Trauma and Acute Care Surgery – Research

Mission

Our research mission is to identify and study fundamental questions related to the prevention, pathophysiology, and treatment of acute care surgery conditions to improve the health and well-being of the citizens of eastern North Carolina.

Overview

The division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery (TACS) is deeply committed to scientific inquiry. The division is continuously engaged in multiple ongoing studies related to trauma, emergency general surgery and surgical critical care. TACS faculty have diverse research interests, and accordingly, research has traditionally spanned the breadth of acute care surgery, from retrospective trauma system reviews to large animal REBOA trials. Opportunities include

  • Prospective clinical trials in all areas of acute care surgery
  • Multi-institutional trials (Western Trauma Association, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, North Carolina Committee on Trauma)
  • Retrospective registry reviews
  • Industry sponsored clinical trials
  • Large animal basic science studies

Over the past two decades, the TACS division has been well-represented at all regional and national meetings related to acute care surgery, including

  • American Association for the Surgery of Trauma
  • Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma
  • Western Trauma Association
  • Southern Surgical
  • Southern Surgical Association
  • Southeastern Surgical Congress
  • Halstead Society
  • Society of Critical Care Medicine
  • Surgical Infection Society
  • Association of Program Directors in Surgery
  • American College of Surgeons
  • State and national Committee on Trauma

The weekly Research Council is the engine of TACS research. Participants include TACS faculty, a TACS division-based research coordinator, Surgical Critical Care and Acute Care Surgery fellows, general surgery residents, advance practice practitioners, and medical students. The meeting is overseen by the TACS division chief, the research coordinator, and the Vice Chair for Research for the Department of Surgery.