Dr. Don Jenkins (c) pictured with BioMedSA President Heather Hanson (l) and Chair, Larry Schlesinger (r).
Donald H. Jenkins, MD, FACS, a pioneering trauma surgeon whose career has helped reshape both military and civilian trauma care, received the 2026 Innovative Clinical Care Award from BioMedSA at its annual awards ceremony in September.
Dr. Jenkins, professor of surgery and vice chair for quality at UT Health San Antonio, was selected for innovations that have had a profound impact on trauma care in South Texas and nationwide. Among his most notable contributions is his leadership in developing and implementing the region’s whole blood rotation system—known nationally as the “San Antonio Model”—which makes low-titer O-positive whole blood available to emergency responders before injured patients reach the hospital. The approach provides lifesaving blood earlier while creating a sustainable system that minimizes waste, and it has since been adopted in communities across the country.
“Dr. Jenkins’ achievements are possible because of San Antonio’s uniquely collaborative ecosystem, where military medicine, civilian healthcare, and regional partners work side by side,” said Heather Hanson, president of BioMedSA. “His innovations have directly saved lives across South Texas and beyond, and they reflect the power of what this community can accomplish together for patients.”
The honor recognizes a career spent translating lessons from the battlefield into improvements in civilian trauma care. A retired U.S. Air Force colonel, Jenkins served nearly 25 years on active duty and was a key architect of the Joint Theater Trauma System, helping improve battlefield survival for U.S. service members. His work translating military medical advances into civilian practice has helped establish San Antonio as a national model for trauma innovation.
Jenkins also played an important role in CNTR’s history. He was a founding board member of the National Trauma Institute (NTI), the organization that would later become the Coalition for National Trauma Research. He chaired NTI from 2012–2014 and led the organization’s advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C., helping make the case for greater federal investment in trauma research.
“From the beginning, we understood that improving trauma care required more than a good idea or a discovery in the laboratory. It required bringing researchers, clinicians, military and civilian partners, policymakers and patients together to move those discoveries into practice,” Jenkins said. “I’m proud that this collaborative spirit helped shape NTI and continues today through CNTR—and I’m deeply honored to receive this recognition from BioMedSA.”
For CNTR, Jenkins’ recognition is particularly meaningful. The qualities reflected throughout his career—collaboration, innovation, translating research into practice and an unwavering commitment to improving outcomes for injured patients—helped shape the organization in its earliest years and remain central to CNTR’s mission today.