I am honored to serve as your president and look forward to an exciting year.  The website and AAST Newsletter will keep you updated on new initiatives and programs from the AAST. I want to thank L.D. Britt, MD, MPH, FACS for his leadership as president last year.  The past year was filled with many highlights:

• Acute Care Surgery has been incorporated into all aspects of AAST.
• The meeting name was changed to Annual Meeting of American Association for the Surgery of Trauma and Clinical Congress of Acute Care Surgery
• The Journal of Trauma was changed to Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
• In 2011, the third Acute Care Surgery-Maintenance of Certification session was held prior to the start of the Annual Meeting.  This year was record attendance with over 300 people participating in this session.
• The 2011 Annual Meeting incorporated the military into the meeting by holding its first military session with a master surgeon lecture by C. William Schwab, MD and a military panel.
• The meeting attendance reached an all-time high of over 1100. 

A special thank you to William G. Cioffi, MD, for this tenure as the Recorder and Program Chairman for the AAST Annual Meeting.  Under his leadership, the Annual Meeting attendance grew by 20%, the meeting increased by half a day with the addition of the Master Surgeon Lectures and two panels that have been very successful and the incorporation of the Acute Care Surgery-Maintenance of Certification session prior to the start of the meeting.   

In the next year, AAST will be introducing a new education initiative which will include Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery CME articles, online MOC education in areas specific to trauma, surgical critical care and emergency surgery along with pediatric trauma MOC.  This new initiative will be a member benefit and all education will be free to members. Watch your E-News and AAST website for the announcement of the roll-out. 

AAST is working on a research agenda for Acute Care Surgery and throughout 2012 the progress will be noted in the AAST newsletters.  New to the AAST Newsletters in 2012 will be highlights by the committee chairs on their goals and objectives. 

AAST had the opportunity, in September, to celebrate the outstanding tenure of Dr. Basil A. Pruitt, Jr. who is ending his nearly 18 year term as Editor of the Journal.  Under his leadership, the Journal of Trauma’s impact factor went from 1.227 to 3.129, the royalty to AAST increased by nearly $600,000 and the print pages increased from 1,945 to over 4,000.  AAST has benefited greatly from Dr. Pruitt’s wisdom, expertise and stewardship of the Journal of Trauma.  The Journal of Trauma’s prestige and world-wide recognition is because of Dr. Pruitt’s dedication and leadership.

Mark your calendars for the 71st Annual Meeting of American Association for the Surgery of Trauma and Clinical Congress of Acute Care Surgery, September 12-15, 2011 at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa, Kauai, HI.