Trauma Symposium RD 2025 convenes an audience from 11 countries and strengthens regional debate on Trauma Systems and clinical research

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic — November.- 2025

With the academic support of Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (UNPHU) and the institutional support of the Dominican Academy of Medicine, the organization TraumaRD held this Friday the Trauma Symposium RD 2025, a virtual academic meeting that brought together professionals from 11 countries, consolidating its international reach and its role as a platform for education and technical analysis on Trauma Systems in Latin America. The event was held as part of the 2025 Trauma Week.

Trauma is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the Dominican Republic, especially among young people aged 15 to 49, and constitutes a real public health crisis. It encompasses injuries from traffic accidents, violence, falls, and other sudden events that cause immediate deaths from hemorrhages and brain injuries, as well as permanent sequelae that destroy families and affect national productivity.

This important meeting began with the official reading of the opening speech by Dr. Luis R. Taveras, who offered a detailed analysis of the trauma situation in the Dominican Republic, the pillars of a comprehensive national system, and the importance of moving toward an organized, evidence-based structure.

The Opening Conference was delivered by Dr. Edgar B. Rodas, MD, FACS, Secretary of the Pan American Trauma Society (PTS), who presented “Importance and Relevance of Trauma Systems in Latin America”. During his intervention, he emphasized the need for categorized centers, strong governance, unified protocols, and robust registries as foundations to reduce mortality and improve clinical outcomes.

While Dr. Franly Vásquez presented the conference “Experience in the Development of Trauma Records in the Dominican Republic”, highlighting the advances in the systematization of local data and its strategic value for national planning.

Dr. Amado Alejandro Báez, Chief Success Officer (CSO) of TraumaRD and a senior graduate of UNPHU, highlighted the importance of an event like this, which reaffirms the commitment to strengthening a National Trauma System grounded in scientific evidence, continuous education, sustainable financing, and organized structures aligned with the Punta Cana Declaration and the Technical Document on the Situation of Trauma in the Dominican Republic.

The symposium featured special international participation: Professor Rubén Peralta, MD, FACS, FCCM, FCCP, MAMSE, who shared his experience leading trauma and critical care programs at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in Qatar. During her intervention, she advocated for strengthening continuing education as a fundamental pillar of any successful trauma system and discussed recent advances in managing the polytraumatized patient.

As part of the program, the Dr. Tito Suero Portorreal Award for Trauma Research was presented to Dr. Andy Ogando for his study: “Epidemiological profile and factors associated with the severity of trauma in patients transferred by ambulances from the DAEH emergency system to the Dr. Darío Contreras Hospital, February–March 2025”.

About TraumaRD

TraumaRD is a multidisciplinary organization dedicated to education, research, prevention, and strengthening of the trauma care system in the Dominican Republic.