Education
The Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Fellowship is committed to a comprehensive and integrated experience in trauma, emergency general surgery, and surgical critical care. The fellowship is devoted to patient care, with clinical, research, and didactic components. The clinical component includes experience gained by direct patient responsibility under supervision of teaching faculty and independent study on relevant topics. Research may be conducted on a wide variety of critical care projects, and the opportunity to take master’s level classes at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in biostatistics and research methods exists. The didactic component involves taking part in multidisciplinary rounds, teaching rounds, and clinical teaching conferences. Through this educational experience at one of the country’s premier Level-I trauma centers, our program provides fellows with the training to become academic leaders in this discipline.
The Surgical Critical Care (SCC) Fellowship at the University of Colorado (UCH) is the first year of a two-year Trauma & Acute Care Surgery Fellowship program. It is an ACGME & AAST approved training program whose goal is to educate fellows in the advanced care of critically ill and injured patients. The educational program is designed to provide the SCC Fellow with an education in the principles and practice of state-of-the art surgical critical care by exposing them to a broad array of surgical illnesses; this is accomplished through teaching rounds, primary patient care, educational conferences, and specialized rotations. Didactic components of the program include:
- Multidisciplinary Critical Care Rounds
- Daily Teaching Rounds
- Multidisciplinary Critical Care and Trauma Conferences
- Critical Care Education Blocks
- Trauma/Critical Care Conferences
- Morbidity and Mortality Conferences
- Surgical Grand Rounds
- Journal Club
- AAST National Journal Club
- Surgical Research Conferences
- Daily Surgical and Critical Care Teaching Conferences
- Basic Science Conferences
- AAST Education Modules and AAST Meet the Mentors Conferences
By the completion of training, the SCC Fellow is expected to demonstrate proficiency in surgical critical care decision making, specific organ system support, evaluation of new technology and treatment techniques, ICU administration, outcomes assessment, research design, and interaction with patients, families, and health care personnel. These clinical goals will be accomplished by providing the fellow with a position dedicated to the intensive care units at UCH.
Fellowship training will consist of twelve months with rotational experience in trauma, cardiac, burn, ultrasound, and general surgical critical care. Rotations include:
- 6 months Surgical Trauma ICU
- 2 months Cardiothoracic ICU
- 1 month Neuro ICU
- 1 month ultrasound
- 1 month Thoracic and Vascular at Medical Center of the Rockies
- 1 month elective
The broad experience gained through a highly experienced faculty and programmatic elements prepares the Fellow for their board examinations as well as a career in either academic or private practice.
The Trauma and Acute Care Surgery (TACS) Fellowship at the University of Colorado (UCH) is the second year of a two-year Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Fellowship. UCH was approved as an official training site by the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) in May 2008. The TACS fellowship curriculum builds upon the concepts and skills obtained during a five-year General Surgery Residency and on the surgical critical care skills learned in the first year of the fellowship.
During the second year of the fellowship, the TACS Fellow acquires a comprehensive knowledge of trauma, emergency general surgery, advanced operative skills, and procedural techniques in thoracic and vascular surgery. Under the supervision of attending faculty members, the TACS Fellow will be the physician responsible for patient evaluation, care, and intervention of all acutely ill surgical patients. TACS Fellows complete the following rotations:
- 8 months Trauma & Emergency General Surgery at the University of Colorado Hospital
- 2 months Thoracic & Vascular Surgery at the Medical Center of the Rockies
- 2 months Hepatobiliary/Transplant at the University of Colorado Hospital
In these rotations, the TACS fellow acquires advanced operative skills and procedural techniques. Recent graduates have performed 50-100 thoracic cases, 50-100 vascular cases, over 200 ICU procedures, and over 500 elective, urgent, and trauma cases.
The TACS Fellow takes call once a week under the supervision of the TACS attending surgeon. TACS training at UCH is the finest paradigm of training which incorporates Level 1 trauma center care, comprehensive surgical critical care training, and an expanded hands-on training in complex vascular, thoracic, and GI surgery in a setting where the faculty and institution are fully committed to an Acute Care Surgery model of practice.
How to Apply
The Trauma & Acute Care Surgery Fellowship is a two-year program. All applicants for the fellowship should be interested in completing the full two-year training program.
Applicants must successfully complete General Surgery training in one of the following:
- An ACGME accredited program.
