AAST's Friday Cutting Edge Newsletter
Editor's Note
Written By: Dr. Shannon M. Foster
Friends and Colleagues:
Three days of camaraderie, education, and work that defines the Acute Care Surgeon. I am grateful to have been a part of science and learning, of relationship building and putting faces-to-names of many, and spending the extra moments to find (keep) the joy in our work. In fact, I will take an extra line to note it cannot be just ‘work’ but something more and deeper and potentially indescribable for each of us. And likely something different for each of us, too. Whatever the connection beyond just ‘work’, I hope you found it here.
The fourth and half day is coming soon, and although numbers in attendance will dwindle, the research presentations are just as prescient – and the Quick Shot sessions will flow under the direction of JJC and our photographer-in-chief – that’s Dr. Jamie Coleman and our now President Dr. Ronny Stewart in lay terms. The line up of presenters and discussants is not to be missed! If you cannot participate in person, be sure to access the on-demand access HERE.
Please share, amplify, and expand on the interviews and pieces contained in these daily newsletters. Remember, they are open source although a password must be created to pass the firewall. Click HERE to view.
Expert Surgeon Lecture: Interview of Dr. Amy Goldberg
Written By: Simin Golestani, MD
SESSION XII: EXPERT SURGEON LECTURE
"A LOOK BACK…..ON THE EVER-CHANGING PRACTICE OF TRAUMA SURGERY"
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2024
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
At the AAST expert lecture this year, participants will have the opportunity to hear Dr. Goldberg present a talk entitled: “A Look Back…..on the Ever-Changing Practice of Trauma Surgery.” Having given numerous talks during her career, she chose this specific topic to be able to take a moment to pause, and to examine the number of practices that have changed over time. She explains that it has been a privilege to have a front row seat to the improvements and growth that has occurred in the field of trauma surgery in the past thirty years.
A look back on Dr. Goldbergs life and career proves that there is no one more qualified to be giving this lecture. For most academic surgeons, the decision is often made early in one’s career to selectively focus energy on a few areas, such as research, teaching, advocacy, leadership or excellent clinical skills. Yet somehow, Dr. Goldberg manages to not only be involved in every single of this areas, but to excel in them as well. When asked how she manages to expertly wear so many hats, she states: “To do anything well, you must have a passion for it, and I do things I have a passion for. I genuinely love everything I do.” For Dr. Goldberg, all her areas of focus work synergistically, and she can shift her priorities as needed.
The daughter of a schoolteacher, Dr. Goldberg is an educator at heart and teaching is something that is woven into all aspects of her career. When she takes trauma call, she is taking time to teach residents and medical students, and when she is in in meetings with her leadership teams, she also sees those as opportunities to teach. A previous varsity athlete, she had always wanted to become a sports coach, and in a way, she is able to fulfill that dream now as a mentor and teacher to so many. During Dr. Goldbergs training as a young surgeon, there was a serious deficit of female surgeons in leadership positions. Now as the first female Dean that Temple has appointed in 120 years, she is using her position to train and celebrate women surgeons and encourage the advancement of women in leadership positions locally and nationally.
For Dr. Goldberg, her career in advocacy began as a response to a need she witnessed taking care of victims of gun violence in the trauma bay. She channeled her outrage at the violence in Philadelphia into creating the The Cradle to Grave” project, which educates vulnerable youth on the seriousness of gun violence. Now, eighteen years since its creation, research done on the project shows a change in attitude towards gun violence amongst the participants. Despite the challenges and disappointments of the constant gun violence in the country, Dr. Goldberg is hopeful. She recalls that as a fellow thirty years ago, gun violence was not a topic that received national attention and now after decades of advocacy it is established by the surgeon general as public health crisis. “Unfortunately, we, as trauma surgeons are needed. But it gives me hope that we have been listed to and heard. As slow as it may be, that is what keeps me motivated.”
Despite her impressive achievements as a Chair of the Department of Surgery, a Dean of a prestigious medical school and most recently The Chair of the American Board of Surgery, Dr. Goldberg says that failures are just as important to learn from than successes. “Stumbling makes us better. No doubt about that. The important part is picking yourself back up.” She has talked openly about her desire to leave medical school before finishing and the importance of resilience in the face of challenges as a surgeon. She encourages her trainees and colleagues to share moments of difficulty, because recognizing that all surgeons will at some point stumble is the key to mental wellness and the ability to have a long satisfying career.
