NEWS CONFERENCE – Accelerating our response to America’s firearm public health crisis

Who: American College of Surgeons leadership; Trauma surgeons who have treated gravely wounded shooting victims  

What: NEWS CONFERENCE – Accelerating our response to America’s firearm public health crisis

When: Thursday, June 2, 2022; 9:30 a.m. (EDT); Livestreaming available (details below)

Where: American College of Surgeons – Washington D.C. Office, 20 F Street, NW (near the intersection of North Capitol Street)

WASHINGTON, DC (June 1, 2022): Firearm violence is a growing public health crisis that must be urgently addressed. Our surgeons are on the front lines dealing with the devastating effects of this crisis and are advocating for bipartisan solutions to reduce the rising numbers of deaths and serious injuries that are arriving in trauma centers on a daily basis.  

During this news conference, leaders from the American College of Surgeons and its Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) will provide an overview of important steps that can be taken to accelerate an effective response to America’s firearm injury and death crisis. Peer-reviewed published recommendations from the ACS COT Firearm Strategy Team (FAST) could help elected officials find common ground to address this crisis. The recommendations—the product of a broad consensus of trauma surgeons, including many who own firearms—present a multi-faceted approach and attainable strategies to reduce firearm violence while respecting a person’s right to own and safely use a firearm.

For more than three decades, the ACS COT has advocated for effective prevention of firearm injuries, and in 2019, brought together 44 national medical and other organizations to develop a consensus on a comprehensive public health and medical approach to address the issue.

Trauma surgeons, including Dr. Ronald M. Stewart who treated Uvalde school shooting victims, will also discuss how they’ve treated patients who have been seriously wounded by high-velocity weapons, how trauma surgeons across the U.S. are dealing with the firearm violence epidemic, and the impact that these devastating incidents are having on trauma care across the country. Speakers include:

• Patricia L. Turner, MD, FACS, Executive Director, American College of Surgeons, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, Illinois
• Ronald M. Stewart, MD, FACS Chair, Department of Surgery, University Hospital – San Antonio; Former Medical Director, ACS Trauma Programs, San Antonio, Texas
• Eileen M. Bulger, MD, FACS, Professor & Acting Division Chief, Division of Trauma, Burns, & Critical Care, Department of Surgery, University of Washington; Chief of Trauma & Acting Surgeon-in-Chief, Harborview Medical Center; Medical Director, ACS Trauma Programs Seattle, Washington
• Patrick V. Bailey, MD, MLS, FACS, ACS Medical Director for Advocacy, Washington, D.C.
• Jeffrey Kerby, MD, PhD, FACS, Brigham Family Endowed Professor/Director Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Chair, ACS Committee on Trauma, Birmingham, Alabama

Media registration

Journalists should send an email message confirming their attendance in advance to: [email protected]. They should include their full name, title, and media affiliation. Pre-registration is encouraged to facilitate quick access to the news conference.

Onsite registration begins 30 minutes before the event. Journalists should provide appropriate professional identification at the registration desk (press identification or business card). 

Livestreaming information

For media unable to attend in person, the news conference will be livestreamed on our website. Questions for the participants may be submitted for consideration via email to [email protected].

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About the American College of Surgeons
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 improve the quality of care for all surgical patients. 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 84,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. “FACS” designates that a surgeon is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.