AAST session May 20 multicenter trials

Trauma research is full of questions that one hospital alone usually cannot answer. The patient numbers are too small, the practice patterns are too different, and the logistics get ugly fast. That is why multicenter trials matter — they let many sites pool patients, data, and credibility. On May 20, 2026, EAST and AAST are using the third session of a six-part webinar series to teach exactly that middle layer of the job: how to write the methods, build the team, and use CNTR support without the project falling apart halfway through. ### What is this session actually about? This is Session 3 of “Introduction to Multicenter Trials: Powering Up From Proposal to Publication,” a monthly series led by the EAST Multicenter Trials Committee with support from EAST and collaboration from AAST. The May 20 session is called “From Methods to Momentum: Writing a Strong Methods Section, Building Your MCT Team, and Using CNTR Resources,” and it runs at 3:00 p.m. Central / 4:00 p.m. Eastern. Each session in the series lasts 1 hour and 20 minutes. (east.org) ### Why focus on the methods section? Because this is where promising ideas usually become either a real study or a vague ambition. The session description says faculty will cover inclusion and exclusion criteria, variable selection, statistical planning, and the operational pieces that make a multicenter design usable across sites. In plain English, that means getting everyone to measure the same thing, the same way, for the same reason. If that part is sloppy, the data set turns into a group project where every person answered a different assignment. (east.org) ### Why is team-building part of trial design? Because multicenter work is not just a protocol problem — it is a people problem. AAST’s own research pages make clear that many of its multi-institutional projects are investigator-initiated and often run without federal or industry funding, with institutions leaning on their own resources. That makes site buy-in, leadership at the coordinating center, and realistic project scope much more important than they would be in a heavily staffed commercial trial. (east.org) ### What does AAST want these studies to look like? AAST says proposals most likely to win sponsorship are prospective, clinically relevant, clearly designed, feasible, and usually short enough to finish in under 2 years — preferably under 1. One coordinating center owns the protocol and data collection sheet, then other interested centers join. That tells you the real audience for this session: young investigators who have a question worth studying but need help turning it into something other hospitals will actually agree to run. (aast.org) ### Where does CNTR fit in? CNTR — the Coalition for National Trauma Research — exists to strengthen the infrastructure for multicenter trauma investigation. Its mission is bigger than one webinar: funding advocacy, coordination across trauma organizations, and support for multi-site studies. CNTR also runs management support for large national studies after funding is secured, which is why “using CNTR resources” is not just a side note here. It is the part that helps a study move from smart idea to durable network project. (aast.org) ### Why now? Because both EAST and AAST are clearly trying to professionalize the pipeline. EAST says the series is designed for young investigators, and principal investigators who attend at least 50% of the webinar series get additional scoring consideration in the EAST MCT proposal review process. So this is not just education for education’s sake — it is being tied directly to how proposals are judged. (aast.org) ### Who should care? Medical students, residents, fellows, and junior faculty who want to do clinical research but have mostly seen the polished end product should care. This session is about the messy middle — the variables, the workflows, the site politics, the coordination. That is usually the part nobody teaches cleanly, but it is also the part that decides whether a multicenter study ever enrolls its first patient. (east.org) ### Bottom line? The May 20 webinar is not flashy. But it is aimed at the exact skills that trauma research often lacks between “good question” and “publishable study.” In a field where multicenter work is often collaborative, underfunded, and operationally fragile, that is the useful part. (east.org)