ABA News & Vision from the CEO’s Desk | December 2025

Dear ABA members, partners, and new friends, 

As 2025 comes to a close, I want to extend my warmest wishes for a joyful holiday season and to express my deep appreciation for all that you bring to our burn care community. These first nine months as your CEO have been inspiring, filled with examples of clinical excellence, compassion, and innovation that define the ABA community.  

A Vision for the Future

This year marks the beginning of ABA’s new vision statement: 

“To be the world’s defining global resource for burn care.”  

This direction will shape priorities across education, quality, research, prevention, workforce development, and community engagement—strengthening how the burn community advances care together. 

For those looking toward early 2026 initiatives and ways to get involved, I encourage you to review a brief roundup of opportunities and key dates available in the sidebar under Community Opportunities & Updates and get involved!  

A Community That Inspires

This fall, attending the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors Annual Meeting was a powerful reminder of why your work matters. Meeting burn survivors from across the country highlighted courage, complexity, and humanity in ways that reinforce ABA’s mission, from acute treatment to long-term healing, peer support, and community reintegration. A special moment was meeting Charlene Pell, author of In This Altered Body, whose memoir reflects resilience and the choice to define one’s path forward. Learn more about her work here.   

I also attended the Northeast Regional Burn Conference in Washington, D.C., where the community showcased expertise across pediatric care, rehabilitation, laser treatments, and evolving models of burn disaster readiness. The energy, scholarship, and collaboration highlighted the strength of regional networks and their vital role in advancing ABA’s work nationwide.  

ABA 2026 Annual Meeting: Momentum Builds

Preparations for ABA’s 2026 Annual Meeting in Orlando are well underway. A special thank-you to Drs. Angela Gibson and Amanda Bettencourt , the Program Committee, and ABA’s Senior Program Director, Maureen Kiley, for shaping a robust educational program that will highlight cutting-edge science, interdisciplinary learning, and opportunities for deeper engagement with our industry partners, all of whom have demonstrated strong support as we begin this next chapter. Early registration aligns with expectations and reflects enthusiasm across our community. Industry engagement is strong, with many partners eager to support both the Annual Meeting and ABA’s broader mission.  

Also, ABA will open a “Late-Breaking Abstracts” pathway early in 2026, designed to spotlight emerging research that was not ready during the regular submission period. This opportunity allows researchers whose data is now complete and impactful to share their findings with the community. The submission window will be brief, given tight timelines for review, notifications, and presenter preparation, but we strongly encourage those with newly available data to take advantage of this pathway. This addition reflects ABA’s commitment to elevating timely discoveries, highlighting emerging science, and ensuring the most current evidence is shared at the 2026 Annual Meeting in Orlando. Please review the Submission Scoring, Guidelines, and Requirements  for important information as you prepare your abstract.

Celebrating the Work of Our Burn Community 

I am delighted to recognize the winners of the 2025 ABA Poster Contest: Shiran Katabi, Montserrat Morales Escobar, and Jessica Smith. Their artwork beautifully reflects resilience, hope, and the prevention messages that unite our mission. These posters will be featured at ABA 2026 in Orlando, celebrating the voices and experiences that make our burn community so vibrant and inspiring.  

Advancing the Evidence: 2025 Burn Injury Summary Report (BISR) Report 

This month, we also released the 2025 Burn Injury Summary Report (BISR), further enhancing ABA’s role as a trusted national data resource. This year’s report includes expanded incident and severity trends, more detailed demographic and mechanism-of-injury insights, and a deeper analysis of resource utilization across burn systems. New readiness-aligned indicators support ABA’s priorities in quality, verification, and advocacy. These updates strengthen our ability to tell a clearer, more accurate story of burn care needs nationwide and provide a foundation for future systemwide improvements. 

Collaboration and Partnership Across the Burn and Trauma Ecosystem 

ABA’s strength grows through the partnerships we cultivate, including: 

• Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors 

• American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) 

• Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) 

• American College of Surgeons (ACS) & its Committee on Trauma (COT) 

• Canadian Burn Association (CBA) 

• Wound Healing Foundation (WHF) 

• Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Surgery Societies 

• Coalition for National Trauma Research (CNTR) 

• International Society for Burn Injuries (ISBI) 

• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 

• Pediatric Pandemic Network (PPN) 

• Regional Burn Programs and Regional Burn Organizations (Western, Mid-Western, Northeastern and Southern)  

• Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), 
  Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), 
  and other federal partners supporting readiness initiatives 

These partnerships strengthen our shared work across verification, education, research, prevention, workforce development, and national disaster readiness. They amplify ABA’s role as a coordinated and trusted voice in burn and trauma care, reflecting the leadership, your expertise, and the community's engagement. 

Partnerships continue to grow, with each organization playing a meaningful role in advancing ABA’s mission and supporting our vision, “To be the world’s defining global resource for burn care.” 

Strategic Work Plan: Defining Our Path  

 In November, the ABA Board of Trustees approved the 2026–2028 Strategic Work Plan, shaped by extensive input from members, committee and Special Interest Group (SIG) leaders, industry partners, and staff. This plan affirms ABA’s core commitments while positioning ABA for its next phase of growth, modernization, and increased advocacy impact.  

In the new year, you will begin to see the initial efforts in: 

• Verification updates 

• ABLS evolution and new educational pathways 

• Research infrastructure and data strategy 

• Prevention initiatives 

• Workforce development 

• Advocacy alignment 

• National burn disaster readiness 

Your contributions and perspectives made this plan possible, and your leadership will bring it to life. 

Looking Ahead with Gratitude and Optimism 

As we enter 2026, I am filled with gratitude for this community and optimism for what we will accomplish together. ABA is strong because of you, your dedication, your curiosity, your courage, and your unwavering commitment to improving burn care for every patient, every survivor, and every family we serve. 

To our Board of Trustees, thank you for your leadership, vision, and clear direction. Your belief in ABA’s mission and in the strategic future we have set together continues to propel this organization forward. 

Deep appreciation also goes to the ABA staff, whose talent, professionalism, and steadfast commitment make our work possible every day. Their partnership, insight, and perseverance are the backbone of this organization, and I could not do what I do without them. 

Thank you all for welcoming me so openly during my first nine months as CEO. It remains the most incredible privilege of my career to serve this extraordinary community. 

Wishing you rest, joy, and meaningful time with the people who lift you, in whatever traditions or celebrations are meaningful to you this season. 

Warmly, 

Ed Dellert, RN, MBA, CAE 
Chief Executive Officer 
American Burn Association