Rutgers surgical doctor to be president of national organization

Dr. David Livingston, professor and chief of the division of trauma and surgical critical care in the department of surgery at the New Jersey Medical School (NJMS), has been announced as the next president of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST), a national scholarly organization dedicated to the science and practice of the field of trauma and critical care, according to a press release. 

“Dr. Livingston has led efforts to transform the Eric Munoz Trauma Center at University Hospital into a nationally ranked center known for innovative trauma care programs,” said Dr. Anne Mosenthal, professor and chair of the department of surgery at NJMS. “As an internationally known leader in academic trauma surgery, he has advanced innovations in research, and care of the injured for 25 years. It is so wonderful to see him recognized by AAST for his leadership and accomplishments.”

Livingston will take over an organization that serves to advance the study and practice of traumatic surgery, according to its website. 

He also serves as an associate fellow of the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators, where he has worked to study the hematologic response, or blood’s response, to injury, according to the release. 

At NJMS, Livingston has conducted research on trauma outcomes, survivorship and gun violence, according to the release. 

Livingston will serve as president-elect of AAST until Sept. 11, 2020, and will then serve as president until Oct. 1, 2021, according to the release. It was the AAST Nomination Committee that voted Livingston as its next president. 

Before serving in his new role, Livingston served as the AAST Board of Managers in 2018, and as a member-at-large from 2015 to 2018, according to the release. As president, Livingston will chair the AAST’s Membership Committee, Board of Managers and the Scholarship, Awards and Development Committee, as well as a member of the Executive, Program and Nominating Committees. 

The Rutgers NJMS was founded in 1954 and currently graduates approximately 170 physicians per year, according to the release. It is the oldest school of medicine in the state of New Jersey.

“It is an incredible honor to be selected as the next president of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma,” Livingston said, according to the release. “The AAST is looked upon nationally and worldwide as the leader in advancing the science of trauma, surgical critical care and emergency general surgery. As injury is now the leading cause of death in people under 45 years of age worldwide, the public health issues we tackle are truly global in scope. I look forward to leading an amazing organization with such talented individuals, to further the AAST’s scientific and educational achievements across the country and around the world.”