At the five-year anniversary of the opening of University of Chicago Medicine’s adult Level 1 trauma center, we sat down with Selwyn O. Rogers Jr., MD, MPH, Professor of Surgery and founding director of UChicago Medicine’s trauma center, to discuss how his team is caring for the community, preventing violence and their hope of reducing trauma.
Q: Five years ago, the adult trauma program was born out of community activism, and you were appointed founding director to help build the center, its team, and its programming. Tell us about your mindset in those early days.
Before being asked to look at this position, I had actually never been on the University of Chicago campus. In that context, I was really struck by the absence of an adult Level 1 trauma center on the South Side. When I interviewed and when I talked to people, I realized it was going to be a very heavy lift to develop one. Partly because it had not been done for three decades, but also because of what I sensed from the community – that a center was a long-standing desire, and that there must have been significant resistance. It became a spiritual journey. That's why I’m here. That's why I have persisted and that's why I have survived and thrived in this role. For me, it’s a passion and it’s spiritual.
Q: The need for a Level 1 trauma center on the South Side of Chicago was clear. What challenges did you face in the beginning?
The trauma center is not an emergency department. It is people, policies and programs working together to create a system of care to take care of the most severely injured. It was clear to me there were going to be many challenges — some logistical, some resource-related.
What I didn’t realize was the other side: building trust with the community in solidarity to stand up this Level 1 trauma center. When I was meeting people in the community, I was faced with extreme hostility. People felt the University had turned a blind eye to the needs of the community for so long that the relationship was damaged, tattered and broken.
So humbly, I just said, “I just want to listen.” I think that set the stage for how we developed the trauma center, how I recruited faculty and staff, and how we’ve advanced certain programs and initiatives to address the needs of the community we serve.
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This story was first published by UChicago Medicine.
