b'10 EAST news | 2022 Issue 3EAST End-of-Year Development Fund RecapDear EAST Members, On behalf of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, we would like to express our gratitude for your support of the EAST Development Fund! In the past year, EAST supporters have given more than $135,000. This includes a $10,000 annual endowment from the Templeton Family for the John M. Templeton, Jr., MD Military Call to Service Scholarship.Thanks to your generosity we can continue to fund scholarships and awards such as the EAST Trauma Research Scholarship, which provides funding for investigators to commence their research careers, as well as the EAST Multicenter Trial Junior Investigator Award, which helps early-career investigators elevate research projects into multicenter collaborations.Your support also ensures the longevity of programs like INVEST-C, which draws on the biggest asset EAST hasits members and the expertise they provideby partnering early-career investigators with established surgeon-scientists to provide research mentorship that can launch careers and advance trauma care. As Joshua Brown, MD, MSc, a 2020 INVEST-C program participant writes:The INVEST-C Hackathon is a unique opportunity from EAST, unlike one Ive seen anywhere else. The intensive time spent with the mentors gaining their real-world insight into the research and funding process coupled with one-on-one time to really drill down on your specific project is invaluable. The workshop helped me take my research in a different direction that I had not really considered. Even after the program ended, my mentors continued to follow up and helped me network with key people for potential funding opportunities. My project that grew out of the INVEST-C program has recently been funded by the Department of Defense as my first large grant. This program helped to launch my academic career and reach my goal of becoming an extramurally funded surgeon scientist. Its clear from day one that the EAST mentors are wholly invested in your success, a theme Ive seen over and over since joining EAST as a medical student. I cannot recommend this program enough for trauma and acute care surgeons looking to kickstart their academic career.Thank you for investing in your peers and helping us sustain EASTs mission of developing the next generation of trauma leaders while advancing the science needed to save lives. We also would like to acknowledge everyone who helped make our 2nd Annual EAST Trauma Center Challenge a tremendous success. Thank you for sharing your photos and videos and encouraging your peers to join the challenge. Together, you helped raise more than $68,000 from across 87 trauma centers! Lastly, we would like to thank our members who have volunteered their valuable time to participate in our Industry Think Group initiative, which is an opportunity for industry to meet with EAST leaders and experts while supporting the EAST Development Fund. Your knowledge and expertise have allowed us to meet the needs of our industry partners while raising much needed funds! We hope that you will consider participating if you are invited in the future.Thank you again for all you do for EAST. We look forward to seeing you at the 36th EAST Annual Scientific Assembly in January in Lake Buena Vista, Florida!Jeffry Nahmias, MD, MHPE, FACS, FCCM Chair, EAST Development Committee'