For over 40 years, our Vanderbilt Acute Care Surgery faculty has provided expertise in disciplines of trauma, burn, emergency general surgery, and surgical critical care across Vanderbilt University Medical Center for the middle TN and outlying communities. Essential for the delivery of quality of surgical care are our facilities, which include our Trauma, Burn, and Surgical ICUs, and our partnership with LifeFlight, our active ground and air medical transport program. We are the only Level 1 Adult Trauma center for our region, certified by both the state and nationally by the American College of Surgeons.
Our teams are committed to outreach, education, and prevention efforts for our community members. These programs are recognized across our community, region, and nation. Our offerings include the full range of courses from the American College of Surgeons, American Burn Association, and Society of Critical Care Medicine. With our Future is NOW (Non-violent Options Win) program, we have built relationships with youth in the community who are affected by gun violence and inspire them to pursue futures for themselves and their communities through collaborations with our faculty, medical students, and community partners.
In addition to patient care, the Division of Acute Care Surgery carries a diverse portfolio of federally funded (e.g., National Institute of Health [NIH], Department of Defense [DoD]) and investigator-initiated research projects. Currently, we have faculty leading as Principal Investigators, Co-investigators, and Site-Investigators for a multitude of national multicenter cohorts and clinical trials. Our faculty and teams are committed to uncovering new science, discoveries, and technologies that can inform and transform how we deliver premier clinical care.
We train the next generation of surgeons via both the general surgery residency program, and our over 30-year old Acute Care Surgery fellowship. Our flagship and highly competitive fellowship program has had over 100 graduates, many whom are prominent leaders in Acute Care Surgery and serve in both civilian and military capacities, including roles as Deans, Director of Military Joint Theater Trauma System, Chief Medical Officers, Chairs, Division Chiefs, Service Line Directors, and Surgeon-Scientists.
Mayur B. Patel, MD, MPH
Chief, Division of Acute Care Surgery