Vik Bebarta, MD; Colonel, USAF

Strategic Lead

Dr. Vik Bebarta is Professor of Emergency Medicine and Interim Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He is the founding Director of the CU Center for COMBAT Research, where he leads global military-academic collaborations to accelerate innovation in trauma care, brain health, and operational medicine. He also serves as Strategic Lead of the Marcus Institute for Brain Health. A Colonel in the United States Air Force Reserves and an internationally recognized physician-scientist, Dr. Bebarta is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Department of Defense (DoD)-funded researcher who advises national health and defense leaders on readiness, resilience, and innovation. He deployed to combat zones four times, leading medical teams in war and applying those frontline lessons to improve care back home. His work bridges military and civilian medicine to bring lifesaving solutions to those who serve—and to all patients.