Abstract
Telemedicine and medicine in general mourn the loss of a great and brilliant figure with the death of Jeff Augenstein. He did not die after a long illness but rather in full engagement in his career of discovery at a meeting in California. Dr. Augenstein was professor of surgery and director of the William Lehman Injury Research Center at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine.
Dr. Augenstein, a graduate of the Miller School, served the school for 38 years. He was a constant source of expertise for the Army Trauma Training Center in Miami, the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center at Ft. Detrick, and the U.S. Congress. His expertise was also sought after by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relative to automobile crashes.
He was an extraordinary contributor in his field of trauma and was crucial to the creation of the Ryder Trauma Center in Miami, which he directed for years. He took the leadership role in preparing medical personnel for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. His was the program that got them ready for the almost unimaginable challenges just ahead of them in deployment. Jeff understood the need and in his huge generosity, educational expertise, and intellect could teach and prepare young surgeons for those horrific challenges. Dr. Augenstein vigorously pursued the potential of effective information management through seamless data capture in the chaos of battle and sharing of that information by telemedicine. He had a huge understanding of the need for just-in-time information for the battlefield to make cool decisions in the heat of conflict.
Dr. Augenstein took the lessons learned as a trauma surgeon and scientist from the strife of the streets of Miami to the battlefields and to the disaster of the earthquake in Haiti. His discoveries, his legion of trainees, his team in Miami, and his publications will continue to teach us and inform our struggle in what he cared about so much in alleviating the human loss and suffering of trauma. Jeff, the telemedicine community salutes you and acknowledges the great loss we all feel by your premature departure.