Why Our Faculty Love Utah

Mark Sarfati, MD

"I love Utah for both professional and personal reasons. My practice at the University of Utah allows me to provide state-of-the-art vascular surgical care to the residents of the vast geographic region of the Intermountain West. I particularly enjoy our group’s highly collaborative approach to patient care. I feel truly lucky to share a practice with talented and stimulating partners, fellows and APCs. Salt Lake City is a wonderful place to live. I met my wife Jeannie, a native Utahan, here. We have two great kids, Ashley and Jack, and this is a terrific place to nurture a family. I’m an avid outdoorsman and spend my free time snowboarding, backcountry split-boarding, mountain biking, paddling, camping and exploring this wonderous and diverse country with friends and family."

Claire Griffin, MD

"I chose the University of Utah because I love outdoor activities all year long and Salt Lake City has so much to offer. I’ve stayed at the U because the divisional support is fantastic and the hospital system truly values quality and patient care. Additionally, our patients have very diverse needs and the full spectrum of Vascular Surgery is practiced here."

Benjamin S. Brooke, MD, PhD

"I grew up in Salt Lake City and had the opportunity to live and train all over the United States before coming back to work at the University of Utah.  If you like the outdoors, you certainly won’t find a better place to achieve an ideal work-life balance than here in Utah.  Where else can you work at a top-ranked academic hospital located within 30 minutes from some of the most preeminent ski and mountain resorts in the world.  The geographic location of the University of Utah also creates a unique and superb training experience for our vascular surgery fellows.  Our medical center is the major tertiary referral center for nearly the entire intermountain west, comprising 10% of the US land mass.  As such we treat a steady flow of urban and rural patients from five western states with complex vascular disease that is evenly balanced between open and endovascular procedures."

Brigitte Smith, MD

"I grew up and completed my training in Wisconsin, so moving across the country from family and friends was a challenge.  The transition was made easy by the incredible people I have come to know here in Salt Lake City.  The University of Utah is a truly collegial environment and my clinical partners, other faculty colleagues and staff have quickly become dear friends.  The community is an outstanding place to raise our two young children and we enjoy the easy access to fantastic outdoor recreation.  In addition, the SLC International Airport is a Delta hub, which offers incredibly easy access to visit our friends and family around the country.  Thus, Salt Lake City and the University of Utah are places where one can achieve balance between professional and personal passions." 

Larry W. Kraiss, MD

"It’s a wonderful place to practice and live.  The University of Utah is a top-tier institution situated in a beautiful state drawing patients from numerous surrounding states.  We practice vascular surgery at the highest level with a healthy balance of endovascular and open procedures.  When you are off duty, there isn’t a better place to be whether it’s snowing or the sun is shining.”