In this episode of the AAST Cutting Edge Podcast, host Dr. Caroline Park and co-moderator Dr. Susan Kartiko are joined by Dr. Christina Colosimo and guest Dr. Ron Gross, a foundational figure in chest wall injury surgery and original author of three ACS courses, to discuss surgical rib fixation and the evolving management of chest wall injuries. Dr. Gross traces the field from its earliest skeptics to the robust body of evidence now supporting SSRF in appropriately selected patients, grounded in his own career-defining experience with a flail chest patient in 2005 that shaped everything that followed.

The conversation covers the ACS Best Practice Guidelines for chest wall injuries released in November, indications for SSRF, how to build a multidisciplinary rib fixation program from the ground up, and where to send patients when your center is not yet equipped to operate. The episode closes with a candid look at cryoablation, its promise, its pitfalls, and why abdominal wall herniation may quietly reshape its future in chest wall care.

In this special episode of the AAST Cutting Edge Podcast, Communications Committee Chair Dr. Shannon Foster sits down with Sharon Gautschy to celebrate her 20th anniversary as Executive Director of the AAST. What started as a staff of one with a single annual meeting has grown under Sharon's leadership into an organization of 17 committees, two journals, a thriving acute care surgery program, and a research infrastructure that has reshaped the field. That growth, she'll tell you, was never accidental; it was built on relationships, forward-thinking boards, and a willingness to take smart risks with member dollars.

Sharon reflects on what she admires most about trauma surgeons, what she wishes they knew about themselves, and what two decades of watching presidents come and go has taught her about the difference between lasting institutional vision and a one-year pet project. She also shares the personal side of a career defined by genuine connection: the conference lunch line conversation that sparked an entire online education program, and the AAST trip abroad that brought her the love of her life. Twenty years in, Sharon's advice is simple: show up, get involved, and never underestimate what a small investment of your time can build.

In this episode of the AAST Cutting Edge Podcast, host Dr. Caroline Park and co-moderators Dr. Najiha Farooqi and Dr. Susan Kartiko sit down with AAST President Dr. Kimberly Davis for a candid conversation about navigating an academic surgery career from first year attending to the most seasoned among us. Dr. Davis speaks with the kind of honesty that only comes from 30 years in the field: the clinical creep that derailed her research career early on, the chair interviews she walked away from with relief, and why she believes the happiest professional decision she ever made was choosing not to pursue the next rung on the ladder.

The conversation moves through the full arc of a surgical career, touching on time management pitfalls for junior faculty, the difference between a mentor and a sponsor, the role of professional coaching at mid-career, and the urgent workforce sustainability questions facing acute care surgery as a specialty. Dr. Davis also reflects on the future of academic surgical societies, the financial pressures reshaping how they operate, and the growth of Women in Trauma Surgery as a mentorship community. If you are anywhere on the spectrum from early career to thinking about what comes next, this episode has something for you.