Leadership, professional heroism, and the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma: presidential speech at the 14th scientific assembly.

I feel privileged to have been selected as your President at this juncture—the much-touted “Y2K.” Of course, all of the hyperbole associated with the inception of a new millennium has subsided, and despite predictions, we have not escaped the reality of our current existence. We have had no cosmic convergence, and the laws of physics have not been altered in any discernible way. Sir Isaac Newton’s Philosophie Naturalis Principia Mathematica, first published in 1687, still holds conceptual truth for us as we meet today in Florida. Unfortunately, the scientists and prophets of Newton’s era were regarded with skepticism. Galileo, a Newton predecessor, was prosecuted by the Church for his 1632 work, Dialogue on the Two Chief Systems of the World. Thankfully, in our more enlightened times, our leaders are not subject to the same scrutiny. Today my task is to capture the elusive, intangible qualities of our organization that have contributed to its success. I propose that we have professional heroes among us today, and they have altered the culture of our organization in a positive manner. I want to identify some of those who have contributed to the success of our organization by their heroic service. Furthermore, I want to suggest how the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) may take advantage of existing opportunities for continued service to its youngest members in the future. To begin, though, I need to define the concepts of heroism, professionalism, and leadership. I am learning these various elements of leadership in an attempt to apply them to my own daily life. It has been a fascinating personal quest. Textbook definitions of “hero,” “leader,” and “profession” all suggest elements that are helpful in understanding the concept. The Oxford Encyclopedic English Dictionary suggests that a hero is “a person noted or admired for courage and outstanding achievements.” Webster’s Third New International Dictionary describes hero as a “mythological or legendary figure endowed with great strength, courage, or ability, favored by the gods and often believed to be of divine or partly divine descent.” Roget’s International Thesaurus associates the word “leadership” with the following terms: prestige, esteem, repute, personality, charisma, magnetism, charm, and enchantment. Webster’s Third New International Dictionary describes a leader to be a person “who by force of example, talents, or qualities of leadership plays a directing role, wields commanding influence, or has a following in any sphere of activity or thought.” In defining the term “profession” the Oxford English Dictionary indicates that it is “the occupation which one professes to be skilled in and to follow . . . a vocation . . . being altruistic and value laden.” This dictionary further notes that a profession is “now usually applied to an occupation considered to be socially superior to a trade or handicraft, but formerly, and still in vulgar (or humorous) use, to Submitted for publication February 7, 2001. Accepted for publication February 13, 2001. Copyright © 2001 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc. From the Division of General Surgery, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina. Presented at the 14th Annual Meeting of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, January 10–13, 2001, Tarpon Springs, Florida. Address for reprints: Paul R. G. Cunningham, MB, BS, FACS, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834; email: pcunningham@pcmh.com. Paul R. G. Cunningham President, Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma The Journal of TRAUMA Injury, Infection, and Critical Care