Dr. John Fildes, medical director of University Medical Center's Trauma Center, recently was appointed the national chairman for the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma.
"Truly this is the highest post a trauma surgeon can rise to in this country," says Fildes, who came to UMC to head its trauma unit in 1996 from his job as attending surgeon for general surgery in the University of Illinois Hospital and attending surgeon in trauma and critical care for John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, formerly Cook County Hospital, in Chicago.
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The position will be held by Fildes for four years. He was nominated by his peers and received the appointment from a committee of past chairmen.
"I was very surprised," Fildes says. "I was honored to have been nominated, I didn't expect to be appointed."
Fildes will be kept busy with his appointment, his work at UMC and as a professor of surgery at the University of Nevada School of Medicine. He oversees the trauma and critical care fellowship programs.
As national chairman, Fildes will work with fellow members of the Committee on Trauma to improve the care of injured and critically ill patients, before, in route to and during hospitalizations.
His committee also conducts training courses in emergency care for ambulance personnel; sponsors courses for the management and prevention of injuries for trauma specialists as well as physicians; and works to encourage hospitals to upgrade their trauma care capabilities. The committee also maintains a voluntary verification-consultation program for trauma centers around the country.
Fildes has participated as principal investigator and co-investigator of more than 30 research studies, including a variety of research in trauma, emergency medical services and safety. He has published nearly 100 books, chapters, articles and opinions in medical and health journals, textbooks, magazines and bulletins.
He will oversee publishing the results of the ACS's national trauma database information which details the care of trauma patients in the United States.
Fildes graduated at the top of his class from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines after attending Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., for his bachelor degree in biomedical engineering.
Fildes has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the 1998 Outstanding Full-Time Clinical Professor by the University of Nevada School of Medicine for excellence and dedication to teaching; the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce's Achievement Award for Professional Service for his work at UMC's Trauma Unit; and the 1999 Outstanding Teaching Award, presented by the surgical residents of the Department of Surgery of the Nevada School of Medicine in recognition of outstanding contributions to resident education.
The ACS is a national scientific and educational association of surgeons founded in 1913 to improve the quality of care for surgical patients by setting high standards for surgical education and practice. With more than 64,000 fellows nationwide and around the globe, the ACS is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.
Last month, Fildes received a commendation from the Clark County Commission for his appointment.
Fildes "represents the highest standard of dedication and professionalism, and through this appointment, will certainly do great things for Nevada," says UMC's CEO, Lacy Thomas.
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