Welcome to a new year in the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma! EAST’s 31st Annual Scientific Assembly at Disney was another huge success with record attendance, great scientific and social programming and lots of reconnecting among members and friends. Now we turn our attention to priorities for 2018 and I hope all of you will get involved and be a part. Bruce Crookes delivered a passionate Presidential Address calling upon all of us to examine quality in our profession, validate current measures of quality and propose novel quality measures in our personal and professional lives. In the spirit of EAST’s mission to develop young surgeons, Dr. Crookes also challenged us to examine how we educate each other with respect to quality and how we prepare current and future quality leaders. In response to Bruce’s call, I will establish a Quality Ad Hoc Committee and have asked Jose Pascual to Chair. Look for more from this new Quality, Safety and Outcomes Ad Hoc Committee. EAST’s Committees are already hard at work and many of you are members of those committees. The Education Division has begun planning the 32nd EAST Annual Scientific Assembly and in the meantime will continue to push intriguing interviews, educational content and new video shorts to you via the website and social media. The Guidelines Committee continues to critically assess the literature and bring us clear guidelines to answer the questions that are important in our daily practice. Professional development is a core value of EAST, achieved through mentoring, Careercasts, special programs, resources for military members and other sources. Please consider participating in one of the more than two-dozen EAST Multicenter Trials as a way to learn new concepts and research skills and build your social network. And don’t forget the Landmark Papers Resource on the website is a terrific source for solving a tough clinical case, teaching and doing research. Message from the President 2018 ISSUE ONE Andrew C. Bernard, MD, FACS In This Issue Strategic Goals E A S T E R N A S S O C I A T I O N F O R T H E S U R G E R Y O F T R A U M A news LEADERSHIP  Prepare young surgeons to become leaders DEVELOPMENT Promote unique programs for the career development of young surgical leaders SCHOLARSHIP  Provide education and training across the con- tinuum of acute surgical care FELLOWSHIP  Encourage a sense of community for personal professional growth COLLABORATION  Work with our stakehold- ers to advance patient care and trauma systems •  31st Annual Scientific Assembly Recap • Mentoring Program • Multicenter Trials A D V A N C I N G S C I E N C E • FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS • B U I L D I N G C A R E E R S