The Cutting Edge: An AAST Podcast

Dive into the dynamic world of trauma, acute care, and emergency general surgery with 'The Cutting Edge,' a podcast created by surgeons, for surgeons. Brought to you by the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, join us as we explore interviews with industry experts, dissect cutting-edge technologies, and uncover the human side of life beyond the operating room. Stay ahead of the curve with The Cutting Edge, where every episode equips surgeons with essential knowledge for the modern medical landscape.

The Cutting Edge: An AAST Podcast is a health podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 21 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts The Cutting Edge: An AAST Podcast, a health show with 21 episodes published.

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  The Cutting Edge: An AAST Podcast

  AAST President Dr. Kimberly Davis on Career, Leadership, and Knowing When to Say No

  Sep 7, 202623 min

  In this episode of the AAST Cutting Edge Podcast, host Dr. Caroline Park and co-moderators Dr. Najiha Farooqi and Dr. Susan Kartiko sit down with AAST President Dr. Kimberly Davis for a candid conversation about navigating an academic surgery career from first year attending to the most seasoned among us. Dr. Davis speaks with the kind of honesty that only comes from 30 years in the field: the clinical creep that derailed her research career early on, the chair interviews she walked away from with relief, and why she believes the happiest professional decision she ever made was choosing not to pursue the next rung on the ladder. The conversation moves through the full arc of a surgical career, touching on time management pitfalls for junior faculty, the difference between a mentor and a sponsor, the role of professional coaching at mid-career, and the urgent workforce sustainability questions facing acute care surgery as a specialty. Dr. Davis also reflects on the future of academic surgical societies, the financial pressures reshaping how they operate, and the growth of Women in Trauma Surgery as a mentorship community. If you are anywhere on the spectrum from early career to thinking about what comes next, this episode has something for you.

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  The Cutting Edge: An AAST Podcast

  Mentorship, Safety, and Inclusion

  Sep 1, 202618 min

  In this episode of the AAST Cutting Edge Podcast, host Dr. Caroline Park and co-moderator Dr. Christina Colosimo are joined by Dr. Karyn Butler, chair of the AAST DEI Committee, and Dr. Bethany Strong for an update on the committee's most impactful initiatives. Dr. Butler walks through four current projects including the networking breakfast, now in its third year with over 300 registrants, a manuscript on navigating conflict in surgical training, a critical review of the SCORE curriculum through a DEI lens, and a drowning prevention article highlighting disparate outcomes in Black and Indigenous communities. Dr. Strong then takes the spotlight to describe the DEI pipeline program, now entering its fifth year, which pairs high school students from underrepresented backgrounds with trauma surgeon mentors and provides a structured curriculum covering everything from resume building to suture skills. The episode closes with a candid conversation on workplace violence in trauma settings, why it is more visible now than ever, and what prevention, mitigation, and post-event support need to look like across surgical institutions. If you will be at the annual meeting in Dallas, the pipeline program skills day and networking breakfast are not to be missed.

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  The Cutting Edge: An AAST Podcast

  Rural Trauma: Access, Resources, and the Road Ahead

  Aug 3, 202618 min

  In this episode of the AAST Cutting Edge Podcast, host Dr. Caroline Park is joined by co-moderator Dr. Jeremy Levin and guests Dr. Alexandra Briggs and Dr. Miloš Buhavac to examine the rural trauma landscape, from the inconsistent definitions of "rural" to the resource gaps, transfer challenges, and workforce shortages that shape outcomes for patients far from major trauma centers. The episode opens with a clinical scenario: a critically injured patient at a Level III center awaiting transfer, raising immediate questions about transport time, available resources, and what Level I centers can realistically expect from their rural counterparts. The panel discusses the uneven proliferation of trauma centers across the country, teletrauma as a tool for bridging expertise gaps and reducing non-therapeutic transfers, and the promise of geospatial data in planning smarter trauma systems for the future. Practical pathways for engagement, including the ACS Resource Variable Trauma Team Development Course (RTTDC) and regional advisory committees, are highlighted as ways trauma surgeons can better understand and support their referring facilities. The episode makes clear that sustaining rural trauma care requires not just placing surgeons in underserved areas, but building the systems, technology, and data infrastructure around them.

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  The Cutting Edge: An AAST Podcast

  Critical Incident Stress Management for Trauma Teams

  Jun 1, 202618 minS0

  <p>In this episode of the AAST Cutting Edge Podcast, host Dr. Caroline Park and co-host Dr. Susan Kartiko are joined by Shira Rothberg, licensed clinical social worker and Trauma Survivors Network Coordinator at Inova Fairfax Hospital, to discuss Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) and its role in supporting trauma and emergency department staff after high-impact cases. Drawing on her training through the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), Shira breaks down how structured debriefs help providers normalize acute stress responses, reconnect with their teams, and access further support when needed.</p><p>The conversation explores what CISM looks like...

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  Episode #15

  Injury Prevention Month: Advancing Trauma Prevention Beyond the Hospital

  May 4, 202616 minS2

  <p> <b>Injury Prevention Month: Advancing Trauma Prevention Beyond the Hospital<br/></b><br/>In recognition of Injury Prevention Month, the Cutting Edge Podcast features a timely conversation highlighting the critical work of the AAST Prevention Committee and its impact on patients, trauma systems, and the communities we serve. </p><p>The discussion explores how trauma surgeons and acute care providers can lead prevention initiatives that address violence intervention, firearm injury prevention, falls, motor vehicle safety, and community-based outreach. Panelists emphasize that prevention is a systems-level responsibility, requiring collaboration across hospitals, public health partners, policymakers, and local organizations. By integrating pr...

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