Trauma Practice in the Wake of September 11, 2001: Challenges and Opportunities

The attacks of September 11th, 2001 were unprecedented in several respects. They were the first attacks on U.S. soil by a foreign power in several generations, were witnessed live on television throughout the U.S. and the world, and shattered widely held assumptions about security in the U.S. and, by implication, elsewhere. Some questions and challenges evoked by the events of September 11th of particular relevance to trauma practitioners are discussed. The contents ofTrauma Practice in the Wake of September 11, 2001, are summarized and framed as representing a preliminary attempt to respond to some of these questions. Finally, some of the opportunities created by the September 11th attacks-increasing public awareness of trauma and its impact, fostering compassion for victims of various types of trauma, and strengthening international collaboration among traumatologists and advocates of world peace-are considered