Surgeon's Data Science Collective Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
881233001
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2029968230
Rating
62
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Surgical Specialties Research

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,874,047
Expenses
$3,368,084
Assets
$4,640,976
Liabilities
$14,117

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DANIEL DONOHO (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • MARGAUX MASSON-FORSYTHE (DIRECTOR OF MACHINE LEARNING): $204,615 total reported compensation
  • ANDREW PORTER (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $165,000 total reported compensation
  • SUMEYRA OZGUR KAPLAN (SOFTWARE ENGINEER): $150,438 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

We build the infrastructure that powers the digital transformation of global surgery.

What it reported doing in 2024

Surgical data science research: our artificial intelligence/machine learning (ai/ml) research team achieved a great deal. In 2024, 8 out of 10 research abstracts submitted to major surgical journals and conferences based on sdsc research collaborations were accepted, and we have 12 more in progress for 2025. We have developed in-house 11 surgical ml models enabling the quantitative study of 20+ different surgical procedures. We have established 30 research activities with academic medical research institutions to study surgical video footage together. Highlights include our research on vestibular schwannomas with neurosurgeon dr. Christopher graffeo, md ms, of the university of Oklahoma and with dr. Juan c. Fernandez-miranda, md, facs, from the stanford university department of neurosurgery to develop the world's first ai-powered hands-on surgical course. In addition to expert instruction in endoscopic brain surgery, the course included an interactive cadaveric dissection with real-time ai statistics and pre- and post-course feedback through sdsc's surgical video platform (svp). Our ai/ml team has grown - our head of ai/ml supervises three ml engineers, a surgical adviser, and nine enthusiastic volunteers who are surgeons, residents, and medical students.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of total spending goes to programs and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 60
  • Transparency & Controls: 44
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 70
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 37.2%; rating input score 37
  • Program expense ratio: 87%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $424.86 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 57.2%; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.38; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 23%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 68.1% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 126.4% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 187.8% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 37.2% of revenue deployed · 87% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $205K · 9 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $877K reported
  • Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 37/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 48/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 10/100.