About the Future Trauma Leaders Program

The Future Trauma Leaders (FTL) program is a unique initiative by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) offering in-depth training and mentoring opportunities to early career trauma and acute care surgeons who are within five years of fellowship completion. A competitive application process is advertised in the fall to the COT, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, and Western Trauma Association members, to solicit candidates to participate in the exciting two-year program. In return, the COT benefits directly from the work product delivered out of project assignments and committee participation by the Future Trauma Leaders.

The call for applications for the 2025-2026 FTL term is now open. The deadline for submissions is July 31, 2024.

Participants have the opportunity to engage with COT members within their program areas of interest and are encouraged to become actively involved in projects. Future Trauma Leaders participate in the new members’ welcome reception and mentoring day which provide the opportunity to meet with leaders in the different program areas and to learn about the different projects underway. Participants will then apply to join Work Groups through the COT Participation Opportunity Board. There are also numerous informal opportunities to connect with Work Group and Program area leaders during the Spring and Fall COT meetings.

Participants are encouraged to engage in their State and Regional Committees and develop an understanding of the practice and advocacy issues facing their regional trauma system.

PLEASE NOTE: To be eligible for the program, participants must commit to attending all events during their appointment term and be an Associate Fellow or Fellow of the ACS. At this time, the program is intended for US/CAN based surgeons only.

As the goal of the FTL program is to develop future leaders in trauma surgery, individuals already serving in Committee on Trauma leadership roles are not eligible to apply. (Examples: State Vice Chair, State Chair, Region Chief, Special member/appointment COT, Central Committee, Executive Committee).

The number of candidates accepted each year is contingent on funding.

Candidate Selection

The selection of candidates will be conducted by the Membership Committee in conjunction with the COT Chair and Vice Chair, with approval by the Executive Committee and ACS Board of Regents.

Applications are accepted by the Membership Committee and candidates should provide one email to jhickman@facs.org with the following information included:

• Two letters of recommendation (from your Division Chief and one other). Please note: The Division Chief letter must state support for the time commitment for the candidate to attend all required meetings.
• Your current curriculum vitae
• A one-page essay on why you would like to participate in this program and what you hope to gain from participation
• Completed application form
• Professional headshot

If selected, the suitable candidates are requested to commit to attending the following meetings (with travel supported by the COT) and participating (at minimum) in these activities:

• Annual March and October COT meetings
• Mentoring Day in June in Chicago, IL
• TQIP Annual Conference
• Leadership and Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC.
• Attend at least 75% of the committee or work group meetings assigned
• Completion of special project assignments
• Regular touchpoints with their mentor
• Serve as an abstract reviewer for the TQIP Annual Conference (if your hospital participates in TQIP)

Travel and course fee funding for any other COT educational courses is the obligation of the participants’ facility.

Projects Led by Current and FTL Alum Include, but Are Not Limited To:

• Pediatric Trauma States Resource Assessment
• Development of electronic Trauma Guidelines Repository
• White Paper Development for Governance of National Trauma System Implementation
• Geospatial analysis of Trauma Systems
• Lead authorship of Ketamine use position statement
• Development of Tri-Service Curriculum for Expeditionary General Surgeon Qualification
• BEST Course Spanish Translation and International Expansion
• Revision of Chapters for DMEP Course
• ACS Stop the Bleed Program International Proliferation
• Development of PIPS ‘How-To Manual’
• Development of ”Orange Book” for Role 2/3 military teams
• TQIP BPG Development for Imaging in Trauma Patients
• TQIP BPG for Non-Accidental Trauma
• TQIP BPG Development on Child Abuse Screening and Treatment
• TQIP BPG for Intimate Partner Violence Screening and Treatment
• TQIP project evaluating concordance between adult & pediatric care at mixed centers
• TQIP project that demonstrated lower mortality at trauma centers with higher simulation volume
• Development of firearm research agenda and epidemiologic priorities
• Developed primer for HVIP startup for Hospital Based Violence Intervention Program ...and so on (partial list only)

For additional information about the Future Trauma Leaders (FTL) Program, or to submit your full application, please contact Jené Hickman at jhickman@facs.org.

The deadline for submissions is July 31, 2024.