Read about the program, the first of its kind in the United States and a collaboration between the Schools of Medicine and Graduate Studies, in the latest issue of “CATALYST” magazine.
Photo: Thomas Scalea and Shailvi Gupta
Thomas Scalea, MD, FACS, FCCM, has seen a lot of things in his 40-plus years of working in trauma surgery, the last 28 at the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center where he is physician-in-chief. And one thing he has learned is to never say never.
On this crisp September morning, he is talking about the latest Shock Trauma breakthrough, the launching of a fully online, two-year Master’s in Trauma Sciences program, the first and only such graduate program based in the United States and one of the few in the world.
“When I arrived here in 1997, we had, by today’s standards, very primitive computers. You didn’t have your whole world on your telephone,” said Scalea, the Francis X. Kelly Distinguished Professor of Trauma Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). “There has just been an explosion of technology in every facet of our lives.
“This program would’ve been ‘Star Wars’ level stuff in 1997. And you know as I have aged the one thing I never say any longer is that it will never happen. We never would’ve imagined many things that are around today happening, even 20 years ago. And this new program certainly is one of them.”
A collaboration between UMSOM and the University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies (UMSGS), the MS in Trauma Sciences is currently accepting applications for its first cohort of students in fall 2026. Shailvi Gupta, MD, MPH, FACS, director of the new program and associate professor of surgery at UMSOM, said the initial response has been very encouraging.
“There have been hundreds of people who have signed up to get updates on how to apply and there have been thousands of people on the website,” Gupta said. “That being said, with the advice of the School of Graduate Studies, we will limit our first cohort to 15 to 20 students. We really want to provide dedicated mentorship and invest in the student’s career journey. There’s a different intimacy with larger classes.”
The online component allows students to match the MS in Trauma Sciences program with their current work schedule. The first year is identical for all the students, looking at trauma care worldwide, epidemiology, prevention, and how to develop an advanced trauma system. The second year, students can choose between nine electives.
“Trauma represents an important global health burden and a major source of mortality and morbidity, especially in regions of the world that do not have a strong infrastructure,” said UMSGS Dean Kenneth Wong, PhD. “The new program will equip professionals to not only treat trauma when it occurs, but to help build the systems that enable successful treatment at a broad societal scale.”
Read more about the MS in Trauma Sciences Program in CATALYST.
The latest issue of "CATALYST" magazine highlights the School of Medicine's impact building safer health systems in The Gambia; the School of Nursing's work with HIV and mental health in Nigeria; a Maryland Carey Law fellowship honoring the legacy of graduate Eric Garvin; UMB's health care pipeline for students from underserved rural areas such as the Eastern Shore; UMB's innovative policing; Five Questions with VP for Research Patrick O'Shea; and much more.