Advertise on podcast: The Cutting Edge: An AAST Podcast

In this episode of the AAST Cutting Edge Podcast, host Dr. Caroline Park and co-moderator Dr. Susan Kartiko are joined by Dr. Christina Colosimo and guest Dr. Ron Gross, a foundational figure in chest wall injury surgery and original author of three ACS courses, to discuss surgical rib fixation and the evolving management of chest wall injuries. Dr. Gross traces the field from its earliest skeptics to the robust body of evidence now supporting SSRF in appropriately selected patients, grounded in his own career-defining experience with a flail chest patient in 2005 that shaped everything that followed. The conversation covers the ACS Best Practice Guidelines for chest wall injuries released in November, indications for SSRF, how to build a multidisciplinary rib fixation program from the ground up, and where to send patients when your center is not yet equipped to operate. The episode closes with a candid look at cryoablation, its promise, its pitfalls, and why abdominal wall herniation may quietly reshape its future in chest wall care.

In this special episode of the AAST Cutting Edge Podcast, Communications Committee Chair Dr. Shannon Foster sits down with Sharon Gautschy to celebrate her 20th anniversary as Executive Director of the AAST. What started as a staff of one with a single annual meeting has grown under Sharon's leadership into an organization of 17 committees, two journals, a thriving acute care surgery program, and a research infrastructure that has reshaped the field. That growth, she'll tell you, was never accidental; it was built on relationships, forward-thinking boards, and a willingness to take smart risks with member dollars. Sharon reflects on what she admires most about trauma surgeons, what she wishes they knew about themselves, and what two decades of watching presidents come and go has taught her about the difference between lasting institutional vision and a one-year pet project. She also shares the personal side of a career defined by genuine connection: the conference lunch line conversation that sparked an entire online education program, and the AAST trip abroad that brought her the love of her life. Twenty years in, Sharon's advice is simple: show up, get involved, and never underestimate what a small investment of your time can build.

In this episode of the AAST Cutting Edge Podcast, host Dr. Caroline Park and co-moderators Dr. Najiha Farooqi and Dr. Susan Kartiko sit down with AAST President Dr. Kimberly Davis for a candid conversation about navigating an academic surgery career from first year attending to the most seasoned among us. Dr. Davis speaks with the kind of honesty that only comes from 30 years in the field: the clinical creep that derailed her research career early on, the chair interviews she walked away from with relief, and why she believes the happiest professional decision she ever made was choosing not to pursue the next rung on the ladder. The conversation moves through the full arc of a surgical career, touching on time management pitfalls for junior faculty, the difference between a mentor and a sponsor, the role of professional coaching at mid-career, and the urgent workforce sustainability questions facing acute care surgery as a specialty. Dr. Davis also reflects on the future of academic surgical societies, the financial pressures reshaping how they operate, and the growth of Women in Trauma Surgery as a mentorship community. If you are anywhere on the spectrum from early career to thinking about what comes next, this episode has something for you.

In this episode of the AAST Cutting Edge Podcast, host Dr. Caroline Park and co-moderator Dr. Christina Colosimo are joined by Dr. Karyn Butler, chair of the AAST DEI Committee, and Dr. Bethany Strong for an update on the committee's most impactful initiatives. Dr. Butler walks through four current projects including the networking breakfast, now in its third year with over 300 registrants, a manuscript on navigating conflict in surgical training, a critical review of the SCORE curriculum through a DEI lens, and a drowning prevention article highlighting disparate outcomes in Black and Indigenous communities. Dr. Strong then takes the spotlight to describe the DEI pipeline program, now entering its fifth year, which pairs high school students from underrepresented backgrounds with trauma surgeon mentors and provides a structured curriculum covering everything from resume building to suture skills. The episode closes with a candid conversation on workplace violence in trauma settings, why it is more visible now than ever, and what prevention, mitigation, and post-event support need to look like across surgical institutions. If you will be at the annual meeting in Dallas, the pipeline program skills day and networking breakfast are not to be missed.

