Trauma Surgery
MD, FRCSC, FACS, Professor of Surgery, Anesthesia, and Emergency Medicine, University of Southern California; Vice Chair, Surgery and Program Director, Surgery Residency, Keck School of Medicine/LA General Medical Center, USA
Dr. Inaba is a Professor of Surgery, Anesthesia and Emergency Medicine at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. He is the Vice Chair of the Department of Surgery, and the program director for the General Surgery Residency training program. He is also the Division Chief for Trauma, Emergency Surgery and Surgical Critical Care with a full time appointment at the Los Angeles General Medical Center.
He has lectured extensively, having given more than 500 lectures around the world. As a researcher, he has authored more than 810 peer reviewed articles, 523 scientific presentations, 72 textbook chapters, and is the editor of 9 textbooks, with over $7 Million in external funding. He has mentored more than 166 students, residents and fellows who have won 35 separate research awards for the work they have completed together. He is an Associate Editor for both the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery as well as Trauma Surgery and Acute Care Open. While at USC, he has been the recipient of 26 distinct teaching awards including the USC Keck School of Medicine Overall Excellence in Teaching Award for the Clinical Sciences. After completing his term as a Director of the American Board of Surgery, he was appointed to the ACGME Surgery RC and is a member of numerous surgical societies, leading critical initiatives such as the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma Stop the Bleed program. Under his leadership, this program has now exceeded 4 million students around the world. In addition to his role at USC, Dr. Inaba has led humanitarian surgical teams to Haiti, Nepal and Ukraine. He is also a sworn Reserve Police Officer, and the Medical Director for the Los Angeles Police Department, currently assigned to Metropolitan Division.
Selected publications from PubMed
Western Trauma Association critical decisions in trauma: Lung injury.
Hynes AM, Kuckelman JP, Coimbra R, Beckman MA, Bower KL, Croft CA, Inaba K, Keric N, Kerwin AJ, Kopelman TR, Kundi R, Lorenzo M, Magee GA, Privette AR, Savage SA, Schellenberg MA, Schuster KM, Tesoriero RB, Windell EM, Hartwell JL, Stein DM
J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2026 Jul 13 doi: 10.1097/TA.0000000000005127.
Western Trauma Association critical decisions in trauma: Significant blunt cardiac injury.
Kopelman TR, Biffl WL, Coimbra R, Bower KL, Croft CA, Fox CJ, Hartwell JL, Hynes AM, Inaba K, Keric N, Kerwin AJ, Lorenzo M, Magee GA, Privette AR, Schellenberg M, Schuster KM, Tesoriero R, Watters JM, Stein DM
J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2026 May 1;100(5):787-794 doi: 10.1097/TA.0000000000004929.
Evidence-based, cost-effective management of necrotizing soft tissue infection: An algorithm of the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery emergency general surgery algorithms work group.
Napolitano LM, Biffl WL, Costantini TW, Diaz JJ, Inaba K, Livingston DH, Salim A, Winchell RJ, Coimbra R
J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2026 Apr 1;100(4):542-548 doi: 10.1097/TA.0000000000004943.
Evidence-based, cost-effective management of nontraumatic esophageal perforations: An algorithm of the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Emergency General Surgery Algorithms Work Group.
Hasson RM, Salim A, Castillo-Angeles M, Biffl WL, Costantini TW, Diaz J Jr, Inaba K, Livingston DH, Winchell R, Napolitano LM, Coimbra R
J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2026 Mar 1;100(3):366-370 doi: 10.1097/TA.0000000000004910.
Utility of transversus abdominis plane block in trauma and emergency general surgery laparotomy: A quality improvement project.
Forman S, Park S, Hom B, Greenlee S, Nekooei N, Mano Y, Tan M, Lewis M, Siletz A, Martin M, Inaba K, Matsushima K
J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2026 Mar 1;100(3):421-428 doi: 10.1097/TA.0000000000004828.
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