Northwest Surgical Specialists Surgeon; age: 37
By Sherri Buri McDonald
The Register-Guard
Blue Chip, 20 Under 40 Awards Special Section
Dec. 5, 2016
Photo credit: By Amiran White, For The Register-Guard
As a surgeon at Northwest Surgical Specialists, Dr. Travis Littman is helping patients, a local medical center and the region.
For the past five years, Littman has been the medical director for trauma care at Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield. In that role he has helped RiverBend achieve designation from the Oregon Health Authority as a Level II Trauma Center.
RiverBend has cleared the additional voluntary hurdle of being verified a Level II trauma center by the American College of Surgeons.
It is the only medical center in Oregon with this verification, according to the American College of Surgeons website. The website lists two Oregon medical centers with verified Level 1 trauma centers: Legacy Emanuel Medical Center and Oregon Health & Science University, both in Portland.
RiverBend’s Level II trauma center designation allows it to treat more patients from the region, which brings more patients to Northwest Surgical Specialists — the only surgeons group to treat trauma patients at RiverBend, Dr. David DeHaas, Jr. wrote in a letter nominating Littman for 20 Under 40.
Besides performing surgeries, Littman enjoys teaching and research. He has been an Advanced Trauma and Life Support instructor since 2005 and a program director since 2007. He has performed research in general surgery, endoscopy and oncology.
Through participation in the Oregon Cancer Alliance, Littman supports Komen Oregon’s Race for the Cure and American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.
He serves on the Emerald Christian Academy school board and as a board member for the Springfield Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Littman was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Canadian University College. He attended medical school at Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California and completed his surgical residency and critical care fellowship at Michigan State University.