As we enter our 41st record-breaking year, it is appropriate that the continued focus of this most sought after trauma course be TRAUMA, CRITICAL CARE, & ACUTE CARE SURGERY. For the past nine years, this course has been oversubscribed, with 1400 attendees, more than 75% of whom are physicians. For every community, there continues to be a need for surgical and medical teams to evaluate and treat the sickest of the sick and the severely injured. With many recent surgical graduates going into practices based primarily in minimally invasive surgical subspecialties, it is appropriate that this course take a leadership role in providing a continuing education venue for the complex operative and critical care surgical challenges, with major trauma continuing to be the epitome of such challenges. The faculty are selected from a group of potential legacy and emerging acute care surgery, trauma, and surgical intensivist leaders, recognized for their expertise in practical "in the trenches" approach to tough surgical problems. The course syllabus is recognized as a surgical reference book on its own merit.

This conference has become the best attended, longest running regional trauma conference in the world. The program offers comprehensive continuing education in the treatment of the seriously injured patient, stressing current guidelines and technology for evaluation, diagnosis and management of trauma.