55th Western Trauma Association (WTA) Annual Meeting
OVERVIEW
55th Western Trauma Association (WTA) Annual Meeting is organized by Western Trauma Association (WTA) and will be held from Mar 01 - 06, 2026 at Big Sky Resort, Big Sky, Montana, United States of America.
Agenda:
| Sunday, March 1, 2026 | |
| 3:00pm – 7:00pm | REGISTRATION OPEN Outside Huntley Dining Room (Huntley Lodge) |
| 5:00pm – 7:00pm | WELCOME RECEPTION Huntley Dining Room (Huntley Lodge) |
| 5:00pm – 7:00pm | KIDS WELCOME RECEPTION Lamar/Gibbon (Conference Center) |
| 7:00pm – 8:00pm | PAST PRESIDENTS MEETING Shoshone Boardroom (Shoshone) |
| Monday, March 2, 2026 | |
| 6:00am – 9:00am | REGISTRATION & EXHIBITS OPEN Lower Atrium (Conference Center) |
| 6:30am – 8:30am | ATTENDEE BREAKFAST Upper Atrium (Conference Center) |
| 7:00am – 9:00am | FRIENDS & FAMILY BREAKFAST Huntley Dining Room (Huntley Lodge) |
| 7:00am – 9:00am | SCIENTIFIC SESSION 1 Moderator: TBD Missouri Ballroom (Conference Center) (EY) Indicates Earl G. Young Clinical Research Competition (EM) Indicates Ernest E. Moore Basic Science Research Competition |
| 7:00am – 7:20am | 1. VALIDATION OF A SAFE VOLUMETRIC CUT-OFF FOR OBSERVATION OF TRAUMATIC HEMOTHORAX: A WESTERN TRAUMA ASSOCIATION MULTICENTER STUDY (EY) Anna Tatakis MD, WTA Multicenter Trials, Milwaukee, WA |
| 7:20am – 7:40am | 2. AN IN VIVO ASSESSMENT OF GREEN PLASMA: THE POTENTIAL HEMOSTATIC SUPERIORITY OF A CURRENTLY DISCARDED BLOOD PRODUCT (EM) James Williams MD, University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston/McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX |
| 7:40am – 8:00am | 3. STRONGER THAN TXA, FASTER THAN THE OR: NUMBER NEEDED TO TREAT ANALYSIS FOR GROUND PREHOSPITAL BLOOD IN HEMORRHAGIC SHOCK (EY) Alyscia Severance MD, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MI |
| 8:00am – 8:20am | 4. FEASIBILITY OF ENHANCED RECOVERY AFTER TRAUMA SURGERY (EY) Margot Knight DO, Mount Sinai Hospital Chicago, Chicago, IL |
| 8:20am – 8:40am | 5. MOBILE LIFELINE: THE IMPACT OF WHOLE BLOOD BEFORE THE HOSPITAL DOORS (EY) Courtney Meyer MD, Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, GA |
| 8:40am – 9:00am | 6. ADVANCED TRAUMA LIFE SUPPORT GUIDELINE COMPLIANCE AND MORTALITY IN PENETRATING TRAUMA TRANSFERS: AN ALL-OR-NOTHING EFFECT (EY) Harvey Lewis II MD, University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, IL |
| 3:00pm – 4:00pm | WTA BOARD MEETING Lamar/Gibbon (Conference Center) |
| 3:30pm – 6:00pm | REGISTRATION & EXHIBITS OPEN Lower Atrium (Conference Center) |
| 4:00pm – 6:00pm | SCIENTIFIC SESSION 2 Moderator: TBD Missouri Ballroom (Conference Center) (EY) Indicates Earl G. Young Clinical Research Competition (EM) Indicates Ernest E. Moore Basic Science Research Competition |
| 4:00pm – 4:20pm | 7. REDUCTIONS IN PTSD SYMPTOM CLUSTERS AMONG PERINATAL AND POSTNATAL SURVIVORS OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE PARTICIPATING IN THE HEARTBEATS PROGRAM (EY) Matthew Wishnoff MD, Virginia Commonwealth University Health, Richmond, VA |
