Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, president and chief executive officer, University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), and Bert W. O’Malley, MD, president and CEO, University of Maryland Medical Center, sent the following letter to UMMS colleagues on Tuesday, Jan. 4, honoring Thomas M. Scalea, MD, FACS, MCCM, for his 25th anniversary as Physician-In-Chief of the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. Scalea is also the Honorable Francis X. Kelly Distinguished Professor of Trauma Surgery and serves as director of the Program in Trauma at the University of Maryland School of Medicine:
Today marks a significant milestone for one of our most renowned physicians. We are honored to recognize Thomas M. Scalea, MD, FACS, MCCM, as he celebrates 25 years as the Physician-In-Chief of the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. Shock Trauma, considered to be the worldwide leader in trauma care, provides complex care to nearly 7,000 patients every year with an astounding 96 percent survival rate, statistics that speak to the amazing work Dr. Scalea and his team do every day.
As the Honorable Francis X. Kelly Distinguished Professor of Trauma Surgery, Dr. Scalea serves as Director of the Program in Trauma at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and System Chief of Critical Care Services for the 12-hospital University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS). His unwavering commitment to trauma care, research, and education has firmly established the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center as the world leader in trauma medicine.
Over the last quarter-century, Dr. Scalea has cared for tens of thousands of critically ill and injured Marylanders and has changed the face of injury care not just in Maryland but across the globe. Under his leadership, Shock Trauma — Maryland’s only primary adult trauma resource center (PARC), which is at the heart of Maryland’s unique Emergency Medical Services (EMS) System — has grown tremendously — from the construction of the cutting-edge Critical Care Tower to the expansion of hands-on training opportunities for physicians, nurses, and medical students.
Globally recognized for his advancements to the field of shock and injury care, Dr. Scalea’s influence extends well beyond the hospital walls. He has been instrumental in creating or developing many key programs and units, including:
- C-STARS (Center for the Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills) program to train U.S. Air Force personnel
- Trauma Resuscitation Unit (TRU), a specialized unit designed to quickly evaluate and begin lifesaving treatment, and the Critical Care Resuscitation Unit (CCRU) the only unit in the country designated for rapid evaluation and treatment of critically ill patients transferred from another institution
- Violence Prevention Program to help victims of violence avoid becoming victims again
- Shock Trauma Go Team, a physician-led team travels to the scene to treat severely injured patients
- Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research (STAR) Center, which opened in 2009, for the prevention and treatment of trauma
- Shock Trauma Surgical Critical Care Fellowship, which is the largest and one of the most prestigious programs to train physician leaders in trauma and critical care medicine of its kind
- Critical Care and Trauma Simulation Center, a state-of-the-art simulation lab for training medical staff, located in the Shock Trauma Critical Care Tower, which was built in 2013.
- Dr. Scalea has also played a critical role in spearheading the University of Maryland Medical Center’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years with many patients receiving highly specialized care in Shock Trauma’s Lung Rescue Unit, one of the busiest units in the country to provide ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
A prolific investigator, motivating educator, active clinician, and researcher, Dr. Scalea has authored or co-authored more than 600 articles, many published in major journals, and mentored countless physician-scientists. He has lectured to physicians, medical students, and professional organizations in the U.S. and abroad.
Through public health challenges and the growing complexity of trauma care, Dr. Scalea has enhanced and developed programs, processes and protocols that are recognized as best practices worldwide. He leads the most coveted and competitive fellowship program in the country for trauma care training, and is committed to providing time-sensitive critical care medicine to every patient in need of immediate care.
As the heart and soul of Shock Trauma, Dr. Scalea lives one mission: to give every patient a second chance at life. Most often, you will find him in the operating room or at the bedside, fully devoted to his patients and leading his team.
We are deeply grateful to Dr. Scalea for his commitment to the University of Maryland and are proud of his outstanding accomplishments and innovative leadership over the last three decades. We hope you will join us in taking a moment to recognize Dr. Scalea’s achievements and invaluable contributions to our patients — and to all of us.