Traumatic injury is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and should be treated as a preventable disease. This will be the main message of the 2012 World Trauma Congress to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August 2012.
Raul Coimbra, MD, PhD, FACS, chief, division of trauma/surgical critical care/burns at UC San Diego Health, and newly appointed president of the World Trauma Congress, is a longtime champion of changing how we define and treat trauma.
“It’s an honor to be named president of this prestigious event in the area of trauma. A main goal will be to review the scientific knowledge of trauma as a disease, which has been considered one of the most important public health care problems by the World Health Organization,” said Coimbra.
The international conference will include panels, courses and more than 300 speakers from 60 countries to discuss new and emerging topics in trauma care and research.
“Trauma is not an accident. It’s a disease that exhibits a pattern, with causes that can be defined. If we treat trauma as a disease, with efforts toward prevention, we’ll save lives and make people safer,” said Coimbra.
In addition, two panels, with the participation of the World Health Organization, will be held at the conference to discuss trauma as a global health problem and how high-income countries and professional organizations can help middle-and-low-income countries develop trauma systems to better care for the injured patient.
UC San Diego Health established the region’s first Level I Trauma Center and the highly trained personnel and special facilities are part of the collaborative San Diego Trauma System.
Coimbra is recognized internationally as a trauma care expert and pioneer. The San Diego Trauma System has become a model for trauma centers around the world and for the upcoming Soccer World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016.
“Statistics show that wherever a trauma program is in place, survival rates for trauma cases increase by at least 25 percent,” said Coimbra. “The World Trauma Congress will bring a variety of ideas and experiences to one centralized location, which will be a huge learning tool to improve patient care for years to come.”
Related Specialties
Trauma Department