| 4:20pm – 4:40pm | 8.PEPTIDYL ARGININE DEIMINASE 2 (PAD2) INHIBITION IS ASSOCIATED WITH ACUTE AND LONG-TERM BENEFITS IN A MURINE MODEL OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (EM) Zaiba Shafik Dawood MD, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL |
| 4:40pm – 5:00pm | 9. SOCIOECONOMIC AND GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION IN RESPONSE TO TRAUMA MEDICAL HOME INTERVENTION (EY) Saba Ilkhani MD, MPH, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Boston, MA |
| 5:00pm – 5:20pm | 10. PLATELET STORAGE LESION UNDERLIES CHANGES IN PAI-1 ACTIVITY DURING WHOLE BLOOD STORAGE (EM) Elizabeth Maginot MD, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE |
| 5:20pm – 5:40pm | 11. TO REPEAT OR NOT TO REPEAT: THE INCIDENCE OF PSEUDOANEURYSM IDENTIFICATION IN AN INTERVAL IMAGING PRACTICE MANAGMENT GUIDELINE FOR BLUNT SPLENIC INJURY (EY) Saeram Oh MD, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC |
| 5:40pm – 6:00pm | 12. A SECOND LOOK AT PLATELET TRANSFUSION AFTER TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY SHOWS REDUCTION IN BLEED PROGRESSION (EY) Hunter Parmer MD, University of Tennessee Health Science College of Medicine-Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN |
| 6:00pm – 7:00pm | WTA MULTICENTER TRIALS MEETING Missouri Ballroom (Conference Center) |
| 6:15pm – 7:30pm | RESIDENT RECEPTION Upper Atrium (Conference Center) |
| 6:15pm – 7:30pm | NEW MEMBER/INITIATE RECEPTION Talus (Summit Hotel) |
| Tuesday, March 3, 2026 | |
| 6:00am – 9:00am | REGISTRATION & EXHIBITS OPEN Lower Atrium (Conference Center) |
| 6:30am – 8:30am | ATTENDEE BREAKFAST Lower Atrium (Conference Center) |
| 7:00am – 9:00am | FRIENDS & FAMILY BREAKFAST Huntley Dining Room (Huntley Lodge) |
| 7:00am – 9:00am | SCIENTIFIC SESSION 3 Moderator: TBD Missouri Ballroom (Conference Center) (EY) Indicates Earl G. Young Clinical Research Competition (EM) Indicates Ernest E. Moore Basic Science Research Competition |
| 7:00am – 7:20am | 13. VALIDATION OF THE HOLLOW VISCUS INJURY PREDICTION SCORE IN PATIENTS SUSTAINING NON- MOTOR VEHICLE COLLISION BLUNT ABDOMINAL TRAUMA (EY) Peter Nguyen MD, UCI, Irvine, CA |
| 7:20am – 7:40am | 14. THE LONG ROAD HOME: A WESTERN TRAUMA ASSOCIATION MULTICENTER STUDY OF PATIENT PREFERENCES AND RISK TOLERANCE IN THE REGIONALIZATION OF ACUTE CARE SURGERY (EY) Corey Ambrose MD, University of Southern California / Los Angeles General Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA |
| 7:40am – 8:00am | 15. TRAUMA, HEMORRHAGE, AND THE HILUM: DEFINING PROLONGED PULMONARY HILAR CONTROL IN A SWINE MODEL (EM) Thomas McKinley MD, Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Ft Eisenhower, GA |
| 8:00am – 8:20am | 16. IMPLEMENTING A WHOLE BLOOD PROGRAM IN A RURAL TRAUMA SYSTEM: UTILIZATION, WASTE AND COST ANALYSIS (EY) Fouad Saeg MD, Robert Packer Hospital/Guthrie Clinic, Athens, PA |
| 8:20am – 8:40am | 17. CRACKING THE CODE OF ENDOTHELIOPATHY OF TRAUMA (EM) Chavi Rehani MD, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD |
