Acute Care Surgery at University of Utah Health represents one of the few truly integrated academic acute care models in the region, combining trauma surgery, emergency general surgery (EGS), and surgical critical care within a single collaborative section. 

The program is built around the management of high-acuity surgical disease and the coordination of multidisciplinary care for critically ill patients. Faculty are dual-trained surgeon-intensivists who manage patients across the entire continuum of care, allowing for seamless transitions between operative management, critical care, and recovery. 

As the referral center for complex emergency surgical disease across the Mountain West, the program routinely manages patients requiring advanced operative decision-making, rescue surgery, and multidisciplinary coordination not commonly available in lower-acuity settings. 

The program’s academic mission extends beyond clinical care alone. Faculty contribute nationally to trauma systems development, surgical quality improvement, emergency surgery verification initiatives, critical care innovation, and surgical education. 

Why This Program Stands Out 

• Integrated trauma, emergency surgery, and ICU model  
• High-acuity operative experience across the care continuum  
• Regional referral center for complex surgical emergencies  
• Strong multidisciplinary collaboration across specialties  
• National faculty leadership in trauma and acute care surgery organizations  
• Broad operative exposure in both open and minimally invasive surgery  
• Academic environment emphasizing research, innovation, and education  
• Unique exposure to rural, recreation-related, and mountain-region trauma