In the first rural trauma episode, we examined the landscape from 30,000 feet, the definitions, the data gaps, the transfer challenges, and the system-level solutions. This episode gets on the ground. Host Dr. Caroline Park and co-moderator Dr. Jeremy Levin sit down with Dr. Whitney Selph, a general and acute care surgeon practicing at a Level III trauma center in Longview, Texas, for an unfiltered look at what rural and community trauma surgery actually looks like day to day. From running a trauma activation alone with an ER team that rarely sees major injuries, to knowing when your blood bank is about to run dry, Dr. Selph brings a perspective that no textbook can replicate. She walks through a real case, a gunshot wound with a through-and-through injury to the pancreatic head and duodenum, and the real-time decision-making that led to a successful damage control and transfer. If you have ever wondered what happens on the other end of that transfer call, this episode will change the way you think about it.

In this episode of the AAST Cutting Edge Podcast, host Dr. Caroline Park is joined by co-moderator Dr. Jeremy Levin and guests Dr. Alexandra Briggs and Dr. Miloš Buhavac to examine the rural trauma landscape, from the inconsistent definitions of "rural" to the resource gaps, transfer challenges, and workforce shortages that shape outcomes for patients far from major trauma centers. The episode opens with a clinical scenario: a critically injured patient at a Level III center awaiting transfer, raising immediate questions about transport time, available resources, and what Level I centers can realistically expect from their rural counterparts. The panel discusses the uneven proliferation of trauma centers across the country, teletrauma as a tool for bridging expertise gaps and reducing non-therapeutic transfers, and the promise of geospatial data in planning smarter trauma systems for the future. Practical pathways for engagement, including the ACS Resource Variable Trauma Team Development Course (RTTDC) and regional advisory committees, are highlighted as ways trauma surgeons can better understand and support their referring facilities. The episode makes clear that sustaining rural trauma care requires not just placing surgeons in underserved areas, but building the systems, technology, and data infrastructure around them.

In this special collaboration episode of the Cutting Edge and Frontline Surgery podcasts, host Dr. Caroline Park is joined by co-hosts Dr. Joshua Dilday and Dr. Rachel Russo, along with national trauma leader Dr. Mary Margaret Knudson, to discuss surge capacity and workforce continuity in military-civilian partnerships. Dr. Knudson traces the history of mil-civ partnerships from World War II through the National Defense Authorization Acts of 2017 and 2018, and examines whether the current 25 Mission Zero-funded partnerships are truly preparing the trauma system for large-scale combat operations (LISCO). The panel confronts a sobering reality: in a major conflict, military treatment facilities and embedded military personnel will all be deployed — leaving civilian trauma centers to receive combat casualties while already operating at capacity with reduced staffing. The episode explores what individual trauma centers and the national system must do now to prepare, including patient redistribution agreements, OR and ICU surge planning, and practicing combat casualty reception protocols well before they are needed. The panel confronts a sobering reality: in a major conflict, military treatment facilities and embedded military personnel will all be deployed — leaving civilian trauma centers to receive combat casualties while already operating at capacity with reduced staffing. The episode explores what individual trauma centers and the national system must do now to prepare, including patient redistribution agreements, OR and ICU surge planning, and practicing combat casualty reception protocols well before they are needed.

In this episode of the AAST Cutting Edge Podcast, host Dr. Caroline Park and co-host Dr. Susan Kartiko are joined by Shira Rothberg, licensed clinical social worker and Trauma Survivors Network Coordinator at Inova Fairfax Hospital, to discuss Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) and its role in supporting trauma and emergency department staff after high-impact cases. Drawing on her training through the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), Shira breaks down how structured debriefs help providers normalize acute stress responses, reconnect with their teams, and access further support when needed. The conversation explores what CISM looks like in practice — from leadership recognition that a debrief is needed, to hybrid in-person and virtual formats, to the important distinction between something that is therapeutic and formal therapy. For trauma programs looking to implement CISM, the takeaway is clear: it starts with one or two trained facilitators and leadership buy-in — and once staff experience it, they keep coming back.

