In this session Eileen Bulger, MD, FACS, focuses on leadership in translation of research and foundational trauma concepts to policy in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, access to trauma care remains a critical public health responsibility and a model for disaster response. Dr. Bulger outlines how foundational trauma systems concepts like coordination with EMS, disease outbreak monitoring, and allocation of resources and patient distribution can inform coalition-guided, multifaceted approaches to engaging health systems, government, and organizations to rapidly respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. Dr. Bulger also outlines how to engage with government officials in conveying the importance of supporting trauma systems for pandemic preparedness.
Learning Objectives
- Define and elaborate on the process for translation of research into policy for surgeon advocates
- Examine how the COVID-19 pandemic has created unique opportunities for policy advocacy in the world of surgery
- Apply concepts of policy advocacy to future opportunities around surgery in the era of COVID-19
- Understand ways of making an impact and be influential in your own community during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Learn how to secure financial support for community projects and endeavors
More about Eileen Bulger
Dr. Eileen Bulger is the chief of trauma and trauma medical director for adults and pediatrics at Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, WA. A diplomate of the American Board of Surgery, Dr. Bulger also is board certified in surgical critical care. She earned her medical doctorate at Cornell University Medical College and then completed a residency in general surgery at the University of Washington (UW), Seattle, where she concurrently completed a two-year National Institutes of Health Trauma Research Fellowship during her years of residency training. She then went on to complete a surgical critical care fellowship at UW in 2000. For nearly two decades, she has served as the co-principal or principal investigator of a variety of innovative, grant-funded research projects related to trauma care, some of which focus on improving outcomes for crash injury victims, pediatric patients, and older adults. Since her initial involvement with the Committee on Trauma (COT) in 2002, Dr. Bulger has contributed to many COT activities, in particular in injury prevention, public health, and firearm injury. She is a Course Instructor for the internationally recognized Advanced Trauma Life Support® course.
