FTL Celebrates 10 Years of Cultivating Next Generation Leadership

The ACS Future Trauma Leaders (FTL) Program lends a helping hand to early career trauma and acute care surgeons by providing intensive training and impactful coaching opportunities that—so far—have empowered 48 participants to become leaders within their institutions, communities, and the ACS Committee on Trauma (COT).

Eileen M. Bulger, MD, FACS, Medical Director of ACS Trauma Education Programs, helped launch the FTL Program in 2015 as part of the Mentoring for Excellence in Trauma Surgery (METS) Program. Ten years later, the FTL Program continues to offer a rare opportunity for surgeons who are within 5 years of fellowship completion to develop extended professional relationships with COT members in their specific areas of interest.

Projects led by current and FTL alumni focus on diverse areas such as guidelines and best practices development, trauma screening and treatment, resource assessment, data-based quality improvement, and advocacy.

“The idea for the METS Program came when I took over the COT Membership Committee in 2014, and I realized how hard it was for junior faculty to get exposure to the COT early in their careers,” said Dr. Bulger, professor of surgery and chief of the Division of Trauma, Burns, and Critical Care at the University of Washington in Seattle and surgeon-in-chief at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. “The number of positions on the COT was limited and so most people joining the COT were already well-established in their careers. Given the amazing breadth of work from the COT, I thought that we needed a program that would both engage the talent and enthusiasm of our younger surgeons and would support their career development through mentorship and engagement in COT activities.”

COT Chair Jeffrey D. Kerby, MD, PhD, FACS, agreed that this program has functioned as an essential pipeline for talented trauma surgeons to begin what hopefully will be a career-long commitment to the COT and its program areas.

“It is particularly satisfying to see other specialty program areas, like orthopaedic surgery and the military, fund FTL positions for its members. This is a true indication of how the FTL Program is viewed, and the experience is valued throughout the trauma platform of care,” said Dr. Kerby, the Brigham Family Endowed Professor and director of the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery for the Department of Surgery at The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine. “The 10-year anniversary is a wonderful time for us to pause and reflect on the success and growth of the program over time.”

The following profiles highlight the accomplishments of two FTL alumni and describe how the program generated leadership opportunities for each in the areas of firearm injury prevention and pediatric trauma readiness, respectively.

Ashley Williams Hogue, MD, FACS
FTL Class of 2023

Dr. Williams Hogue participated in a meeting at the White House in June 2024 to discuss strategies for addressing firearm-related violence in the US—a high-profile opportunity that she said was a result of her participation in the FTL Program.

“The FTL Program was pivotal in making this happen,” said Dr. Williams Hogue, an assistant professor of surgery at the University of South Alabama (USA) Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine in Mobile. “To be a part of that conversation, to be a part of this new movement, to really care for our patients in a preventive way was major.”

Executive Director and CEO Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS, and Dr. Kerby represented the ACS at the meeting, which was hosted by the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and featured more than 80 healthcare leaders who underscored the importance of addressing firearm-related violence as a public health crisis.¹ These leaders, including Dr. Williams Hogue, urged officials to continue gathering data on gunshot injuries to support the escalating need for community and hospital-based violence intervention programs.

One such program—Project Inspire—was founded by Dr. Williams Hogue in 2017.

Project Inspire is a program at USA Health that provides justice-affiliated youth with education, resources, and intensive trauma-informed mentorship. Participants also receive basic life support and Stop the Bleed training, take part in community service projects, and obtain professional development and career-specific mentorship.

Project Inspire has graduated 30 teens through the program to date, and some of those alumni were able to attend a meeting at the White House in August 2024, a few months after the firearm violence prevention summit.

“This was such a full-circle moment,” explained Dr. Williams Hogue. “It allowed us to bring kids with their lived experiences to the White House to really see, hear, and be a part of advocacy at the highest level. This was one of my proudest moments of my career.”

The FTL Program provided Dr. Williams Hogue with the resources necessary to advance the work of Project Inspire.

“I knew pretty early on in my career as a resident that I was interested in injury prevention, particularly firearm injury prevention,” she said. “Being a part of the Future Trauma Leaders Program positioned me to talk to people who had already built hospital-based violence intervention programs, including those who are leaders on the national stage. Having that mentorship has allowed me to hone in on how to be most impactful in this work, how to create a plan, and how to tackle a goal in both the short term and long term.”

After developing a collaborative network of stakeholders at the federal, state, and local levels in an effort to mitigate the risk of firearm-related injuries, Dr. Williams Hogue’s work was recognized by receiving a promotion at USA—a notable accomplishment for an early career surgeon.

“Due to the recognition and opportunities afforded to me as an FTL, I have advanced quickly at my institution. In my second year as an attending surgeon, I was asked to step into a new role as director for the USA Health Center for Healthy Communities. This type of promotion is really unheard of for someone at my level, but it certainly offers me the opportunity to do what I love—advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves.”