Injury Prevention Month: Advancing Trauma Prevention Beyond the Hospital In recognition of Injury Prevention Month, the Cutting Edge Podcast features a timely conversation highlighting the critical work of the AAST Prevention Committee and its impact on patients, trauma systems, and the communities we serve.  The discussion explores how trauma surgeons and acute care providers can lead prevention initiatives that address violence intervention, firearm injury prevention, falls, motor vehicle safety, and community-based outreach. Panelists emphasize that prevention is a systems-level responsibility, requiring collaboration across hospitals, public health partners, policymakers, and local organizations. By integrating prevention into trauma program infrastructure, advocacy efforts, and education, surgeons can move upstream—reducing injury burden before patients ever arrive in the trauma bay. As Injury Prevention Month reminds us, the work of trauma professionals extends far beyond operative care and resuscitation. Prevention is trauma care, and this episode highlights actionable ways AAST members can strengthen their role as leaders in community health and injury reduction.

In this episode of the AAST Cutting Edge Podcast, hosts Dr. Caroline Park and Dr. Susan Kartiko are joined by members of the AAST DEI Committee to tackle a timely and increasingly relevant topic in surgical education: intergenerational communication in trauma and acute care surgery. As today’s surgical teams span Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z—and soon Gen Alpha—the conversation explores how differences in communication style, feedback expectations, technology use, and learning preferences impact the operating room, trauma bay, research mentorship, and professional development. The panel discusses practical strategies for high-acuity environments, including expectation-setting during trauma laparotomy, delivering actionable and psychologically safe feedback, structured debriefing, boundary-setting in digital communication, and adapting teaching methods to modern adult learning science. Rather than framing generational differences as barriers, this episode highlights how intentional leadership, emotional intelligence, and inclusive teaching practices can strengthen surgical training, improve team dynamics, and enhance patient care outcomes. Whether you are a trauma surgeon, surgical educator, residency leader, or trainee, this episode offers actionable insights into mentorship, professionalism, and building high-performing, multigenerational surgical teams.

Kicking off the 2026 season of the AAST Cutting Edge Podcast, new hosts Dr. Caroline Park and Dr. Susan Kartiko launch this inaugural episode with a timely discussion on pediatric readiness in adult trauma centers. Joined by pediatric surgery leader Dr. Barbara Gaines, they explore the Pediatric Readiness Project, trauma verification requirements, and how emergency departments can strengthen preparedness for critically ill and injured children through structured assessment, process improvement, and multidisciplinary collaboration.  The episode highlights practical strategies including weight-based medication dosing in kilograms, pediatric airway and equipment readiness, imaging protocols, identification of Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinators (PECs), and partnership across trauma surgery, emergency medicine, pharmacy, and radiology—especially critical for rural and underserved hospitals where most children first present for care.  Keywords: pediatric readiness, trauma care, emergency department, assessment, implementation, healthcare, children's health, trauma centers, medical education, pediatric emergency care, surgery

In this episode, AAST Disaster Committee Chair Dr. Adam Fox discusses the intersection of trauma surgery, disaster response, emergency management, and prehospital care. He outlines how trauma surgeons contribute across the continuum of care during mass casualty incidents, hurricanes, earthquakes, critical care transport operations, and austere environments. He highlights the skillset required for field trauma care, critical care stabilization, crush injury management, amputations, ICU-level transport, and providing both surgical and primary care support during large-scale disasters.

In this episode, Dr. Mark Seamon discusses the multifaceted role of a Trauma Medical Director (TMD), emphasizing the importance of communication, leadership, and continuous improvement in clinical care. He shares insights from his own journey, the influences that shaped his career, and the challenges and rewards of the position. Dr. Seamon highlights the necessity of a growth mindset and the value of introspection in enhancing both personal and team performance in trauma care. Keywords: Trauma Medical Director, leadership, communication, medical education, performance improvement, mentorship, growth mindset, clinical care, trauma surgery, professional development

In this episode of The Cutting Edge, AAST President Dr. Ronald Stewart discusses the complexities of being a trauma surgeon, including the emotional challenges of delivering bad news, the importance of team support, and the role of forgiveness in personal and professional growth. He emphasizes the duality of the profession, where joy and sorrow coexist, and shares insights on how to navigate difficult conversations with empathy and respect. The conversation also touches on the necessity of compartmentalization and the continuous journey of performance improvement in the medical field.

In this conversation, Dr. Kimberly Davis discusses the origins and evolution of the Women in Trauma Surgery (WITS) program, highlighting its role in fostering community, mentorship, and support among women in the field of trauma surgery. The discussion covers the challenges faced during the pandemic, the importance of building relationships, and the growth of WITS into a significant network for women in surgery.