| 8:40am – 9:00am | 18. INDUSTRY PAYMENTS FURTHER OBFUSCATE THE APPROPRIATE USE OF RIB PLATING (EY) Omar Zein MD, UPMC Mercy, Pittsburgh, PA |
| 3:00pm – 4:00pm | VIOLENCE PREVENTION COMMITTEE MEETING Lamar/Gibbon (Conference Center) |
| 3:30pm – 6:00pm | REGISTRATION & EXHIBITS OPEN Lower Atrium (Conference Center) |
| 4:00pm – 6:00pm | SCIENTIFIC SESSION 4 Moderator: TBD Missouri Ballroom (Conference Center) |
| 4:00pm – 4:40pm | 19. PANEL |
| 4:40pm – 4:50pm | 20. FAMILY ABSTRACT: FELLOWSHIP OF THE SLOG: ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY WALK TO CAPE WRATH John Kuckelman DO, WTA Family, Tacoma, WA |
| 4:50pm – 5:00pm | 21. FAMILY ABSTRACT: WTA FELLOWSHIP BEYOND THE SNOW Roxie Albrecht MD, WTA Family, Oklahoma City, OK |
| 5:00pm – 6:00pm | 22. PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS Krista Kaups, MD, UC Davis, Fresno, CA |
| Wednesday, March 4, 2026 | |
| 6:00am – 9:00am | REGISTRATION & EXHIBITS OPEN Lower Atrium (Conference Center) |
| 6:30am – 8:30am | ATTENDEE BREAKFAST Lower Atrium (Conference Center) |
| 7:00am – 9:00am | FRIENDS & FAMILY BREAKFAST Huntley Dining Room (Huntley Lodge) |
| 7:00am – 9:00am | SCIENTIFIC SESSION 5 Moderator: Elizabeth Benjamin, MD Missouri Ballroom (Conference Center) |
| 7:00am – 7:20am | 23. TRANEXAMIC ACID IN PATIENTS WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY: IS THERE BENEFIT IN PATIENTS WITH FIBRINOLYTIC SHUTDOWN? Jeffrey Barletta Pharm.D., HonorHealth John C. Lincoln Medical Center, Glendale, AZ |
| 7:20am – 7:40am | 24. STROKE AFTER BLUNT CEREBROVASCULAR INJURY IN OLDER ADULTS: A MULTI-CENTER EVALUATION OF A PROSPECTIVE DATABASE Dagmawi Demessie MD, MS, Multicenter abstract, New Orleans, LA |
| 7:40am – 8:00am | 25. SUCTION VERSUS WATER SEAL FOR INITIAL TREATMENT OF TRAUMATIC PNEUMOTHORAX (SEAL IT): A PRAGMATIC CLUSTER-RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF CHEST TUBE MANAGEMENT Eric Yeates MD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN |
| 8:00am – 8:20am | 26. EARLY POSTOPERATIVE IMAGING AFTER TRAUMATIC BLADDER REPAIR REDUCES CAUTI RATES, CATHETER DURATION, AND HOSPITAL STAY WITHOUT AN INCREASED URINARY LEAK RATE Tyler Holliday MD, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD |
| 8:20am – 8:30am | 27. FIRST-IN-HUMAN USE OF RESQFOAM SELF- EXPANDABLE INTRA-ABDOMINAL FOAM WAS SAFE AND FEASIBLE William Hewgley MD, University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of Cincinnati, Birmingham, AL |
| 8:30am – 9:00am | 28. FOUNDERS’ BASIC SCIENCE LECTURE |
| 10:00am – 11:00am | WTA SKI RACE (PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED) Mountain |
| 11:30am – 1:30pm | WTA MOUNTAIN PICNIC (come anytime) Huntley Dining Room |
| 3:00pm – 4:00pm | PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING Lamar/Gibbon (Conference Center) |
| 2:30pm – 5:00pm | REGISTRATION & EXHIBITS OPEN Lower Atrium (Conference Center) |
| 4:00pm – 5:00pm | SCIENTIFIC SESSION 6 Moderator: TBD Missouri Ballroom (Conference Center) |
| 4:00pm – 4:15pm | 29. ALGORITHM 1 |
