American Association for Thoracic Surgery

What American Association for Thoracic Surgery does

The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) is a nonprofit professional medical association founded in 1917 and headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, that serves cardiothoracic surgeons worldwide. Its primary constituents are practicing and trainee surgeons in adult cardiac, congenital heart disease, and general thoracic surgery, with secondary audiences including the broader cardiothoracic care team (perfusionists, nurses, PAs) and industry partners such as medtech and pharmaceutical companies.

AATS operates a multi-platform professional ecosystem anchored by eight peer-reviewed journals (the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and seven specialty titles), the AATS Online Institute digital learning platform, Global Grand Rounds and Webinar Wednesday educational series, the AATS Quality Gateway clinical practice resource, and the AATS Foundation scholarships and Honoring Our Mentors program. Its flagship live events are the AATS Annual Meeting (Chicago 2026, Los Angeles 2027) and the Mechanical Support and Thoracic Transplantation Summit (Toronto 2026), supported by mentorship programs such as the Leadership Academy and the Women in Cardiothoracic Leadership series.

The business model is a diversified nonprofit revenue mix: recurring membership dues from individual surgeons, conference and CME registration fees, journal subscription and licensing revenue, foundation donations and scholarship contributions, and industry sponsorship from medtech companies (AtriCure, Abiomed, Ethicon, Intuitive Surgical, Paragonix, Medtronic, and others). The association is governed by an annually rotating presidency drawn from chiefs of cardiothoracic surgery at leading US academic medical centers (currently Emile A. Bacha, 106th President, with Joseph Woo designated 107th for 2026-2027), and collaborates internationally with ASCVTS, EACTS, ESTS, LACES, and STS on guideline development.

Name

American Association for Thoracic Surgery

Legal name

American Association for Thoracic Surgery

Website

https://aats.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1917

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AATS is a 1917-founded nonprofit professional medical association serving cardiothoracic surgeons globally through peer-reviewed journals (JTCVS family), annual meetings, specialty summits, digital education, foundation scholarships, and quality improvement resources, funded by membership dues, event registration, journal licensing, and industry sponsorship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Medical Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Cardiac & Cardiothoracic Specialty Hospitals (HLAFAHAA)

Keywords

• Cardiothoracic surgery education
• Medical professional association
• Peer-reviewed surgical journals
• Continuing medical education
• Surgical conference meetings

Headquarters

HQ city

Beverly

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from cardiothoracic surgeons and medical professionals
2. Event Registration and CME: Registration fees for annual meetings, summits, and educational events with CME credits
3. Journal Publishing: Publication and access fees for the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and associated specialty journals
4. Foundation Donations and Scholarships: Charitable contributions and fundraising for research scholarships and mentorship programs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) is a nonprofit professional medical association that advances the field of cardiothoracic surgery through peer-reviewed journal publishing (Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and seven specialty journals), annual and specialty conferences, continuing medical education (CME), leadership development programs, research scholarships, and clinical practice guidelines for cardiothoracic surgeons worldwide.

Product overview

The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) is a professional medical association serving cardiothoracic surgeons worldwide. AATS operates as a multi-platform professional organization offering peer-reviewed publishing through the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (JTCVS) and its family of specialty journals; digital education via the AATS Online Institute and Global Grand Rounds Webinars; annual conferences including the AATS Annual Meeting and the Mechanical Support and Thoracic Transplantation Summit; professional development through the Leadership Academy and Women in Cardiothoracic Leadership programs; quality improvement resources via the AATS Quality Gateway; and research funding through AATS Foundation Scholarships. AATS does not develop or sell a proprietary software product; rather, it serves as an educational, research, and professional development organization for the cardiothoracic surgery field.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AATS Annual Meeting
• Mechanical Support and Thoracic Transplantation Summit
• Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (JTCVS)
• Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
• Operative Techniques in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
• JTCVS Techniques
• JTCVS Open
• JTCVS Structural & Endovascular
• Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Annual
• AATS Online Institute
• AATS Quality Gateway
• Leadership Academy
• AATS Foundation Scholarships
• AATS Membership Program

