Dr. A. Brent Eastman Elected Chair of Board of Regents of American College of Surgeons

San Diego – Dr. A. Brent Eastman, FACS, was elected chairman of the Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) during the college’s annual Clinical Congress in Chicago Oct. 11-15. A general, vascular, and trauma surgeon, Eastman is chief medical officer of Scripps Health and the N. Paul Whittier endowed chair of trauma at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla. He is also a clinical professor of surgery-trauma at the University of California, San Diego.

In his role as chairman of the Board of Regents, Eastman will work closely with the ACS executive director and will chair the regents’ Finance and Executive Committees. The college’s 22-member Board of Regents formulates policy and is ultimately responsible for managing the affairs of the college. The board’s diversity and the variety of experiences and interests among its members enable the regents to represent views related to myriad issues in contemporary surgery.

Eastman, a resident of Rancho Santa Fe, has been instrumental in the development of trauma systems worldwide. He is one of the co-founders of San Diego County’s trauma system and has lectured and helped put trauma systems into place in countries including the U.S., England, Argentina, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, South Africa, India and Pakistan. He participated in the ACS/AAST Distinguished Visiting Surgeon in Combat Casualty Program at the United States military hospital, the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany in July 2007. He subsequently was granted and assigned the distinction of honorary member of the United States Army Medical Regiment, by order of the U.S. surgeon general.

A fellow of the ACS since 1976, Eastman began serving on the college’s Board of Regents in 2001. In addition to serving as a regent, Eastman has been an active member of many college committees, particularly the college’s Committee on Trauma (COT). He helped create and was the first chair of the COT Trauma System Consultation Committee and is an instructor for the internationally renowned Advanced Trauma Life Support™ course. In addition to chairing the COT, Eastman has chaired the college’s Scholarship Committee and Central Judiciary Committee.

He is an active member of many leading surgical organizations, including the American Surgical Association, the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, International Society of Cardiovascular Surgery, Society of Clinical Vascular Surgery and the Pacific Coast Surgical Association. In addition, Eastman served as chair of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Research Agenda Steering Committee and is a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors, National Center for Injury Prevention (CDC).

Throughout his distinguished career, Eastman has authored or co-authored multiple publications and articles related to trauma. He served on the Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee that in 2006 published the landmark report, “The Future of Emergency Care in the United States Health System.” This year, shortly before his election as chair of the Board of Regents, Eastman delivered the Scudder Oration, the signature speech on trauma care at the annual ACS Clinical Congress.

Eastman received his medical degree in 1966 from the University of California,

San Francisco, where he also completed a surgical internship and residency and served as chief surgical resident. In addition, Eastman spent one year as a surgical registrar at Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, Norwich, England.

Founded in 1924 by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, Scripps Health is a $2 billion nonprofit community health system based in San Diego, Calif. Scripps treats a half-million patients annually through the dedication of 2,600 affiliated physicians and 12,700 employees among its five acute-care hospital campuses, home health care services, and an ambulatory care network of physician offices and 19 outpatient centers and clinics. Recognized as a leader in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, Scripps is also at the forefront of clinical research and graduate medical education. More information can be found at www.scripps.org.

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America, and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 75,000 members, and it is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. Web site: www.facs.org.

Contact: Steve Carpowich
Phone: 858-678-7183
Email: carpowich.stephen@scrippshealth.org