In Memory of Dr. Joseph Tepas, III

On December 20, 2019, we lost a true "voice for the injured child." Throughout his long career, Joseph J. Tepas, III, MD committed his time and talents to addressing the number one killer of children – trauma. Following his fellowship in pediatric surgery at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Tepas became head of the Division of Pediatric Surgery at Naval Regional Medical Center, Portsmouth, VA. In 1983, he joined the faculty of University of Florida - Jacksonville dedicating his life to the care of ill and injured children. "JJT" was instrumental in founding the pediatric trauma program in Jacksonville and was critical to the development of Florida's state trauma system and the first pediatric-specific trauma registry, the National Pediatric Trauma Registry. He was a surgeon dedicated to his patients who also understood the importance of evidence to inform decisions.

Thank you for joining us in San Diego!
  

A message from our President

Highlights from the 2019 Pediatric Trauma Society Annual Meeting In this EAST Traumacast, Drs. Ian Mitchell, Alexander Gibbons, and Alejandra Casar Berazaluce present highlights from the 2019 Pediatric Trauma Society Annual Meeting. Great stuff on head injury risk calculation, whole blood and viscoelastic assays in pediatric resuscitation, Pediatric Trauma Research, and firearm violence prevention.

The Pediatric Critical Care and Trauma Scientist Development Program (PCCTSDP) is funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). As you may know, the PCCTSDP was established to foster the development of highly promising young faculty in pediatric critical care and pediatric trauma surgery into physician scientists. The PCCTSDP is entering its 16th year of funding. Details of the program can be found at www.pcctsdp.org.

One of the benefits of applying for the PCCTSDP is participation in the annual research retreat, which will be held on November 7-10, 2019, in Deer Valley, Utah. At this retreat, program applicants devote time listening to scholar scientific presentations and discussions of scientific mentorship and faculty development. This is a unique and rich opportunity for fellows and junior faculty alike.

The PCCTSDP is committed to the principles of diversity in academic pediatric critical care medicine and trauma surgery. As such, funding is now available for potential candidates from a diverse background who have an early interest in pediatric critical care or trauma surgery to participate in the annual retreat. Applications are now open to junior fellows in PCCM and PSTPD who meet these criteria but do not yet have a fully developed project or secured a faculty mentor. These retreat participants will be allowed to view the application process and will benefit from the mentorship of the National Advisory Committee of the PCCTSDP. Further, these fellows will undergo a focused development session, led by senior PCCTSDP faculty, to explore and expand research ideas. This will be the ninth year that we have offered this opportunity; fellows who attended last year gave the meeting very positive accolades. We have had two diversity fellows return to the retreat as applicants and receive K12 funding.

We anticipate three to five positions will be awarded to diverse, junior fellows to fund the cost of attending this year's retreat, including transportation, hotel and dining expenses. Applications should be submitted to Dr. Heather Keenan, the PCCTSDP program director, at the University of Utah. Applications should be submitted electronically by email directly to Dr. Keenan. Copy the application email to myself as well as Randi Willey.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,
Jeffrey S. Upperman, MD
PTS Secretary

Your contribution will be used to support:

• The Joseph J. Tepas Best Presentation Award, awarded annually
• The Lifetime Achievement Award in Pediatric Trauma, awarded annually
• Expenses related to the annual Keynote Speaker

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Interested in contributing to the Pediatric Trauma Society newsletter? Join Editor Jeff Upperman and other PTS members in creating a valuable resource for both pediatric and adult trauma care providers. Please contact the National Office for more information. View Recent Newsletters