Tamara J. Worlton

CAPT Tamara J. Worlton, M.D., serves as Professor of Surgery and Director of Global Surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) School of Medicine, where she also directs Surgical Operations at the Center for Global Health Engagement. A U.S. Navy Captain, she bridges military medical capabilities with civilian global health initiatives to address trauma disparities worldwide.

Her educational foundation includes:

• B.S. in Biology from New Mexico State University
• M.D. from Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
• General Surgery residency at National Naval Medical Center
• MIS/Bariatric Fellowship at Cleveland Clinic, Ohio
• Graduate Certificate in Global Health and Global Health Engagement from USU

Worlton's research pioneers military-civilian trauma system integration through the IMPACT Study (Integrated Military Partnerships and Civilian Trauma), focusing on scalable solutions for low-resource settings. Her work spans global surgery capacity building, disaster response innovation, and ethical frameworks for military medical engagements, with field experience across 12+ countries including deployments to Afghanistan, Djibouti, and humanitarian missions aboard USNS Comfort and Mercy.

Her recent publications (2020-2024) reveal three critical trends: (1) Systematic analysis of naval hospital ship deployments as models for civilian disaster response, (2) Development of ethical protocols for military-civilian trauma partnerships, and (3) Technology-driven approaches like robotic-assisted surgery to enhance global surgical capacity. These works consistently target trauma system strengthening in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Her recognition includes:

• Fulbright Alumni Ambassador (2024)
• Stepping Strong Innovator Award for IMPACT Study (2022)
• Fulbright Scholar to Sri Lanka (2022)

As co-chair of the American College of Surgeons HOPE Education Committee, Worlton mentors military fellows through Harvard Medical School's Program for Global Surgery and Social Change while securing Fulbright and Stepping Strong grants. Her leadership in the IMPACT Study collaboration drives $1.2M+ in research funding focused on trauma system integration. Current initiatives include expanding the IMPACT model to Southeast Asia and developing standardized curricula for global surgery training in military medical education.

She directs USU's Global Surgery Division and leads the IMPACT Study research team, collaborating with Harvard Medical School, the American College of Surgeons, and international partners across 8 countries to implement trauma system improvements through the Center for Global Health Engagement.