By Bill Baucom

Dr. Bruce Cairns is the steady hand at the helm of one of the best comprehensive burn centers in the world. Trained as a trauma surgeon, he has spent the last five years as director of the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Hospitals.

Cairns is as comfortable discussing the mission and operational details of this remarkable facility as he is in surgical scrubs. It’s a job that requires a broad range of qualities and skills, not the least of which are dedication, compassion, organization and communication.

Working in what he describes as a “very intense place,” Cairns is acutely aware of the demands placed on physicians who come into the Burn Center environment. “In order to do this job well you have to be, I think, a very knowledgeable and experienced general surgeon,” said Cairns. “But you also have to remember that we’re not treating a disease – we’re treating people. We have a grand vision, and it’s really to be a beacon – for people to get the best possible care but also to develop the best possible treatments. Our goal is to try and provide as much continuity as we can.”

Cairns gives enormous credit to the Burn Center staff. This includes highly trained, experienced professionals like Nurse Manager Grace Schmits, who came to UNC with 20 years of experience in nursing.

The Burn Center’s dedicated physicians, nurses and aftercare staff endeavor not only to heal and ease the pain and suffering of burn survivors, but to help restore confidence and human dignity. The physical scars can be devastating for patients, but so can the psychological scars.

The NC Jaycee Burn Center opened its doors February 23, 1981, but its story actually began back in the ’60s with a Goldsboro man named John Stackhouse.

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February 2012 issue - ENTIRE ISSUE

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