| 4:15pm – 4:30pm | 30. ALGORITHM 2 |
| 4:30pm – 4:45pm | 31. ALGORITHM 3 |
| 4:45pm – 5:05pm | 32. INTRAVENOUS AC01 SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES MOTOR FUNCTION AFTER SPINAL CORD INJURY IN RATS Jay Uppuluri, UC Davis Department of Surgery, Sacramento, CA |
| 5:05pm – 6:00pm | WTA BUSINESS MEETING: MEMBERS ONLY Missouri Ballroom (Conference Center) |
| 4:00pm – 6:00pm | WTA BOOK CLUB TBD |
| 6:30pm – 8:00pm | FAMILY NIGHT: ENCHANTED FOREST (sign-up required) Enchanted Forest |
| Thursday, March 5, 2026 | |
| 6:00am – 9:00am | REGISTRATION & EXHIBITS OPEN Lower Atrium (Conference Center) |
| 6:30am – 8:00am | ATTENDEE BREAKFAST Lower Atrium (Conference Center) |
| 7:00am – 9:00am | FRIENDS & FAMILY BREAKFAST Huntley Dining Room (Huntley Lodge) |
| 7:00am – 9:00am | SCIENTIFIC SESSION 7 Moderator: TBD Missouri Ballroom (Conference Center) |
| 7:00am – 7:20am | 33. WALKING THE DOG: RANDOMIZED CROSSOVER TRIAL OF A NOVEL AND EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION TO ENHANCE TRAUMA PATIENT MOBILITY Jessica Borzansky BSN Student, University of Kentucky; University of Southern California, Lexington, KY |
| 7:20am – 7:40am | 34. BUPRENORPHINE ANALGESIA ON OPIOID BURDEN AND CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN TRAUMA Sabri Conde-Yassin M.Sc, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine / Carilion Clinic, Roanoke, VA |
| 7:40am – 8:00am | 35. FROM DISPATCH TO DECISION: ACHIEVING HUMAN LEVEL PERFORMANCE IN TRAUMA TRIAGE WITH LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS Brian Quaranto MD, SUNY at Buffalo Department of Surgery, Buffalo, NY |
| 8:00am – 8:20am | 36. QUANTIFYING THE IMPACT OF CENTRALIZED EMS COORDINATION ON INTERFACILITY TRANSFER RATES IN A RURAL STATE Jeffrey Tabor NRP, BS, FACPE, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR |
| 8:20am – 8:40am | 37. ALGORITHM 4 |
| 8:40am – 9:00am | 38. ALGORITHM 5 |
| 3:00pm – 4:00pm | ALGORITHMS COMMITTEE MEETING Lamar/Gibbon (Conference Center) |
| 3:00pm – 6:00pm | REGISTRATION & EXHIBITS OPEN Lower Atrium (Conference Center) |
| 4:00pm – 6:00pm | SCIENTIFIC SESSION 8 Moderator: TBD Missouri Ballroom (Conference Center) |
| 4:00pm – 4:20pm | 39. COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY FOR PEDIATRIC CERVICAL SPINE CLEARANCE Katie Russell MD, WTA Multicenter Trials, Salt Lake City, UT |
| 4:20pm – 4:40pm | 40. TIME COURSE AND VARIABILITY IN POST- CONCUSSIVE SYMPTOMS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS HOSPITALIZED FOR TRAUMATIC INJURIES WITH AND WITHOUT CONCOMITANT MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY: A WTA MULTICENTER STUDY Susan Biffl MD, Rady Children's Hospital UCSD, San Diego, CA |
| 4:40pm – 5:20pm | 41. PANEL 2 |
| 5:20pm – 6:00pm | 42. PAINT THE CEILING LECTURE |
| 6:30pm – 9:00pm | KIDS PARTY Talus (Summit Hotel) |
| 6:30pm – 9:00pm | AWARDS NIGHT Vista Hal |
| Friday, March 6, 2026 | |
| 6:00am – 9:00am | REGISTRATION & EXHIBITS OPEN Lower Atrium (Conference Center) |
| 6:30am – 8:30am | ATTENDEE BREAKFAST Missouri Ballroom (Conference Center) |
| 7:30am – 9:00am | FRIENDS & FAMILY BREAKFAST Huntley Dining Room (Huntley Lodge) |
| 7:00am – 9:00am | SCIENTIFIC SESSION 9 Moderator: TBD Missouri Ballroom (Conference Center) |
| 7:00am – 7:20am | 43. FILLING GAPS OR FILLING WALLETS? THE ROLE OF THE FOR-PROFIT HOSPITAL IN THE AMERICAN TRAUMA SYSTEM Danby Kang MD, Boston University, Boston, MA |
| 7:20am – 7:40am | 44. E-BIKES AND E-SCOOTERS ARE NOT BICYCLES OR MOTORCYCLES: THE CASE FOR A DEDICATED TRAUMA REGISTRY MECHANISM Ana Reyes MD, MPH, University of Miami/Ryder Trauma Center, Miami, FL |
| 7:40am – 8:00am | 45. EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF PREHOSPITAL TOURNIQUET QUALITY ON OUTCOMES IN URBAN TRAUMA CARE Meaghan Broderick MD, R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, Baltimore, MD |
| 8:00am – 8:20am | 46. WHEN DOES 1:1 RESUSCITATION REALLY MATTER? AN ANALYSIS OF 4,858 PATIENTS FROM FOUR TRAUMATIC HEMORRHAGE STUDIES Thomas Clements MD, Multicenter abstract, Houston, TX |
| 8:20am – 8:35am | BREAK |
| 8:35am – 8:55am | 47. NORMOTENSION SAVES LIVES: CHALLENGING PERMISSIVE HYPOTENSION IN THE PREHOSPITAL BLOOD ERA Jacob Broome MD, MedStar Georgetown University, Washington, DC |
| 8:55am – 9:15am | 48. AGE-DEPENDENT FUTILITY OF EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT THORACOTOMY DEFINED BY MECHANISM AND SIGNS OF LIFE Riddhi Mehta MD, Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, NY |
| 9:15am – 9:35am | 49. WHOLE BLOOD FOR TRAUMA RESUSCITATION: A COST-DOMINANT STRATEGY TO REDUCE COMPLICATIONS Zihuang Zhang MPH, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA |
| 9:35am – 9:55am | 50. COOLER BY COOLER - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FORECASTING TRANSFUSION DEMAND AND VOLUMES IN TRAUMA Allan Stolarski MD, MS, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA |
| 9:55am – 10:15am | 51. IS THERE A ROLE FOR PROPHYLACTIC PELVIC ANGIOEMBOLIZATION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PELVIC FRACTURE RELATED HEMORRHAGE? A MULTICENTER AAST STUDY Kyle Campbell DO, Multicenter, Dallas, TX |
Additional details will be posted as soon as information is available.
KEY DATES
01 Mar, 2026
Event Start Date
06 Mar, 2026
Event End Date
TARGET AUDIENCE
PhysicianResidentsMedical StudentsTraumaFellowsSPECIALITIES
TraumaSUGGESTED HOTELS
CONFERENCE VENUE
Big Sky ResortCANCELLATION & REFUND POLICY
In-person meeting registration cancellations received by February 13, 2026, may switch to virtual registration and receive a refund of the difference, or cancel entirely for a refund less the $50 administrative fee. Cancellations received February 14 – 28, 2026, will be converted to a virtual registration and refunded the difference. Cancellations received after February 28, 2026, will be converted to a virtual registration without refund. Virtual meeting registration is non-refundable. Friends & Family registration is 100% refundable if cancelled by March 6, 2026. No refunds after March 6.
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