Looking back on my work with the third edition of the Parkland Trauma Handbook, what I remember most is the environment that shaped it, not just the book itself. Trauma handbooks usually don’t come from theory. They are built from repeated experience, pressure, and the need for clear answers when time is short. That was definitely the case at Parkland Memorial Hospital.
At the time, I was a chief resident in general surgery, dividing my time between Parkland and UT Southwestern Medical Center. Like other senior residents in a busy trauma center, my days were filled with managing patient flow, making decisions in uncertain situations, and helping junior trainees handle a tough system. The handbook came directly from that daily experience.
I edited the third edition with David Rosenbaum, who was also a chief resident. We worked with the late Dr. Erwin Thal, whose steady guidance provided continuity for the Parkland trauma program. This structure was important. Residents contributed up-to-date experience, while faculty offered long-term perspective. Our goal wasn’t to make something new, but to make sure trainees got a handbook that matched real practice.
Every decision was shaped by Parkland’s clinical environment. The hospital is a regional referral center and regularly handles penetrating trauma, blunt injuries, burns, and complex cases. In this setting, clear advice on common problems is more helpful than long academic discussions. The handbook focused on situations that came up often during trauma activations, overnight shifts, and ICU handoffs. It was designed to be used during patient care.
My role as editor and contributor was hands-on. Like many residents before me, I organized protocols, updated chapters to match current research, and gathered input from several faculty members. My listed affiliation showed my clinical work in burns, trauma, and critical care. This project was part of my training, not something extra.
The Parkland Trauma Handbook is part of the Mobile Medicine series, prioritizing portability and ease of reference, meant to be carried in a pocket or bag, not on a shelf. Emergency medicine reviews praised it as concise and usable.
The third edition shows how one trauma system worked at a certain point in time. I was only involved with that edition; later versions had new contributors and editors, which shows how the work changes over time. The handbook reflects a stage early in my career when my job was to take what we were seeing and doing every day in trauma care and turn it into something practical that others could use. I didn’t write it to share my thoughts or beliefs. It shows what my role was in a bigger trauma system that put clear instructions and real-world patient care ahead of personal opinions.
