The Joint Trauma System at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston was selected as the winner of the prestigious U.S. Army Medicine Wolf Pack Award for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014.

"As part of a global, Tri-Service organization committed to the health and welfare of combat-wounded warriors, the Team has reduced morbidity and mortality to the lowest levels in history by collecting trauma-injury data in the Department of Defense Trauma Registry," U.S. Army Deputy Surgeon General and Acting Commander U.S. Army Medical Command Maj. Gen. Brian C. Lein stated in a message congratulating the JTS team. "The Joint Trauma System Team used these trauma records as the basis for analyses to drive process improvements, clinical practice guidelines and education that ultimately saves lives of the combat-wounded. The data statistically shows how these improvements changed the combat casualty care during the Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom conflicts and led to saved lives and improved care of our wounded warriors."

According to JTS Director Col. Kirby R. Gross, Ph.D., the JTS team is honored to be the Wolf Pack Award winner.

"Being recognized as an organization which displays exceptional teamwork is particularly rewarding as the Joint Trauma System supports the military trauma system, which has teamwork as its foundation for success," he said.

"This is not only a great honor for the organization, but is further evidence of the JTS Team's substantial contributions to our combat wounded," USAISR Commander Col. Michael D. Wirt, Ph.D., added. "It further highlights the important contributions our Civilian Corps members, contractors and students make to our joint service military efforts in this critical area."

The JTS was established in 2006 at the direction of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs and the Service Surgeon General to improve trauma care for the combat-wounded and has collected data from more than 130,000 combat casualty care records from Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2013, the JTS was designated as a Department of Defense Center of Excellence for Trauma by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense.

"Winning the Wolf Pack Award is a huge accomplishment for the JTS and our staff," JTS Administrative Officer Dominique Greydanus said, who was instrumental in establishing it.

"However, the real reward is knowing that on a daily basis we are helping to improve every service member's ability to come home. We would not be able to accomplish this without our dedicated staff, who are all vested in saving their lives, not only on the battlefield, but wherever they are serving."

"Congratulations to the Joint Trauma System Team for your efforts that have resulted in a realized vision of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines injured on the battlefield having an optimal chance for survival and improved functional recovery," Lein stated.

The Wolf Pack Award is a quarterly award that recognizes collaborative team effort by military and Department of the Army civilians working together to make a significant impact to Army Medicine.