Newark, NJ – University Hospital proudly announced today that Dr. David Livingston, University Hospital Trauma Surgeon, and Professor and Chief of the Trauma Division at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, has been selected as the President-Elect of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST).
Dr. Livingston was elected to a one-year leadership term by the organization’s membership at its recent annual meeting in Dallas. He will assume the presidency of the organization at the end of the AAST’s annual meeting in September 2020, and will preside over the 2021 meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.
The AAST is the world’s leading scientific trauma society. Headquartered in Chicago, it was originally established in 1937, and its membership now boasts more than 1200 trauma professionals in 30 countries.
The association is the premier scholarly organization for surgeons dedicated to the field of trauma and the care of critically ill surgical patients.
It publishes the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery and Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Open. The association holds annual scientific meetings designed to exchange knowledge pertaining to current research practice and training in the surgery of trauma, as well as supporting research studies to investigate new methods of preventing, correcting, and treating traumatic injuries.
“It is an incredible honor to be selected president of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma,” said Dr. David H. Livingston, Professor and Chief of the Trauma Division at New Jersey Medical School.
“The AAST is looked upon nationally and worldwide as the leader in advancing the science of trauma, surgical critical care and emergency general surgery. As injury is now the leading cause of death in people under 45 years of age worldwide, the public health issues are truly global in scope.
I look forward to leading this amazing organization that has such talented individuals to further the AAST’s scientific and educational achievements across the country and around the world.”
In addition to being a world-renowned trauma surgeon and professor, Dr. Livingston has used his positions to serve as a zealous advocate for trauma issues and prioritizing harm avoidance, nationwide, statewide, and in the local Newark community.
He has been a leading voice in the organization of New Jersey’s trauma system. He is a strong supporter of the University Hospital Violence Intervention Program.
Recently, he has led the establishment of the Center for Trauma Survivorship at University Hospital, to provide the next level of support services for trauma survivors.
He is regularly active in the Newark community, prioritizing safety and violence prevention, to avoid the need for trauma care in the first place.
“We congratulate Dr. Livingston on this incredible honor, which serves as a true testament to his leadership and impact in the trauma field,” said Dr. Shereef Elnahal, President and CEO of University Hospital.
“As the Level 1 Trauma Center for not just the Newark community, but all of northern New Jersey, we have an obligation to recruit the most talented and compassionate leaders in the field. Dr. Livingston fits that bill and more.
We are incredibly proud of his accomplishments, and are fortunate to have his leadership here at University Hospital and now as a voice on the international stage.”