The Board of Regents for the Texas University System announced Thursday that it had approved $2.5 million in funding for a combat casualty care research center, according to a release.
The Trauma Research and Combat Casualty Care Collaborative, or TRC4, will be located at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and operate in partnership with the Department of Defense while serving all 13 Texas University System institutions.
“The UT Regents are firmly committed to elevating patient care in Texas and across the country, and this trauma care research center will save lives and support our dedicated service members,” James B. Milliken, chancellor for the UT system, said in the statement. “TRC4 will also create new commercialization and device development opportunities right here in Texas.”
The trauma center’s $2.5 million investment from the UT Board of Regents matches an initial commitment made by the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research. The UT Board’s investment will go towards start-up costs associated with forming a new research center, including hiring staff, developing a strategic plan for the center and providing research funding.
Trauma care, often called combat casualty care in the military, is a leading cause of death and disability among the civilian population under the age of 44, according to the statement. An estimated six million patients suffer from trauma wounds and 1.2 million from burn wounds in the U.S., which costs patients $25 billion a year in medical expenses.
“Our world-class network of trauma and research centers combined with the deep pool of qualified DoD and trauma care talent in San Antonio uniquely positions UT Health San Antonio to successfully advance the CCC field of research across all UT institutions,” UT System Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs John Zerwas said in the statement. “There is no system better suited for this pioneering trauma care research center than The University of Texas.”
Zamone “Z” Perez is a reporter at Military Times. He previously worked at Foreign Policy and Ufahamu Africa. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he researched international ethics and atrocity prevention in his thesis. He can be found on Twitter @zamoneperez.
