Summit on the Advancement of Focused Equity Research in Trauma (SAFER-Trauma)
More than 50 trauma surgeons, nurses, program managers, researchers, and survivors convened at the American College of Surgeons headquarters in Chicago August 2-3 2023 to take stock of existing disparities in injury care and research, and consider innovative solutions to address them. The Summit on the Advancement of Focused Equity Research in Trauma was designed by the Coalition for National Trauma Research’s (CNTR) Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDIC), chaired by Vanessa Ho, MD, FACS.
Presentations–including powerful keynote addresses from Cherisse Berry, MD, of New York University, and Zara Cooper, MD, of Harvard University—provided historical context, demonstrated systemic issues, and level-set the conversation before launching into innovations that could be harnessed to advance equity. Access the recordings of all the presenters here:
| SESSION | SPEAKER | PRESENTATION |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 Keynote Address | Cherisse Berry, MD - New York University | Disparities in Trauma Care: The Impact on Patient Outcomes |
| Key Concepts in Disparities Research | Hendry Ton, MD - UC Davis Health | Race as a Social Construct |
| Cheryl Zogg, PhD, MSPH, MHS - Yale University | Limitations of Large Trauma Datasets | |
| Eileen Bulger, MD - University of Washington | Limitations in Prospective Trials | |
| Finding Our Blind Spots | Susan Cronn, DNP, RN - Medical College of Wisconsin | Motor Vehicle Crashes: A Representative Crash Dummy |
| LJ Punch, MD - Bullet Related Injury Clinic | Involving Community Stakeholders | |
| Lucy Wibbenmeyer, MD - University of Iowa | Health Equity in Burn Research Cannot Wait | |
| Making Your Voice Heard | Joseph Sakran, MD - Johns Hopkins Medicine | Driving Change Beyond the Bedside! |
| Funding Mechanisms and Priorities: Tips from Funding Agencies | Bill Freeman, DrPH, MPH - AHRQ | AHRQ Funding Mechanisms & Priorities |
| Valerie Maholmes, PhD, CAS - NIH | NIH Funding Mechanisms & Priorities | |
| Erica Shelton, MD, MPH, MHS - PCORI | PCORI Funding Mechanisms & Priorities | |
| The Patient Perspective | Andrew Oberle, PhD(c), MHA - Barnes Jewish West County Hospital | Keep the Miracle Moving: A Trauma Survivor's Mission to Advance DEI |
| Day 2 Keynote Address | Zara Cooper, MD - Yale University | Enough is Enough! 5 Steps to Eradicate Disparities in Trauma |
| Innovations Aimed at Reducing Disparities | Deborah Kuhls, MD - University of Nevada Las Vegas | ACS Gun Violence Initiative |
| Reggie Moore - Medical College of Wisconsin | Equitable Injury Prevention | |
| Nick Medrano, MS - Coalition for National Trauma Research | Leveraging GIS to Address Disparities in Access | |
| Rachael Callcut, MD, MSPH - UC Davis Health | Applying Artificial Intelligence to Address Disparities | |
| Future Directions | Audrey Funwie, MBE - Genentech | The Future of Healthcare is Within US All |
Four early career investigators—Tandis Soltani, MD, Sydney Timmer-Murillo, PhD, Anamaria Robles, MD, and Kate Stadeli, MD—received travel fellowships and are leading the development of manuscripts describing innovative approaches to reducing disparities in the realms of large database research, community-engaged research, clinical trials, and implementation science.
Overall, the conference was action-oriented and promises to drive additional inquiry. Conference articles will be published in Trauma Surgery and Acute Care Open, the official journal of the event. Those interested in further collaboration may reach out by sending a message to CNTR’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee via the brief form on this page.
In her keynote address, Dr. Cooper argued that trauma surgeons are in the ideal position to affect the intransigent presence of disparity in care. “If not us, who? If not now, when?” she implored. “We can do this!”
The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, and the American Trauma Society provided financial support. The American College of Surgeons supported the summit by hosting the event.
Federal Support
Funding for this conference was made possible [in part] by grant #R13HS029444 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
| Reach out to CNTR’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee to submit a trauma equity story or request participation in ongoing projects: CLICK HERE |