About PTS

The mission of the PTS is to optimize pediatric trauma care from prevention to recovery. Our vision is to unite as global leaders in pediatric trauma care for a future where we minimize the burden of trauma, allowing children to thrive. The Pediatric Trauma Society will be an inclusive organization open to all those dedicated to the care of injured children.

The Pediatric Trauma Society: Where We Started
The vision for a pediatric trauma specialty professional organization became a reality when leaders in pediatric trauma care came together in January 2011 in Naples, Florida. At the inaugural Pediatric Trauma Society (PTS) meeting, leaders discussed a desire to develop an organization that would include all healthcare professionals interested in improving pediatric trauma patient outcomes. An interim PTS Steering Committee was named to lay the foundation of the PTS and work toward development of a mission, vision and organizational bylaws.

Over the next six months, membership to the PTS was recruited mostly through word-of-mouth. In May 2011, the second meeting of the PTS took place in Palm Springs, California where a draft of the PTS bylaws, a PTS logo and the PTS website were introduced to the 50+ attendees. With the PTS website launch, making the organization a virtual organization, the PTS opened membership to anyone who desired to join. The membership was tasked with providing feedback regarding further development of the organization.

In June 2011, the PTS bylaws were voted on and approved by the membership. The inaugural PTS Board of Directors nominations were approved and the first Board was voted into office in July. Membership went from the original 30 members to almost 800 within 6 months.

In December 2011, a third meeting of the PTS took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This meeting included the PTS Board members and focused on strategic planning for the organization. Subsequently, the committee chairs were named.

As the PTS grew, the need for experienced organizational management was evident and the Board agreed to engage Professional Relations and Research Institute (PRRI), an association management company. In April 2012, to ensure the PTS delivered on its vision to be a global leader in the field of pediatric trauma through optimal care guidelines, education, research and advocacy, the organization began to require the membership to pay dues. The PTS continues to grow in both membership as well as services provided to its members.