Trauma Symposium

William Alexander Lewis Mitchell, of Mobile, died on February 16, 2005, at age 18 after a valiant struggle against injuries sustained in an automobile accident nine days prior to his death. William was treated heroically by physicians and staff at the USA Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit.

William Mitchell was an advanced placement scholar and captain of the varsity basketball team. He was a member of the National Honor Society and was on the Headmaster’s List. He also was a writer and editor for the school newspaper, and played varsity soccer.

The William A. Mitchell Endowment for University Hospital Trauma Center was established on April 2007 to support the Trauma Center at University Hospital. These gifts are in memory of William A. L. Mitchell.

The fund was established through memorial gifts received and, to date, more than 525 gifts have been received since its inception

The William A.L. Mitchell Endowed lecture is presented annually to honor the life of William A. L. Mitchell, who died in 2005 from sever traumatic injuries sustained in a car crash. Following his treatment at USA Trauma Center - in appreciation for the care he received - his family established the endowment and the lecture series both to memorialize William and to improve trauma patient care in our region through education. People from Mobile County made donation to this endowment.

The William A.L. Mitchell Lecture serves as a platform to educate and convey trauma awareness to healthcare providers and residents of the Mobile area. Car crashes are one of the leading causes of death among young people. According to the National Highway Safety and Traffic Administration (NHTSA), education has helped decrease the number of fatalities among teenagers. The endowment allows participants to enhance their skill and competence in medical knowledge and understanding of new concepts in the field of trauma, and the EMS field.

According to NHTSA, traffic crashes are a leading cause of death for teens. Impairment, passengers, distractions from mobile phones and navigation systems, speeding, and not wearing a seat belt are among the major contributing factors to the number of teen injuries and fatalities on our nation’s roads each year.

In a recent NHTSA study, teens were two-and-a-half times more likely to engage in potentially risky behavior when driving with a teenage peer versus driving alone. The likelihood increased to three times when traveling with multiple passengers.

Previous William A.L. Mitchell Endowed Lecturers

• 2007: J. David Richardson, M.D.
• 2008: Gregory J. Jurkovich, M.D.
• 2010: Kenneth L. Mattox, M.D.
• 2011: Norman E. McSwain, M.D.
• 2012: Donald Trunkey, M.D.
• 2013: Demetrios Demetriades, M.D.
• 2014: Timothy C. Fabian, M.D.
• 2015: Thomas M. Scalea, M.D.
• 2016: L.D. Britt, M.D.
• 2017: Steven Wolf, M.D.
• 2018: David A. Spain, M.D.
• 2019: Hasan Alama, M.D. 
• 2022: Eileen Bugler, M.D.
• 2023: David Efron, M.D.
• 2024: Jason Smith, M.D.
• 2025: Nicole Stassen, M.D.

John Emory Campbell, M.D., FACEP, was founder and president of International Trauma Life Support. Known worldwide for his groundbreaking work in developing prehospital trauma education, Dr. Campbell founded the Basic Trauma Life Support (BTLS) program in 1982. It was the first course and curriculum dedicated to prehospital trauma assessment and trauma care worldwide.

Dr. Campbell attended pharmacy school at Auburn University and medical school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Campbell practiced medicine for over 35 years in emergency rooms across the state of Alabama and in Longview, Texas. From October 2, 2006, to April 1, 2011, Dr. Campbell served as EMS Medical director for the State of Alabama. Under his leadership, he implemented changes to standardize patient care protocols across the entire state. His work has lead to the mandatory training and certification of all providers who communicate with paramedics in the field, one of the first such requirements in the history of the United States.

Dr. Campbell conducted the first BTLS course at Southeast Alabama EMS System on August 23, 1982. He wanted to teach paramedics the principles of advanced trauma life support (ATLS) to improve the care provided to patients. He partnered with the Alabama Chapter of ACEP to publish the first BTLS textbook in 1982.

“John did not set out to be an EMS leader,” said ITLS Editor in Chief Roy Alson, Ph.D., M.D., FACEP, who has served on the editorial board alongside Dr. Campbell for many years. “Thirty years ago, he took a new trauma course and said, 'Why aren’t we teaching this to EMS?' Along the way, he convinced countless doctors and nurses, EMS, fire and police personnel to share his vision. The legacy John leaves is measured in the lives saved by those who have been ITLS trained.

Under the direction of Dr. Campbell, the program grew rapidly, first throughout the southern states and then expanding into the rest of the United States. The program was taught in Canada for the first time in 1986 and in Puerto Rico in 1987. By 1995, BTLS courses had been taught in Singapore, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, Russia,
Poland, Saudi Arabia, Korea, Italy, and Cuba.

