated in the state of Illinois. CMSS has offices in Chicago, IL, and Washington, DC. View the CMSS Bylaws.
CMSS is governed by the CEO Council and the elected CMSS Board of Directors. Headed by a President, other Officers are the President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Past President, Public Board member, and Chief Executive Officer (ex-officio). Officers are elected to two-year terms. View the CMSS Board of Directors.
CMSS is supported principally by annual dues contributed by its members. View CMSS Member Organizations.
