b'8 EAST news | 2023 Issue 3EAST End-of-Year Development Fund RecapDear EAST Members,As the year comes to an end, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for everything that you do for our community and for our mission. It is thanks to the support of our members that we are able to continue to offer programs to develop the next generation of trauma leaders. These include the EAST Mentoring Program, opportunities to collaborate on the writing of EAST Practice Management Guidelines and Monthly Literature Reviews, community outreach efforts focused on injury prevention, and research initiatives through the EAST Multicenter Trials program as well as the numerous scholarships and awards funded through your donations. In the past year, you have helped raise more than $149,000 for the EAST Development Fund, which includes a $10,000 annual endowment from the Templeton Family for the John M. Templeton, Jr., MD Military Call to Service Scholarship, as well as proceeds from the third annual EAST Trauma Center Challenge. Over the course of two weeks, you rallied your peers from across 59 Level I-V trauma centers and helped raise more than $48,000 while raising awareness of trauma as a public health challenge. Thanks to your generous contributions, we can continue to sustain scholarships such as the EAST Trauma Research Scholarship, which provides funding to aspiring researchers, as well as programs such as the INVEST-C Research Hackathon, which partners early-career investigators with established surgeon-scientists to provide research mentorship that can launch careers and advance trauma care. As Alison A. Smith, MD, PhD, a 2021 INVEST-C program participant writes: Participation in the EAST INVEST-C Research Hackathon was an eye-opening experience for me as a junior faculty member. The ability to speak candidly with leaders in trauma surgery who have walked the difficult path of becoming funded surgeon scientists has been truly invaluable to launching my own academic career. To hear about their experiences and obtain specific advice helped me to critically evaluate my research ideas and to develop a plan for my future efforts. I am grateful to EAST for providing this opportunity for young members interested in research careers.Thank you for investing in your peers while advancing the science needed to save lives. We would also like to acknowledge 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 37th EAST Annual Scientific Assembly in January in Orlando, Florida! Well be launching our inaugural silent auction January 1st and running it through the assembly. We have an exciting line-up of experiences and items to share with you. Stay tuned for additional information and get ready to start bidding!Sincerely,Jeffry Nahmias, MD, MHPE, FACS, FCCMKinga Litwiniuk Chair, EAST Development Committee EAST Development and Member Services Manager'