University of Chicago picks director for new trauma center

Selwyn Rogers Jr., MD, MPH, has been selected to lead the development of University of Chicago Medicine’s new adult trauma center, set to open in 2018.

The facility would be the only Level 1 trauma center on Chicago’s South Side, serving largely African-American and low-income communities. The area has been without an adult trauma center since 1991, and the university’s own facility shuttered in 1988. This has led to criticism for appearing not to serve the local population, a perception Rogers wants to change.

“Joining [University of Chicago] Medicine is truly an opportunity of a lifetime,” Rogers said in a press release. “I look forward to working in Chicago's South Side to help meet the clinical needs of patients while working to understand and help address the broader challenges that go beyond our hospital walls.”

Rogers’ previous roles include serving as division chief of trauma, burn, and surgical critical care at Brigham and Women's Hospital from 2005 to 2012 and surgery department chair at Temple University Hospital from 2012 to 2014. He’s spent the last several years as chief medical officer and vice president at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

He received his MD at Harvard University and his MPH at Vanderbilt University.

The University of Chicago called Rogers “highly qualified” for the center’s mission, citing his research and clinical experience with underserved populations. Besides serving an expected 2,000 adult trauma patients in its first year, Rogers will also oversee the system’s civic and community engagement programs.

“In this position, Dr. Rogers will collaborate with faculty across the university and members of the community to help develop a multidisciplinary approach to trauma care and health disparities that will help us better understand and address the social factors that affect victims of violence and underserved populations," said Derek Douglas, vice president for civic engagement. “This will bring together resources of the medical center, university and community to develop novel approaches to achieving better outcomes for victims of trauma.”

The plans for the trauma center were approved by state regulators in May 2016, despite concerns about the cost of the expansion proposal. The next step is determining necessary staffing levels, which the university said should be announced “in the weeks ahead.”