2000-2010

A. History

1971 — 1985 The original "goals" of the WTA were collegiality and skiing. The scientific aspects of the meeting were secondary. The first meeting was held in Vail, Colorado in 1971. Between 1971 and 1985, the number and content of the scientific submissions increased rapidly, allowing the Association to thrive and grow.

1985 — 2000 The growth of the organization paralleled the growth of trauma surgery as a specialty. A number of academic trauma surgeons became members of the Association and involved surgical residents in the annual meeting. This development brought an infusion of scientific interest and further expansion of the Association. The number of general surgeons grew and the category of "Surgical Critical Care" was added to the specialty list. The subsequent increase in attendance, not only limited the choice of meeting locations because of size and accommodation restraints, but also diminished involvement of surgical specialists and reduced some "cross fertilization" between specialties.

B. Present

2000-The WTA continues to be a small society with only 125 members. By comparison, the AAST has 450 members and EAST has approximately 600 members. The uniqueness of the Association continues to be its multi-specialty involvement and the friendships and interaction that the organization fosters.

The environment of medicine, however, is changing and pressures are being placed upon physicians to be selective with their time away from practice. Combining meaningful continuing education with an annual family event is one of the strengths of the Association. To preserve its values, the WTA must develop a strategic plan that addresses its core values and its educational program, while recognizing the current economic environment.

C. Core Values

Continuing education by participation in a diverse, multidisciplinary scientific program with the goal of improving the care of injured patients.
Outdoor activity by participation in winter sports in a mountainous setting.
Interaction with friends and family in a spirit of collegiality.

D. Mission Statement

The Western Trauma Association is committed to the improvement of trauma care through research, education, sharing of clinical experiences, and the development of physicians of all specialties who are involved in the care of trauma patients. The goals of the Association are not only the intellectual growth attained through increased knowledge, but also the emotional growth attained through camaraderie and interaction with family and friends in an environment conducive to winter sports.

E. Strategic plan

Goals:

1.To discover, enhance, and transmit knowledge.
2.To maintain internal functions, core values and mission.
3.To preserve a young, vibrant membership
4.To remain financially viable.

1. Goal: Discover, enhance and transmit knowledge.

a.Multi-center Trials Sub-Committee
The organization’s effective development and completion of multi-center research continues to distinguish the WTA from other trauma-related societies. As the trials become more complex and sophisticated, and as prospective, outcome research is embraced, corporate and/or government funding will be necessary to sustain this activity. The following objective is proposed:

1. Pursue funding for future prospective projects from peer review agencies and industry.

b.WTA Foundation
It is felt that industry-related funding could be facilitated by having an associated nonprofit foundation. The goals of the foundation would be to provide funding for research, lectures, scholarships, fellowships and educational stipends in trauma-related fields.

It is proposed that the Association investigate the advantages and disadvantages of establishing a non-profit foundation for the purposes of education and research.

2. Goal: Maintain internal functions, core values and mission.

a.Mountain Manual
To ensure an orderly transition of leadership, an operations manual outlining the duties and responsibilities of each office is needed. The following are proposed:

1. Each officer (for calendar year 2000-2001) will submit an outline of the responsibilities of his/her office or committee to the Secretary, who will collate these submissions into the WTA "Mountain Manual."
2. The Manual will be reviewed by the Executive Committee and be available for future officers of the Association. Philosophically, the Manual will be an ongoing "work in progress." Frequent changes and modifications are anticipated. It will become the responsibility of the Secretary to maintain the Mountain Manual and to solicit updates from the officers and committee chairpersons on an annual basis. The Mountain Manual will be distributed to new officers at the meeting of their election to office. The Manual will be available on the website for downloading.

b.Emeritus Status
Senior members who have made noteworthy contributions to the Association should be recognized for their contributions. The following are proposed:

1. A bylaws change to create an Emeritus Status for senior members who have made important contributions to the Association.
2. Such status will be recognized in the annual program.
3. Nominations may be made by any member.
4. Election to Emeritus Status requires a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

3. Goal: Preservation of a young, vibrant membership.

a. WTA Web Site

It is proposed that the WTA develop a web site to facilitate registration, record keeping, abstract submission and communication with the membership. The web site would be a vehicle to obtain applications for membership, update membership information, and link to mountain resorts. The following objectives are proposed:

1) To select a member to establish a web site, formalize this position within the Association to recognize the effort, work and commitment of the individual. Because of the intricacies and dynamics of the state of the internet, this position should have a term of at least 3 years.

http://www.westerntrauma.org, and http://www.WesternTraumaAssociation.org.

1. The web site should be informational at first and then interactive.
2. The informational aspects should be completed as soon as possible to allow posting of meeting announcements and abstract deadlines.
3. The site should be publicized in the Journal of Trauma and other trauma-related journals and publications.
   

b. Membership Committee

The strength and uniqueness of the WTA lie in its diversity and its multi-specialty nature. It is appropriate that we remain multi-specialty because, "TRAUMA IS A MULTI-SPECIALTY DISEASE". The following objectives are proposed:

1. The Bylaws should be changed to formalize the function of the Membership Committee to increase specialty recruitment and retention and to encourage membership to recommend and recruit specialists to the WTA.
2. Announce the "Call for Abstracts" for the annual meeting in specialty journals.

4. Goal: Financial Viability

To assure that we are able to provide adequate resources for our annual meeting and annual operation expenses, the following are proposed:

1. Establish annual dues that meet operating expenses.
2. Establish registration fees that cover the costs of the annual meeting.
3. Obtain corporate sponsorship to support specific research activities and education objectives of the Association.
4. Engage a professional organization to aid in budget development, resort negotiation and planning of the annual scientific meeting.