Abstract
In the new and evolving field of traumatology, the need to keep practitioners apprised of emerging developments is acute. While many journals about trauma exist, most of them focus primarily on publication of empirical research studies. Applied professionals rarely read these journals because they see empirical investigations as having very little relevance to their daily practice. Regrettably, these circumstances foster divisiveness between traumatologists who identify themselves mainly as researchers and those who consider themselves chiefly practitioners. Providing an avenue for bridging and integrating the sub-cultures of trauma research and practice is one of the primary aims of the Journal of Trauma Practice (JTP). JTP also seeks to unite the diverse professions that routinely work with traumatized populations, such as emergency room personnel and other medical practitioners, attorneys and forensic specialists, law enforcement personnel, and emergency service workers. Accomplishing these objectives will require openness to innovation while maintaining high standards of scholarship.