Cuenca Surgeon Takes Pan-American Trauma Society Presidency

Cuenca surgeon Juan Carlos Salamea has assumed the presidency of the Sociedad Panamericana de Trauma, or Pan-American Trauma Society, for the 2026-2027 period.

The organization says Salamea is its 38th president and the first Ecuadorian to reach the position during the society’s 40-year history. The report describes his agenda as strengthening medical education, research, and trauma care across Latin America, while creating a longer-term plan for the organization.

How Salamea was elected

Salamea was elected unanimously during the 38th Pan-American Congress on Trauma, Critical Care, and Emergency Surgery. The congress took place from August 18 to August 21, 2026, in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.

His relationship with the society began in 2007, when he joined as a member. He later served on its education, research, and trauma-system committees, and also held the positions of treasurer and secretary.

A proposed unified medical record

One of Salamea’s priorities in Ecuador is the creation of a single national medical record that could integrate patient information from both the public and private systems.

The report says that this information could support databases on cardiovascular disease, metabolic diseases such as diabetes, and trauma. Salamea’s stated goal is that those data could help generate care and resolution programs.

The report does not announce a launch date, funding, or implementation plan for the proposal. It is therefore a stated priority of the new presidency, not a confirmed operating system already available to patients.

Why the appointment matters locally

The appointment connects a Cuenca physician to a regional organization focused on trauma care, training, and research. Salamea identifies falls, traffic accidents, and violence as three leading prevention problems in trauma, and his agenda includes programs for Latin America on the initial care of trauma patients.

For residents, that does not change where to seek care today. It does show where a prominent Cuenca-based medical leader says the system needs stronger coordination: prevention, first response, rehabilitation, education, research, and shared patient information.

Source: El Mercurio