It is hard to imagine any situation, in a trauma surgery or a boardroom, that would shake Dr. Goldberg’s confident nature, however, there has been one thing that caused her tremendous stress. “Throwing the first pitch at the Phillies game was one of the most challenging things I’ve done!” A huge sport fan, Dr. Goldberg enjoys watching sports, especially Philadelphia’s teams, going on runs, and participating in half marathons.
Dr. Golberg’s passion, talent and resilience shines through every talk that she gives, and this year’s AAST expert lecture will be no different. Participants will hear not only about the institutional and national shifts that have occurred in the practice of trauma, but also the most important changes that happen, as Dr. Goldberg states, “One patient at a time.”
AAST Education Committee
TSACO Patient-Centered Education Collaborative
Written by: Joshua Dilday, DO and Kimberly Hendershot, MD
Imagine the most recent trauma patient you treated. Try to mentally envision the scenario surrounding the event, the initial patient presentation, and the first diagnosis that crossed your mind. Now, think of the next steps you took. Did you whisk the patient away to the operating room to stop the life-threatening hemorrhage? Maybe you escorted the patient to the CT scanner to radiographically identify an enlarging subdural hematoma. Despite your training and experience, some questions might have crept into your mind trying to overstay their welcome like estranged family members over the holidays. Being an expert in your field, you might have quelled this doubt by doing a quick search for a recent article or manuscript on the matter. You could have utilized additional resources – maybe the AAST app was your go-to confirmatory source. Armed with your expertise, gestalt, experience, and literature, you stepped up and did the job you were trained to do.
Now imagine that same scenario but from a different perspective. Try to mentally envision the scenario from the patient’s and family’s perspective. Envision how scary the ambulance sirens must have sounded, how many “big words” the trauma team used when describing the course of action, and how quickly they took you or your loved one away to get a procedure of which you had never heard. Try to imagine how helpless you might feel when the shock, fear, and confusion violently collide in your mind. And then the doctor asks you, “Do you have any questions?”
If you were in your patient’s shoes, you would have a plethora of questions. If you were the patient’s loved one, the volume of your questions would be overwhelming. But those questions might not be given the mental clearance to come to mind at the moment, as the shock and fear paralyze any capacity for questions. Instead, the questions arise after the medical team leaves to perform surgery, start the ICU admission paperwork, or get that follow-up CT scan.
So where do patients and loved ones turn to get their questions addressed? Where can trauma or emergency general surgery patients go to educate themselves on the scary terminology the doctors just hurled their way? A quick purview of PubMed? The latest acute care surgery textbook? These are not easily available to patients or designed to empower patient-centered education. Feely available, easy-to-find, patient-centered educational resources are lacking in the acute care surgery healthcare community. This, in turn, creates a more distraught, overwhelmed, and hopeless scenario for our patients and their loved ones. We can do better to help our patients and families understand their diseases. The AAST and Trauma Surgery and Acute Care Open (TSACO) and the American Trauma Network Trauma Survivors Network (TSN) seek to provide this assistance.
The ”Patient Education Series: Understanding Trauma and Emergency Surgery Conditions” is a collaborative effort between the AAST Education Committee, TSN, and TSACO designed to provide a public service to those who need it most: our patients and their loved ones. By joining forces, we will provide freely available, easily found, patient-centered educational resources vetted by both experts in the acute care surgery world and patient advocates. These articles, published monthly in an open-access academic journal, will provide information on common injuries, diseases, and procedures affecting our patients. Each article will be written for patients and their loved ones; health literacy will be augmented as each article will be written at an elementary school reading level.
Trauma is scary enough without the overwhelming assault of questions and misinformation threatening the peace and autonomy of our patients. Patient-centered educational resources are long overdue in the acute care surgery world. Our patients deserve to have free access to vetted information regarding their current ailments. This initiative aims to empower patients with educational resources throughout their medical journey.
The “Patient Education Series: Understanding Trauma and Emergency Surgery Conditions” initiative kicks off later this fall with expected publication in late September/early October. The first articles will cover rib fractures, appendicitis, and tracheostomy. Additional topics will be published monthly, starting in November. TSACO has created a brand new manuscript category specifically for thi Remember the details below:
The "Patient Education Series: Understanding Trauma and Emergency Surgery Conditions" initiative will begin later this fall, with an expected publication in late September or early October. The first articles will cover rib fractures, appendicitis, and tracheostomy. Additional topics will be published monthly, starting in November. TSACO has even developed a new manuscript category specifically for this initiative. If you have questions or are interested in becoming involved, please get in touch with the team leads, Joshua Dilday (jdilday@mcw.edu) and Kimberly Hendershot (khendershot@uabmc.edu)