The Association for Surgical Education was formed in 1980. Its 850 members represent over 190 medical schools and institutions throughout the United States and Canada. The primary goal of this international association is to promote the art and science of education in surgery.

The ASE Foundation was established by the ASE as a separate, non-profit corporation in 1993. The Foundation's mission is to advance the quality of surgical education in North America by raising and disseminating funds to underwrite high impact, innovative research projects and educational programs that will address the critical issues related to surgical education.

The Foundation's Board of Directors has established high standards of research excellence that grant applicants must achieve before receiving ASE funding. Because this high standard provides such confidence to corporate partners, the ASE Foundation has received several generous investments from national corporations in recent years. (See "Learn More About our Corporate Partners") Their generous support, combined with the financial resources of the Association and the Foundation, help to underwrite innovative research proposals and important facets of the Association's work such as the Annual Meeting's "Best Paper Award" and the Keynote Address.