Jay Johannigman
Combat and trauma surgeon Jay Johannigman, M.D. has four decades of experience, having been a surgeon for the military and civilian healthcare institutions. Among his many citations, Dr. Jay Johannigman received the Barry Goldwater Service Award from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USU), an organization that prepares the military community and its healthcare institutions for warfare.
My Story
A surgeon with Knight Aerospace, a leading innovator in advanced aeromedical transportation, and adjunct professor of surgery at the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Dr. Jay Johannigman has worked as a trauma and critical care surgeon for over 25 years. He began his career shortly after receiving his MD from Case Western Reserve University. Already commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant for the USAF Reserves, Dr. Jay Johannigman returned to active duty as a staff surgeon and medical director of the Surgical Critical Care Service at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center after finishing his postdoctoral training.
Upon completion of his active duty service duty obligation, Dr. Johannigman served as the Director of the Institute of Military Medicine at the University of Cincinnati and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He was also Director of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, and Acute Care Surgery at University Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, from 2001 to 2017. During the ensuing years, he would remain active in military and civilian medicine. Dr. Johannigman was a founding leader in establishing the Cincinnati Center for the Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills (Cincinnati CSTARS). Established in 2001 and continuing to this date, Cincinnati CSTARS was one of the first five Military-Civilian Strategic Partnerships in the United States.
Over the next two decades, he split his time between academic appointments, military roles, and professional positions at civilian hospitals. He would deploy to the combat theaters of Iraq and Afghanistan on seven occasions over the ensuing 18 years, translating the lessons learned at war to the civilian trauma centers of the United States and his home institution.
Dr. Johannigman has served in trauma leadership positions at the local, state, and national levels, including as State Chair for the Ohio Committee on Trauma and Region Chief for the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma.
Dr. Jay Johannigman’s military experience extends beyond the classroom, with distinguished service as a consultant to the Office of the Surgeon of the Air Force and a founding member of the Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care. Beyond his academic credentials, his commitment to the medical community is evident through active membership in numerous professional organizations and prolific research contributions. With nearly 100 peer-reviewed publications encompassing vital areas like mechanical ventilation, en route care, resuscitation, and whole blood utilization, Dr. Johannigman has established a strong reputation for basic science and clinical research excellence.