Dr. Jay Johannigman has returned to Cincinnati with one goal. He wants the region ready for any significant emergency.
He has more than forty years of experience in trauma and critical care. He is a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves with seven combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He has served as a trauma surgeon in war zones and as a hospital leader in major U.S. cities.
In Cincinnati, Johannigman was instrumental in starting the Cincinnati Center for the Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills. The program trains military medical teams in combat casualty care at a civilian trauma center. He also helped West Chester Hospital earn verified Level III trauma center status to complement the city’s Level I center.
He has held leadership roles at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, including Trauma Medical Director and Division Director of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, and Acute Care Surgery. Nationally, he has served on the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma.
His work extends beyond hospital walls. He used his time in Denver to create a whole blood initiative. The goal was to give mountain towns access to whole blood to help trauma centers be prepared.
Johannigman’s service has earned him the Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit, and the Army Commendation Medal. He has written nearly 100 peer-reviewed papers on trauma care, critical care, and surgical innovation.
“Lives are saved by good communication, quick action, and teams that know exactly what to do, whether you are in a war zone or back home,” Johannigman said.
His focus now is on Cincinnati. He wants better coordination, better training, and better systems. He believes preparation is the difference between life and death on the worst day a person can face.
