FORT DETRICK, Md. – The International Society of Burn Injuries recently announced that it has appointed Dr. Kaitlin Pruskowski, a clinical pharmacist with the Medical Research and Development Command's Institute of Surgical Research, to serve as a member of its Research Committee. Dr. Pruskowski is one of three Americans on the 18-member committee, and the sole pharmacist.

"I'm honored to be appointed to this committee," says Pruskowski. "I'm a relatively early career practitioner, and I'm very appreciative that my esteemed colleagues from around the world recognize my contributions to burns and burn care. I'm really excited to be serving alongside them on this committee and by the opportunities that this appointment will provide for me to not only work with these colleagues, but to learn from them as well."

The two-year appointment will provide Pruskowski with the opportunity to build relationships with veteran burn care specialists from around the world, as well as to learn about the latest innovations in burn prevention, treatment and rehabilitation that can inform future research at ISR.

Founded in 1960, the ISBI develops and disseminates burn care guidelines and promotes burn education, advocacy and training in an effort to improve the quality of care around the world. The mission of the research committee is to help ISBI members disseminate research findings and ideas in order to foster international collaboration.

Pruskowski says that, as a clinical pharmacist specializing in burn critical care, she brings a perspective that complements the experience of the physicians, surgeons and occupational therapists who will be serving on the committee with her.

"Much of the emphasis in burn care is on immediate treatment and surgery, but as a pharmacist my focus is mainly on what happens afterward," says Pruskowski. "We don't necessarily dose medications in a burn patient the same way we would for a non-trauma patient. For day-to-day care of a burn patient, my focus is on optimizing medication doses and delivery methods, and drug interactions. We also manage pain and delirium, sedation and complications such as stress ulcers and infections. This brings a unique perspective to the design of future burn studies."

Pruskowski earned her bachelor's degree in science at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and her doctorate in pharmacy from the university's Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. She has been a primary investigator or co-investigator on many clinical studies, and she has authored or co-authored nearly 30 scholarly papers. She is currently the site primary investigator for a Phase III multi-center randomized trial investigating the role of vitamin C in treating thermal injury, called the VICToRY trial, which resulted in the establishment of the first international consortium for clinical trials in burns and led to a recent publication in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Pruskowski is only the second person from ISR to participate in the research panel after Dr. Lee Cancio, the center's director.

"I'm looking forward to working with my colleagues on the committee to develop and review research initiatives and to identify ways to fill gaps in the current literature," says Pruskowski. "As a part of a military organization, I'm grateful to have international partners who I can reach out to and ask for help, and likewise to offer my help when it's needed."