Today, International Trauma Life Support, renamed from Basic Trauma Life Support International in 2005 to better reflect its scope and mission, is a global organization offering 15 types of trauma courses, with Kelly Yorkie teaching over 30,000 students annually in over 40 countries. To date more than 750,000 trauma care providers have been certified worldwide. ITLS will continue to advance Dr. Campbell’s mission of improving trauma care worldwide by continuing to develop innovative curricula, programs, and services that are evidenced-based, flexible, and assessment-focused for trauma care providers and the patients they serve.

The registration fee includes all course materials, certificates of attendance and CME credits. Participants assume responsibility for hotel accommodations and all other meals.

How to register

• Online - Registration link will be added soon
• Check - If you would like to pay by check, please call Rebecca Scarbrough at (251) 471-7971.

Registration prices

• Physicians - $300
• APP - $50
• Nurses - $50
• EMS - $25
• Residents - $25
• Medical Students - $25
• Non-Medical Staff - $50

Discounts maybe available for residents and medical students. Contact Rebecca Scarbrough at rscarbrough@health.southalabama.edu or 251-471-7971 for more information.

Refund Policy

A full refund will be given for written cancellation received on or before March 15, 2025. No refunds will be given after this date. USA Health University Hospital is not responsible for any cancellation or charge assessed by airlines or travel agencies.

A special group rate is available at the Golden Nugget for attendees of the Gulf Coast Trauma Symposium. To reserve your room, please book online or call 1-800-777-7568 and provide group code S250314. 

Rooms at the special rate will be available through March 3, 2025, or until they run out. Please note that there is a resort fee of $14.99 per room per night and that hotel taxes are 12%. When you make your reservation, you will be charged the first night’s room and tax. 

We would like to invite you to take part in our upcoming annual Gulf Coast Trauma Symposium and the William A.L. Mitchell Endowed Lectureship on March 26-27, 2025. This year, the Alabama EMS Division within the Alabama Department of Public Health will co-sponsor our symposium as the primary education event for Emergency Medical Services (paramedics, EMTs, etc.) for the entire state of Alabama. We expect over 500 participants this year!

Our vendors enjoy a tremendous amount of exposure since they will be located within the heart of our symposium. You will have many opportunities to interact with all our symposium attendees to highlight your products and services. To encourage participation, we will have a “visit the vendors” raffle. We would greatly appreciate any door prizes that you would be able to donate to the raffle. To help minimize the cost to professionals wishing to attend next year’s event, sponsorships are available for Platinum and Gold Levels. (See breakdown below.)

The Gulf Coast Trauma Symposium is an annual event designed to educate all providers in our region who care for critically injured patients. Our goal this year is to provide current, evidence-based concepts and techniques of resuscitation, diagnostic evaluation, and therapeutic intervention from scientific and humanistic perspectives. Specific updates on Trauma, Emergency Surgery, EMS, and Critical Care Medicine will be of interest to EMS, nurses, physicians, residents, and others.

We are excited to collaborate this year with the Alabama Gulf EMS System, a division of the Alabama Department of Public Health, and the Alabama Chapter – American College of Surgeons. The William A.L. Mitchell Endowed Lectureship is a memorial lecture presented annually to honor the life of Mr. Mitchell.

The John Campbell Lecture is a memorial lecture presented annually to honor the life of Dr. Campbell, the founder and president of International Trauma Life Support, known for his groundbreaking work in developing prehospital trauma assessment and trauma care worldwide.

1. Platinum Sponsors - $5,000
   a. Prime location for the exhibit booth (Can pick location prior to conference.)
   b. Larger exhibit table, draped tablecloth, two chairs, waste basket
   c. List of conference attendees
   d. 2 tickets to reception (4 drink tickets)
   e. WiFi access
2. Gold Level - $2,500
   a. 6 x 3 exhibit table, draped tablecloth, two chairs, waste basket
   b. 2 tickets to reception (Cash bar)
   c. WiFi access

Exhibition spaces will be pre-assigned. 

To reserve your space in this exclusive opportunity or to learn more, please contact Rebecca Scarbrough at rscarbrough@health.southalabama.edu. A limited number of Platinum exhibitor spaces are available this year, so act quickly to secure your spot. If you are not the right contact in your company, please forward this to the appropriate person who has the responsibility to sign up for this type of event. This is a great opportunity to showcase your organization’s products and services. We look forward to meeting you at Gulf Coast Trauma Symposium.

Exhibitor Contract & Application [PDF]

Exhibitor Layout [PDF]

Exhibitor Payment Tool

2024 Symposium Photos