The mission of the USA Health Center for Healthy Communities is primarily to “coordinate education, research, public service, and health activities to help eliminate health disparities, foster access to healthcare for underserved populations, and enhance the capacity of individuals to better participate in decision-making about their health.”²

In her first year as director of the center, Dr. Williams Hogue helped raise more than $2 million in grant funding. “I’m super proud of that, but I am also super proud to be a partner with everyone at the center who is an expert in what they do, whether it is research, community engagement, peer support, or providing social services.”

Dr. Williams Hogue has some advice for early career trauma or acute care surgeons who are considering applying to the FTL Program.

“Apply no matter what. I didn’t think I was going to get it, but I applied anyway,” she said. “It is a very competitive program, but the return on investment is almost immediate. It is a game changer in terms of your career and the mentorship you receive. I feel like I’m walking in my purpose and doing the things that I’ve been put here to do.”

Aaron R. Jensen, MD, FACS
FTL Class of 2017

As the ACS COT liaison to the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Innovation and Improvement Center (EIIC), Dr. Jensen’s leadership has been integral to improving pediatric trauma patient outcomes.

The EIIC’s mission is to “optimize outcomes for children across the emergency care continuum by leveraging quality improvement science and multidisciplinary, multisystem collaboration.”³ (The center is supported by the US Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration.)

“Our goal is not to recreate pediatric emergency systems, but to make sure that existing systems, which are optimized for adults, are also optimized for children,” explained Dr. Jensen, a trauma medical director at the University of California San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland, a Level I pediatric trauma center. “Some of the research we’ve done with the EIIC has shown that only 65% of kids nationally have access to a pediatric trauma center within 1 hour, which means they’re going to have to get their initial trauma care at an adult center. And even kids who live close to a pediatric trauma center often go to an adult center first because it’s their neighborhood hospital and the families just drive them there.”

After being accepted into the FTL Program in 2017, Dr. Jensen started co-developing standards for the ACS Trauma Quality Programs, which included Best Practices Guidelines for Trauma Center Recognition of Child Abuse, Elder Abuse, and Intimate Partner Violence, in addition to co-writing other guidelines addressing other trauma-related topics. This work, in addition to other research projects during his tenure as an FTL Program participant, led Dr. Jensen to realize his calling to improve pediatric trauma care quality.

“When the EICC approached the ACS COT to nominate someone for the trauma domain co-lead role, my name came up,” he said. “My FTL Program work completely springboarded me into this position. Just 4 years after starting the FTL Program, I am leading national quality improvement initiatives in collaboration with the COT and the EMSC that will incite meaningful change and improve care for injured children. As a junior faculty member, the thing I desired most was the opportunity to get involved and contribute to the work that needs to be done.”

Within the COT, Dr. Jensen plays a key leadership role as a state vice chair for the COT Northern California region. The COT is divided into regional COTs, and each chair and vice chair helps manage the operation of programs, such as the Advanced Trauma Life Support® (ATLS®) Course, at the local level.

“I think, historically, the Committee on Trauma has primarily been a committee of more seasoned surgeons, and it took a long time for early career faculty to get engaged and get involved. The FTL Program really opens the door for people who want to learn about the inner workings of the ACS and who want to learn how policy is made,” he said.

The FTL Program’s application process is highly competitive. Dr. Jensen initially applied to the program as he was completing his fellowship as a first-year faculty member.

“When I finally got accepted into the program, I was just entering into year 3 as very early career faculty. I was still building my clinical practice, and so I was able to dedicate more time to the COT’s efforts and develop my own network and skillsets.”

New FTL inductees all share a singular trait prior to being accepted into the program, according to Dr. Jensen, namely a demonstrated record of participation in initiatives that enhance the care of the injured patient.

“It’s called Future Trauma Leaders for a reason—It’s not Future Trauma Followers,” Dr. Jensen said. “FTL administrators want to see a commitment to improving trauma systems—and not just at your own center. They want to see that you’re an ATLS instructor, they want to see that you’re involved in leading regional Stop the Bleed campaigns, and they want to see that you’re involved in advocacy. Ultimately, they want to see that you’re not just sitting on the sidelines, but that you are involved in pushing these efforts forward because those are the types of people that we need on the Committee on Trauma.” 

About the FTL

FTL is a 2-year program that accepts six participants per year from as many as 60 or more applications submitted each cycle. A competitive application process is advertised in the fall to members of the COT, The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, and the Western Trauma Association.

More information about the program and application process can be found at facs.org/ftl.

Tony Peregrin is Managing Editor, Special Projects, in the ACS Division of Integrated Communications in Chicago, IL.

References

1. The White House. Briefing room. Press release. Available at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/06/10/readout-of-white-house-office-of-gun-violence-prevention-convenings-with-160-health-care-executives-and-practitioners-on-the-public-health-crisis-of-gun-violence/. Accessed January 1, 2025.
2. University of South Alabama. USA Center for Healthy Communities. Available at: https://www.southalabama.edu/colleges/com/research/healthy-communities/. Accessed January 30, 2025
3. Emergency Medical Services for Children Innovation & Improvement Center. Mission. Available at: https://emscimprovement.center/about/. Accessed January 1, 2025.