3 TRAUMA: A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS Trauma is the leading cause of death in the USA among those age 46 and younger, resulting in 213,981 deaths from injuries and violence in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Controli . In that first half of life, more Americans die from injuries and violence such as road traffic accidents, suicides, or homicides than from any other cause, including cancer, HIV/AIDS, or the flu. The resulting costs in total medical and work loss expenses are $671 billion annually, with non-fatal injuries accounting for $457 billion of those.ii Yet despite the significant impact of this public health crisis, trauma is one of the most poorly funded areas of research relative to disease burden, or the impact of a health condition as measured by prevalence, mortality, morbidity, financial cost, and other indicators.The graph below depicting the relationship between disease burden and National Institutes of Health funding shows how vastly underfunded injuries are relative to the burden of disease, with diseases such as HIV/AIDS and cancer receiving disproportionate support. Investment is required if advances in injury control and prevention are to be realized and the burden of disease reduced. EAST does invest through scholarships that support research. Between 2002 and 2016, 45 publications, 15 grants, 6 National Institute of Health Career Development Awards or Research Grants, 1 Department of Defense award, and 8 local, regional, or specialty awards resulted directly or indirectly from an EAST scholarship. Additional support and partnerships are needed to continue to advance science and research and improve the care provided to those critically injured. In furtherance of its 501(c)(3) purposes, EAST established the EAST Development Fund (“Fund”) to support initiatives designed to reduce the incidence of trauma and improve the care of the injured patient. The initiatives supported by the Fund are in the areas of research, injury control and violence prevention, education and leadership development. The resulting costs in total medical and work loss expenses are $671 billion annually. Dot Data Blog, Jan 13, 2015. Percent of total NIH funding is calculated by dividing the condition-specific funding amount by the total NIH spending amount for the 27 listed conditions. Percent of total burden of disease was calculated by dividing the condition-specific disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) amount by the total DALYs for all 27 listed conditions). Source: eTable 3. NIH Disease-Specific Research Funding and Burden of Disease for Selected Conditions. Moses HM III, Matheson DHM, Cairns-Smith S, George BP, Palisch C, Dorsey ER. The Anatomy of Medical Research: US and International Comparisons, JAMA. Doi:10.1001/jama.2014. 15939 +16.9% +11.1% +2.4% +2.0% +1.7% +1.5% +1.2% +1.1% +0.6% +0.5% +0.4% +0.3% +0.3% +0.1% +0.0% -0.1% -0.5% -0.5% -0.6% -1.0% -1.2% -1.3% -2.7% -3.8% -5.8% -11.0% -11.8% Condition HIV/AIDS Cancer Drug abuse Dental and oral disease Diabetes mellitus Sexually transmitted diseases Tuberculosis Kidney disease Alcohol abuse Parkinsons disease Multiple Sclerosis Perinatal conditions Epilepsy Schizophrenia Peptic Ulcer Otitis Media Asthma Cirrhosis Dementia Arthritis Pneumonia Migraine Stroke Depression COPD Ischemic heart disease Injuries Difference in % of total NIH funding and % of total burden of disease % of total funding = % of total burden Injuries are vastly underfunded relative to the burden of disease, with HIV/AIDS and cancer receiving disproportionate support.