- A Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) accredited residency program.
- A program dually accredited by both the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and ACGME.
Applicants must also be American Board of Surgery certified or eligible to apply for our fellowship program through SAFAS.
Two fellows are chosen yearly in the match sponsored by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). All applicants must register with the NRMP match to be considered.
Applications and all supporting materials should be entered on the SCC and ACS Fellowship Application Service (SAFAS). For questions, refer to the SAFAS applicant instructions.
The following are required for applications:
- Curriculum vitae
- Personal statement
- USMLE transcript
- ABSITE transcripts
- 3 letters of recommendation, one of which must be written by the Program Director of the General Surgery Residency program
For 2027 fellowship applicants, SAFAS will open March 1, 2026, and applications are due June 1, 2026. Match day will be August 26, 2026.
University of Colorado Hospital Faculty
- Clay Cothren Burlew, MD, FACS — Program Director
- Meaghan Broderick, MD
- Mitchell Cohen, MD, FACS
- Michael Cripps, MD, MSCS, FACS — Trauma Medical Director and Section Chief
- Fred Endorf, MD
- Joanna Etra, MD
- Cameron Gibson, MD
- Alexandra Halevi, MD
- Kristy Hawley, MD — Assistant Program Director
- Daniel Horwitz, MD
- Juan Paul Idrovo, MD
- Whitney Jenson, MD
- Stacey Lynch, MD
- Alyssa Maclean, MD
- Aaron Marshall, MD
- Robert C. McIntyre, MD, FACS — Division Chief
- Lauren Steward, MD
- Catherine Velopulos, MD, MPH
- Arek Wiktor, MD
- Frank Wright, MD — Associate Program Director
Surgical Critical Care Fellows
Kevin Blair III, MD
Dr. Kevin (KJ) Blair grew up in Chicago, IL and St. Louis, MO. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Vanderbilt University and his M.D. from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. Dr. Blair then went on to complete his
General Surgery Residency at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), during which time he also obtained a Master of Science (MSc) in Public Health through the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In addition to his clinical
interest in Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Dr. Blair hopes to have a academic career with a public health research focus. He has presented work at several surgical conferences and has over 20 peer reviewed publications. His recent research
interests include trauma system development in low- and middle-income countries, identifying and addressing risk factors for injury, and establishment of hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs) to reduce injury recidivism. Outside
of the hospital, Dr. Blair enjoys running, hiking, skiing, and scuba diving. He loves being a dad and spending time with his family and two dogs. He and his wife served as foster parents in Los Angeles, and plan to continue that work in Denver
as well.
Michael Kirsch
Alexander Warshauer, MD
Dr. Alex Warshauer grew up in Warren, NJ, where he developed an early passion for emergency medicine as a Boy Scout and volunteer EMT with the local rescue squad. He went on to lead the student-run EMS organization at Boston College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, played in the marching band, and conducted research on small molecule drug targets. Dr. Warshauer pursued his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was active in student government and helped establish a certificate track in Academic Surgery. He stayed at Penn for his General Surgery residency, where he took on additional leadership roles, including chairing the Resident Executive Council. During residency, he also earned an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, with dual majors in Health Care Management and Organizational Effectiveness. Outside the hospital, Dr. Warshauer loves to travel, with his favorite destination so far being wine country in Northern Italy. A wine enthusiast, he obtained his WSET Level 3 certification and hopes to continue exploring wine regions around the world. He also enjoys hiking, weightlifting, discovering new restaurants, and spending time with his wife and their two cats.Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Fellow
Michael Dalton, MD, MPH
Dr. Michael Dalton was born and raised in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and then completed a Master of Public Health degree in health policy and management from Yale University. He then went on to attend the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University in Camden, New Jersey. He completed his surgical residency at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey. In residency, he completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Surgery and Public Health of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where his research was focused on military health and trauma care.
During his research time, he was the author of numerous peer reviewed publications and completed a Master of Liberal Arts degree in industrial and organizational psychology. During his chief year, he also served as an administrative chief resident. He is an active member of several national professional societies including the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) where he is a member of the Disaster Committee and the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) where he is a member of the Manuscript and Literature Review Committee. He is also an active peer reviewer for several medical and surgical journals. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, playing polo, cooking, and spending time with his wife. He is excited to join the University of Colorado Acute Care Surgery team and spend time skiing, hiking, and exploring Colorado.
