Colonel Dr. Martin Schreiber, M.D., FACS, has been working at the intersection of trauma medicine and innovative practice for more than thirty years. A longtime professor of surgery at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, Dr. Schreiber has dedicated his professional career to answering a single question:
How can you be successful when the odds are stacked against you?
Whether in combat zones or civilian hospitals, Dr. Schreiber has a reputation for providing a steady hand and calm leadership; for being knowledgeable about medicine and making rational decisions under pressure.
Clinical and Surgical Leadership
As Chief and Professor of Surgery at the Division of Trauma, Critical Care, and Acute Surgery at OHSU, Dr. Schreiber directed one of the busiest trauma centers in the country. His expertise in areas of hemorrhagic shock, traumatic brain injury, and damage-control surgery provides a foundation for emergency medicine, whether it is in a military setting or in a civilian hospital.
Under his direction, the trauma team at OHSU tested and developed new approaches to blood transfusion protocols and pre-hospital resuscitation that were then implemented into hospitals and military settings across the globe.
Dr. Schreiber’s greatest contribution to trauma care was the reintroduction of the use of whole-blood transfusions. In order to improve the survival of patients with severe injuries, he demonstrated that using full units of blood (as opposed to component parts) can provide improved survival benefits. This technique had previously been employed during wartime and is once again commonly utilized by civilian hospitals.
Additionally, Dr. Schreiber’s research in traumatic brain injury provided a major shift in trauma care, demonstrating that early bleeding control and proper fluid management can help prevent additional damage to the brain. The guidelines generated by this research have become a part of the foundation of trauma programs throughout the United States.
Education and Credentials
Dr. Martin Schreiber earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago in 1984 and his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 1988. He completed his surgical residency and trauma/critical care fellowship at the University of Washington.
Throughout his career, Dr. Schreiber has held numerous leadership positions within the military and civilian sectors. Some of these include serving as Chief of Surgery for the 31st and 228th Combat Support Hospitals and as Director of the Joint Theater Trauma System under U.S. Central Command. He has deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Central America, where he has been at the front lines of military medicine.
While deployed, Dr. Schreiber developed and implemented data tracking systems that monitored injuries, surgeries, and outcomes in real time. These systems created a framework for military trauma response that resulted in higher survival rates for injured service members.
Dr. Schreiber has authored over 300 peer-reviewed articles in top-tier publications such as The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Transfusion, and Military Medicine. Through the body of his work, Dr. Schreiber has bridged the divide between practical field medicine and rigorous academic research, providing a connection between the realities of treating injuries in the field and the scientific evidence that supports effective treatments.
Institutional Roles and Collaboration
During his tenure at OHSU, Dr. Schreiber built a recognized trauma division through research, training, and collaboration with the Department of Defense. Together, they conducted research on prehospital blood transfusion, damage-control resuscitation, and austere surgical techniques to identify ways to synchronize civilian and military medical practices.
Currently, Dr. Schreiber holds an adjunct appointment as a professor of surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He mentors military physicians who are preparing for deployment and takes on leadership roles.
Dr. Martin Schreiber frequently gives presentations as a keynote speaker at national and international conferences, including the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress, the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, and the Military Health System Research Symposium.
These talks focus on the practical applications of trauma care in both military and civilian environments and demonstrate how military innovations can enhance hospital-based care. Dr. Schreiber is well-known for clearly communicating the importance of teamwork, humility, and composure under pressure to those he trains and advises.
The Intersection of the Battlefield and the Hospital
When Dr. Schreiber initially deployed to Iraq, there were few networks that connected trauma care across various military hospitals. Best practices for treating injuries that were learned in one area were rarely transferred to other areas. As the Director of the Joint Theater Trauma System, Dr. Schreiber worked to develop a cohesive platform for data sharing, technique dissemination, and outcome reporting among all combat hospitals.
This initiative greatly enhanced the survival rates of severely injured soldiers. Many of the procedures that Dr. Schreiber and his team initiated – including early blood transfusion and rapid evacuation – are now routine in many U.S. hospitals’ trauma departments.
Dr. Schreiber used the knowledge gained from his military experiences to implement similar processes and structures in civilian trauma care while at OHSU. He established rapid-response systems modeled after those in military medicine, which have proven that “readiness” is not solely applicable to conflict, but also necessary to save lives in all settings.
Pioneering Research
Dr. Schreiber has focused his research primarily on the initial minutes post-injury, when decisions regarding fluid therapy, blood product administration, and surgical intervention directly impact a patient’s chances of survival.
Precision-Based Fluid Therapy:
Dr. Schreiber led the landmark study A Controlled Resuscitation Strategy Is Feasible and Safe in Hypotensive Trauma Patients, demonstrating that hypotensive trauma patients benefited from controlled resuscitation using smaller, carefully measured amounts of fluid instead of the traditional large volume resuscitation. This research has significantly altered modern trauma care to utilize precision-based therapies.
Balanced Blood Transfusions:
Dr. Schreiber’s study Transfusion of Plasma, Platelets, and Red Blood Cells in a 1:1:1 vs 1:1:2 Ratio demonstrated that the use of balanced blood transfusions significantly decreased mortality. Balanced blood transfusions have since become a standard of care in both military and civilian trauma medicine.
Early Use of Tranexamic Acid Post-Traumatic Brain Injury:
Dr. Schreiber’s group performed another important trial, Effect of Out-of-Hospital Tranexamic Acid vs Placebo on 6-Month Neurologic Outcomes in Patients With Moderate or Severe Traumatic Brain Injury. The results of this trial demonstrated that the early administration of tranexamic acid leads to improved long-term recovery in patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. The findings of this trial have influenced the prehospital treatment of traumatic brain injury worldwide.
Digital Twin Modeling:
Dr. Schreiber was also involved in developing the application of digital twin modeling – computerized simulation models of patients – to forecast a patient’s response to different resuscitation strategies. The development of digital twin modeling has set the stage for the future of personalized, data-driven trauma care.
Acute Traumatic Coagulopathy:
Dr. Martin Schreiber and his colleagues authored the study Clinical and Mechanistic Drivers of Acute Traumatic Coagulopathy. This study expanded the understanding of how acute traumatic coagulopathy develops, and how to quickly identify and address coagulopathy in patients with traumatic injuries.
Legacy and Mentorship
Dr. Schreiber has mentored hundreds of surgical residents and fellows, many of whom currently lead trauma centers globally. Dr. Schreiber stresses the importance of teamwork, humility, and composure under pressure to those he trains and advises. He believes that saving lives is a team effort.
Dr. Schreiber has also played a role in developing national standards for trauma system verification and hospital preparedness through the American College of Surgeons.
After leaving OHSU, Dr. Schreiber remains actively engaged in advancing trauma research, advising national defense medicine initiatives, and mentoring future generations of medical leaders.
Impact
Dr. Martin A. Schreiber’s career spans two distinct fields – civilian and military – and is transforming both. His advances in blood transfusion have redefined modern trauma care. Civilian hospitals, having previously employed this technique during wartime, are now commonly using it again.
Ultimately, every study and every mission that Dr. Martin Schreiber undertakes has the same overarching goal: To ensure the next patient has a greater chance of survival than the last.
