Tamara Worlton M.D.

Education

New Mexico State University, B.S. Biology
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, M.D.
National Naval Medical Center, general surgery residency
Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, MIS/Bariatric Fellowship
USU Graduate Certificate in Global Health and Global Health Engagement

Biography

CAPT Tamara Worlton graduated from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) in 2003 and her General Surgery residency at National Naval Medical Center in 2008. She went on to complete a fellowship in Bariatric Surgery at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio 2010. She is currently the Director of the Division of Global Surgery at USU and Director of Surgical Operations at the Center for Global Health Engagement. CAPT Worlton served as ship’s surgeon on an aircraft carrier, deployed to Afghanistan, Djibouti and served on both US Navy hospital ships. She is recognized as a Navy expert in surgical Global Health Engagement (GHE) and earned the additional military qualification in GHE as well as a Graduate Certificate in Global Health and Global Health Engagement from USU. She has worked extensively in civilian academic global surgery and within DoD GHE for surgery and trauma care which culminated being awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to Sri Lanka to study trauma systems. CAPT Worlton currently serves as co-chair for the Education Committee in American College of Surgeons HOPE (Health Outreach Program for Equity in Global Surgery) and was recently selected as a 2024-2026 Fulbright Alumni Ambassador. Her research has led to a collaboration with Harvard Medical School's Program for Global Surgery and Social Change and has mentored 3 military fellows of this prestigous program. This collaboration is investigating the integration of military and civilian trauma systems as a potential method to address the disproportionate burden of trauma in low-and-middle income countries.

Career Highlights: Positions, Projects, Deployements, Awards and Additional Publications

2024: Fulbright Alumni Ambassador

2022 Stepping Strong Innovator Award: IMPACT Study

2022: Fulbright Scholar to Sri Lanka

2020: USNS COMFORT T-AH 20 Deployment to NYC in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

2019: USNS COMFORT T-AH 20 2019 Deployment in support of Continuing Promise

2018: USNS MERCY T-AH 19 Pacific Partnership Deployment

2015: Director of Surgical Services, Camp Lemonnier Djibouti, Deployment

2011: Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan, Deployment

2009: USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Ship's Surgeon

Representative Bibliography

Trauma systems in Asian countries: challenges and recommendations. Crit Care. 2024 Feb 16;28(1):47. doi: 10.1186/s13054-024-04838-x. Bagaria D, Ratnayake AS, Madrid A, Worlton TJ.

Military and Civilian Trauma System Integration: A Global Case Series. J Surg Res. 2023 Mar;283:666-673. Alswaiti GT, Worlton TJ, Arnaouti M, Cahill G, Russell A, Hide GR, Horne S, Clarke DL, Robinson AKL, van der Wal H, Ayvar A, Bala M, Gavitt B, Aldhaheri AS, Al Mughery AS, Brown Z, Baird MD, Joseph M, Ratnayake A.

Medical disaster response: A critical analysis of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Front Public Health. 2022 Nov 1;10:995595. Arnaouti MKC, Cahill G, Baird MD, Mangurat L, Harris R, Edme LPP, Joseph MN, Worlton T, Augustin S Jr; Haiti Disaster Response – Junior Research Collaborative (HDR-JRC).

USNS COMFORT (T-AH 20) Surgical Services Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in New York City. Worlton TJ, Uber IC, Bronaugh S, Liedtke E, Dougherty JW, Pinkos KA, Weimerskirch B, Johnson M. Annals of Surgery. 2020 Oct;272(4)e269-271. Doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000004320

US Navy Ship-Based Disaster Response: Lessons Learned. Curr Trauma Rep. 2022;8(3):138-146.Worlton TJ, Shwayhat AF, Baird M, Fick D, Gadbois KD, Jensen S, Tadlock MD.

A Decade of Surgery Aboard the U.S. Naval Ship COMFORT (T-AH 20). Mil Med. 2022 Oct 15:usac278.Worlton TJ, Gunasingha RMKD, Atwood R, Johnson M, Uber IC.

A Call to Promote Global Surgery and Anesthesia as Essential Curriculum for Uniformed Medical Students. Mil Med. 2023 Jul 6:usad251. Kim S, Kim E, Shields M, Scanlon M, Worlton TJ.

Ethical Considerations for Surgical Planners from the Lessons Learned on USNS COMFORT (T-AH 20) Deployment 2019. Mil Med. 2021 May 3;186(5-6):117-120. Younger A, Worlton TJ, Wallace S, Steigleman WA, Ortiz-Pomales Y.

The Impact of Robotic-Assisted Technology on Attitudes of Host Nation Individuals Participating in Pacific Partnership 2018: Improving Partnerships Through Technology. Mil Med. 2020 Jun 8;185(5-6):368-370.Worlton TJ, Braden J, Gadbois K, Lefringhouse J, Lockrow E.

On the Shoulders of Giants: A Tribute to Professor Norman Rich's Work on Graft Thrombosis. Ann Vasc Surg. 2021 Nov;77:324-326. doi: 10.1016/j.avsg.2021.07.008. Ratnayake A, Worlton TJ.