Madhuri Nagaraj, MD, MS
Dr. Madhuri Nagaraj was born in Arizona and attended the University of Miami where she obtained her MD as well as a Masters in Genomic Medicine. She then moved to UT Southwestern for residency where she also completed two years of professional development time focusing on education and simulation. During her residency she developed a love of taking care of critically ill patients and the complexity of trauma and acute care surgery.
She worked on several projects combining her love for education and trauma/critical care to help better our current practice. Outside of medicine, she enjoys spending time with family, friends and her cat Sherlock. She loves exploring new places, foods, activities, and spending time out in the sun.
Alexandra Ferre, MD
2023 - 2025 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
Denver Health Medical Center
Adrian Coleoglou-Centeno, MD
2023 - 2025 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
Denver Health Medical Center
Jennifer Baker, MD
2022 - 2024 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
University of Cincinnati
Kevin Harrell, MD
2022 - 2023 Surgical Critical Care
Tulane University
Chelsea Horwood, MD, MPH
2021 - 2023 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
Baylor University Medical Center
Husayn Ladhani, MD
2021 - 2023 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
Loma Linda University Health
Kaitlin Ritter, MD
2020 - 2022 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland
Morgan Sellers, MD
2020 - 2022 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
University of New Mexico (faculty, Division of Acute Care Surgery)
Daniel VanDerPloeg, MD
2020 - 2021 Surgical Critical Care
Denver Health Medical Center
Jonathan Meizoso, MD, MPH
2019 - 2021 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
University of Miami
Cordelie Witt, MD, MPH
2019 - 2021 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
UCHealth, Medical Center of the Rockies
Amy Gore, MD
2018 - 2020 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Alexander Schwed, MD
2018 - 2020 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
Harbor - UCLA
Nicole Werner, MD, MS
2018 - 2019 Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Michal Radomski, MD, MS
2017 - 2019 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
Ohio Health
Aaron Richman, MD
2017 - 2018 Surgical Critical Care
Boston University/Boston Medical Center
Gregory Borst, MD
2016 - 2018 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
UCHealth, Memorial Hospital Central
Stephanie Joyce, MD
2016 - 2017 Surgical Critical Care
Yale School of Medicine
Lauren Steward, MD, MPHS, MHSA
2016 - 2017 Surgical Critical Care
University of Colorado
Scott Moore, MD
2015 - 2017 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
WakeMed
Chadrick Evans, MD
2015 - 2016 Surgical Critical Care
University of Illinois, Peoria
Nina Glass, MD
2014 - 2016 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Jennifer Salotto, MD
2014 - 2015 Surgical Critical Care
Queen's Medical Center
Daniel Lollar, MD
2013 - 2015 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
Forest Sheppard, MD
2012 - 2013 Surgical Critical Care
Maine Medical Center
Erik Peltz, DO
2011 - 2013 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
Logan Health Medical Center
Robert Stovall, MD
2011 - 2012 Surgical Critical Care
Kaiser Permanente
Janeen Jordan, MD
2010 - 2012 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
University of Florida, Gainesville/Envision Health
Carlton Barnett, MD
2010 - 2011 Surgical Critical Care
Rocky Mountain Regional VA
Fredric Pieracci, MD, MPH
2009 - 2011 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
Denver Health Medical Center
Christopher Zaw-Mon, MD
2007 - 2008 Surgical Critical Care
John Cha, MD
2006 - 2008 Surgical Critical Care & Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
University of South Florida
Eric Sarin, MD
2006 - 2007 Surgical Critical Care
Innova Health
Joshua Golderberg, MD
2005 - 2006 Surgical Critical Care
Advent Health
Jeffrey Johnson, MD
2005 - 2006 Surgical Critical Care
Henry Ford Hospital
Clay Cothren Burlew, MD, FACS
2004 - 2005 Surgical Critical Care
Denver Health Medical Center
David Ciesla, MD
2003 - 2004 Surgical Critical Care
UCHealth
Contact
Bayli Hendrix
Program Coordinator
Burn Fellowship, Surgical Critical Care and TACS Fellowships
Office of Education, Department of Surgery
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
12631 E. 17th Ave., Aurora, CO 80045 | Mail Stop C-291
E: [email protected] | O: 720.937.0740