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Paragonix TechnologiesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Paragonix Technologies sponsored the Reliability and Results webinar on Impact of Advanced Preservation on Cardiothoracic Transplant Outcomes at the 2025 Mechanical Support Summit.
• Exhibitors at Mechanical Support SummitminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 20252025 Summit exhibitors include: AATS Quality Gateway, CareDx, Keystone Perfusion Services, Lung Bioengineering, Medtronic, Paragonix Technologies, ProCure On-Demand, SpecialtyCare, Synapse Biomedical, Thoracic Innovations, and XVIVO.
• AtriCurecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024AtriCure sponsors AATS industry webinars including the Women and Atrial Fibrillation Webinar Series (four-part series) and Kickstarting a Surgical Arrhythmia Treatment Program webinar. These webinars explore optimal strategies for developing Surgical AF Programs and address multidisciplinary collaboration between cardiothoracic surgery and electrophysiology.
• AbiomedcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Abiomed sponsored the Low Cardiac Output Syndrome webinar focusing on patient outcomes through a Heart Team Approach, exploring LCOS identification, risk factors, and management strategies through case studies and evidence-based practice.
• EthiconminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Ethicon sponsored the Sino-American Thoracic Webinar featuring leading thoracic surgeons discussing Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery techniques, Immunotherapy, and MIE (Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy).
• Intuitive SurgicalcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Intuitive Surgical supports the AATS Women in Cardiothoracic Leadership Taskforce six-part webinar series. The program focuses on women in cardiothoracic leadership with topics spanning career opportunities, team building, mentorship, work-life balance, innovation, and hospital value.
• ASCVTS (Asian Society for Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021AATS partners with ASCVTS along with EACTS, ESTS, LACES, and STS to present the Global Webinar on Guidelines covering best practices for developing clinical practice recommendation documents including guidelines and expert consensus documents.
• EACTS (European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021AATS partners with EACTS along with ASCVTS, ESTS, LACES, and STS for the Global Webinar on Guidelines initiative covering clinical practice recommendations development.
• ESTS (European Society of Thoracic Surgeons)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021AATS partners with ESTS along with ASCVTS, EACTS, LACES, and STS for the Global Webinar on Guidelines initiative covering clinical practice recommendations development.
• STS (Society of Thoracic Surgeons)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021AATS partners with STS along with ASCVTS, EACTS, ESTS, and LACES for the Global Webinar on Guidelines initiative covering clinical practice recommendations development.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American College of Surgeons (ACS): ACS is the largest US surgical professional organization, representing surgeons across all specialties. While it is a much broader incumbent than AATS, it offers overlapping CME, advocacy, and quality programs and competes for institutional relationships and cross-specialty member mindshare.
• American Medical Association (AMA): AMA is the largest US physician professional association, providing CME, advocacy, and practice resources that overlap with AATS's professional development and policy footprint. AMA is a broad incumbent rather than a direct CT-specialty peer but competes for member engagement time and institutional partnerships.

Others

• World Heart Federation: World Heart Federation is a global cardiovascular advocacy umbrella organization, distinct from a surgical society. It is thematically adjacent to AATS's work on CT guidelines and quality improvement and serves as a useful comparator for international cardiovascular professional/advocacy models.
• Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS): SVS is a US specialty society for vascular surgery with overlapping CME, annual meeting, and journal infrastructure. It is an adjacent peer rather than a direct competitor, as vascular surgery is a distinct specialty, but SVS is a useful structural benchmark for AATS's association economics and digital education approach.

Direct peers

• Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS): STS is the largest US-based professional society for cardiothoracic surgeons, operating its own annual meeting, the Annals of Thoracic Surgery journal, and guideline programs that directly overlap AATS's core offerings in adult cardiac, congenital, and general thoracic surgery. STS is the most direct head-to-head competitor for US member dues, abstract submissions, and industry sponsorship.
• European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS): EACTS is the leading European CT surgery society, running a major annual meeting, the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, and clinical guidelines. AATS and EACTS co-lead the Global Webinar on Guidelines initiative and compete for the same global KOLs, industry sponsors, and international member surgeons.
• International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT): ISHLT is a global professional society for heart and lung transplantation and mechanical circulatory support, running an annual meeting and the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation. It directly overlaps AATS's Mechanical Support and Thoracic Transplantation Summit, competing for transplant/mechanical-support KOLs, abstract submissions, and industry partners such as Medtronic and Paragonix.
• European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS): ESTS is a European specialty society focused on general thoracic surgery, with its own annual meeting, journal, and educational programs. It is a co-convener of AATS's Global Webinar on Guidelines and competes for thoracic-track members, abstract submissions, and thoracic-focused industry sponsors.
• Asian Society for Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery (ASCVTS): ASCVTS is the principal Asian professional society for CT surgeons, with its own annual meeting and Asian Cardiovascular & Thoracic Annals journal. AATS and ASCVTS partner on the Global Webinar on Guidelines, and ASCVTS represents both a regional peer and a partnership channel for AATS's international expansion.

Emerging players

• Thoracic Surgery Residents Association (TSRA): TSRA is a resident-led organization for cardiothoracic surgery trainees, and AATS hosts TSRA Primer Chapters on its platform. TSRA is a complementary emerging player focused on the trainee segment and represents both a feeder for future AATS members and a potential competitor for trainee engagement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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• Instagraminstagram.com/aatshq
• Facebookfacebook.com/100432146664400

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Association for Thoracic Surgery