Message from the EAST President
Sunday, January 19, 2025
Dear Members of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST),
I returned from Tucson, AZ with renewed excitement for the year ahead. This is not a new feeling for me as the EAST Annual Scientific Assembly is a respite that I look forward to every year. It is an opportunity to reconnect with colleagues from across the country, settle in for great science and participate in well planned and thoughtful sessions. The weather, food and beautiful scenery never hurt either! What is different this year is that I have the honor of addressing you as your new president. I do not take that responsibility lightly and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue in service to EAST and its members. It is important to remember that leadership is a choice. A choice to look after others and commit your time and effort to helping them succeed. As an organization, EAST embodies this choice, starting with its mission, vision and core strategic goals. The 38th EAST Annual Scientific Assembly certainly reflected these and I wanted to take the opportunity to share some highlights and examples below. As EAST moves into 2025 the organization will explore new initiatives, develop programs and begin planning for the 39th Annual Scientific Assembly. Our mission, vision and goals will continue to be at the forefront of every discussion and decision as we work to serve the growing membership and needs of this incredible organization.
Our mission: “EAST is a scientific organization providing leadership and development for early and mid-career surgeons active in the acute surgical management of the ill and injured patient.” Are we fulfilling this mission? How do we know? One way to determine this is through metrics such as the number of people served, membership engagement or positive outcomes achieved. At the time of the 38th EAST Annual Scientific Assembly our membership totaled 3,832 with 435 new members. There were 82 registrants for the EAST Fellows/Chief Residents workshop and 54 for the EAST Leadership Development Workshop (LDW). Numerous scholarships and awards were presented including six scholarships to attend the LDW, two Oriens essay awards, three John M. Templeton Jr., MD Military Call to Service scholarships and the John P. Pryor, MD Military Distinguished Service Award. Educational sessions on caring for the poly-trauma burn patient and rural trauma care along with short courses on robotic surgery and trauma surgeon scientists were well attended and reflected the comprehensive nature of the work we do. Assembly attendees commented on the camaraderie, willingness to share knowledge and accessibility of experts in our field.
Our vision: “To be the premier organization for early and mid-career surgeons.” Are we living that vision? We can assess this by gathering feedback. For anyone who attended the assembly, the energy was electric! Conversation flowed freely and people sought out opportunities to grab coffee, head to the patio for a conversation or visit vendors in the exhibit hall. I asked for opinions at our recent board orientation and the comments were encouraging. Several mentioned the human connection that was evident at the assembly, the success of the community outreach event and the inspiration provided by speakers such as Dr. Selwyn Rogers and Dr. Martin Croce. With that said, ALL attendees are asked to evaluate the assembly and provide feedback when claiming their CME Credit. Providing formative feedback (positive as well as suggestions for improvement) on the survey is critical. It serves as a guide to ensure that EAST continues to fulfill this vision. Please take the time to complete it!
Our core strategic goals: “Leadership, development, scholarship, fellowship and collaboration.” Strategic goals should be specific, measurable, achievable and relevant. They inform decision making and allow for adjustment as needed to stay on track. The first four goals were illustrated by the examples listed above. I want to conclude by addressing the fifth goal-collaboration. Leadership and members from numerous trauma organizations were present at the Annual Scientific Assembly and active in the programming including: AAST, WTA, STN, TCAA and the ATS. The first joint guidelines session between EAST and WTA was informative and generated heated but collegial debate. Dr. Ronald Stewart, the current president of AAST happily utilized his photography skills throughout the meeting and gave Frank (our long-time EAST photographer) a run for his money! Dr. Richard Miller (WTA), LeAnn Young (STN) and Dr. Glenn Tinkoff (ATS) along with other leaders provided updates and accomplishments from their respective organizations at the EAST Board of Directors Meeting. Collaboration and continued partnership between professional organizations is critical so we can continue to learn from one another and advance our profession.
I am excited for a fun and productive year ahead! To echo a quote from Dr. Ben Zarzaur’s first president’s message in 2024: “Thank you for your dedication to our mission and for the hard work you do every day. I look forward to what we will accomplish together.”
Go Birds!
Nicole Fox, MD, MPH, FACS, CPE
President
Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma