The Donald D. Trunkey Center for Civilian and Combat Casualty Care represents an unprecedented commitment to optimizing trauma care through collaborative research efforts in the Portland area.

The Center was established in April 2020, and named for the late emeritus OHSU chair of surgery Dr. Donald D. Trunkey. It connects trauma providers and investigators from multiple disciplines across OHSU and the VA Portland Health Care System.

In Memoriam: Former surgery chair and trauma care advocate leaves behind a legacy

OHSU is internationally recognized in trauma research, identified by the American College of Surgeons as one of the top five trauma research programs in the nation. The three leading OHSU faculty investigators in this field alone bring in more than $28 million in federal and industry funding.

Our mission

The Donald D. Trunkey Center’s mission is to mine and convene the much broader local community of investigators to better leverage research expertise, partners and resources to advance trauma research and improve patient outcomes across the continuum of care.

The center is directed by Martin Schreiber, M.D., Professor and Head of the Division of Trauma, Critical Care and Acute Care Surgery, and a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. 

Located in the School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, and in collaboration with the OHSU Schools of Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy, the center leverages an existing trauma endowment and serves as a focal point for philanthropic, government, foundation and industry research funding.

The Donald D. Trunkey Center embodies the deep connection between trauma care at OHSU and service in the U.S. military

As a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve during the Gulf War’s Operation Desert Storm in 1991, Dr. Donald Trunkey pointed out in a federal report at the time that “in general, reserve and active duty Army surgeons lacked experience with trauma.” His report turned out to be pivotal and led to the establishment of the Joint Trauma Training Center at Ben Taub General Hospital at Texas Medical Center in Houston. Then-Major Dr. Martin Schreiber served on the first pilot team at Ben Taub and commanded the second team.

Through industry partnerships aimed at accelerating the translation of research from the bench to the bedside, our Donald D. Trunkey Center leaders envision a significant contribution to improved patient care.

Ongoing military collaborations: AMCT3 and SMART

OHSU’s ongoing collaborations with the military include a partnership with the U.S. Army launched in June 2019 called the Army Military Civilian Trauma Training Team (AMCT3). OHSU was selected as one of the first two sites for this collaboration out of 28 potential sites nationwide. The program integrates highly trained army medical personnel into civilian hospital trauma care teams for up to 3 years during peacetime. The cross-training and expertise shared on both sides has proven invaluable. Since that time, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act was passed into law to support these collaborations and the program has now been implemented across the country. 

Following AMCT3, an additional program, SMART (Strategic Medical Asset readiness Training) was introduced most recently in 2023. At its launch, OHSU was only one of four U.S. civilian trauma centers participating in the program, and the only one in Oregon to offer the 2-week course. It employs combat nurses and medics in a similar style to the AMCT3. From wound care and sterile prepping, to learning intubation techniques, the Army combat medics and nurses are getting specialized, hands-on experience that is critical for times of combat.

OHSU and our Division of Trauma, Critical Care and Acute Care Surgery were national front-leaders in the introduction of both AMCT3 and SMART and we are currently one of only a small handful of institutions to offer both programs simultaneously.