University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

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Education

The burn service welcomes any medical students enrolled in a surgical rotation that are interested in participating in the care of the burned patient.

The burn service provides an in depth exposure to the unique pathophysiologic processes of the burned patient, and to managing critically ill patients with complex wounds. Students are expected to be active participants in burn rounds, burn clinic, and the operating room. The operative experience is especially rich as cases always require multiple team member involvement. Students will have the opportunity to place central lines, perform fascial excisions, harvest skin, and perform skin grafts.

The burn service is a unique rotation that will challenge one's stamina, critical care skills, and mental fortitude. However, it is also very educational, gratifying, and a distinct chance to be part of a truly multidisciplinary team. Residents that rotate on the burn service consist of Emergency Room interns and General Surgery second-year residents. This rotation is distinctive in that residents work directly with the attending on a daily basis, in both the ICU and operating room, providing an opportunity for mentorship and growth. Residents are expected to be the “keepers” of the service, and inform the fellow/attending regularly on changes in patient condition.

Interns and residents rotating on the service will also receive a copy of the “Burn Surgery Pocket Guide” on their first day. The manual is an invaluable resource and will answer 90% of your questions on how the service is run and how to care for our burn patients.

If interested in rotating on the burn service, please contact Bayli Hendrix:

Bayli Hendrix
Program Coordinator
Burn, 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: bayli.hendrix@cuanschutz.edu | O: 303.724.9251

The University of Colorado Burn Surgery Fellowship is a one year ACGME accredited Surgical Critical Care Fellowship with Burn focus. The program focuses the experience of burn/frostbite/complex wound care in order to prepare Fellows for a career in burn surgery. The University of Colorado Burn and Frostbite Center is the eastern Rocky Mountain region’s only American Burn Association (ABA) verified burn center, and sees over 500 inpatient admissions from Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, New Mexico, among others, and over 2,500 clinic visits a year. The 19 bed burn unit has three tub rooms, an attached burn clinic, and a dedicated operating room. In addition, we are the only hospital in the eastern Rocky Mountain region that is both a Level 1 Trauma Center and ABA verified burn center.

The burn team consists of three full-time, fellowship-trained burn surgeons who are all general surgery/surgical critical care boarded, six advanced practice providers, along with a dedicated team of nutritionists, pharmacists, physical/occupational therapists, psychologists, and social workers. The burn surgery fellowship will expose Fellows to all aspects of medical and surgical management of a variety of conditions a regional burn center sees including: burns, frostbite, electrical/lighting injury, inhalation injury, exfoliative skin disorders (SJS, TENS), necrotizing soft tissue infection, complex wounds (hidradenitis suppurativa), and scar management (surgical reconstruction and laser therapy). We have robust clinical and basic science research opportunities in the fields of burn and frostbite care that the burn Fellow can participate in.

We pride ourselves on the exceptional care we provide to our patients, and the quality of education our medical students, residents, and Fellows receive on the burn surgery service. Our goal is to provide a balanced and structured educational experience preparing Fellows for fulfilling careers in burn, trauma, and complex wound surgery. We look forward to reviewing your application.

Applicants must have completed a minimum of three years of clinical training in plastic or general surgery and be eligible for licensing in Colorado. For the academic year beginning in August 2025, candidates may submit an application starting March 1, 2024.

For more information, interested applicants should contact the Program Coordinator, Bayli Hendrix, at BAYLI.HENDRIX@CUANSCHUTZ.EDU .

Past Fellows

Jessica Respicio, MD
Burn Fellow: July 2018–June 2020

Thea Price, MD
Burn Fellow: 2011-2012

Peng Yu, MD
Burn Fellow: 2013-2014

Arek Wiktor, MD
Burn Fellow: 2010-2011

Gaurav Chandra, MD
Burn Fellow: 2012-2013

Joshua Goldberg, MD
Burn Fellow: 2005-2006

The University of Colorado Burn and Frostbite Center actively educates health-care providers at all levels from pre-hospital to hospital throughout the region, from Montana down to New Mexico. The education encompasses all aspects of burn care, smoke inhalation, degloving injuries, soft tissue infections, chemical burns, electrical burns, exfoliative disorders, hypothermia, and frostbite. Educational opportunities provided by our staff range from regional conferences, grand rounds presentations, and local hospital didactics that include CME credit. Education is specifically geared for all members of the health-care team, including physical and occupational therapists, first responders, EMT/Paramedics, nurses, and physicians.

Advanced Burn Life Support (ABLS)

We provide ABLS courses throughout the year, both locally and regionally. The program is the ABA’s premier educational resource for the emergency care of burn injuries. This course provides knowledge for immediate care of the burn patient up to the first 24-hours post injury. ABLS programs also support emergency preparedness and mass casualty incidents focusing on triage, burn survivability, prioritizing transport of patients, and patient treatment. ABLS is available for a wide range of burn care professionals.

Contact Us

For Information on Outreach Activities, please contact:

Nancy Biaggi, MSL
Manager, Burn and Trauma Outreach
Phone: 720-848-7850
Nancy.Biaggi@uchealth.org

For information on ABLS Courses, please contact:

Elizabeth Weber, RN
Burn Program Coordinator
720.848.0950
Elizabeth.weber@uchealth.org

Testimonials

My day with the Burn service was one of my best during the surgery rotation. (It was actually one of the best of med school but I didn't want to sound like I was trying too hard!) The challenges they are faced with and the tools used to solve them are unique to the burn service and provide exposure to surgical cases you won't see on the general surgery rotation. The cases I saw were some of the most vivid I have had in medical school and will stay with me for a very long time. The nature of the surgeries also allows much more student participation and I felt like a useful member of the team.

Greg Zablocki, MSIII (Class of 2012)

Residents

The burn service is a unique rotation that will challenge one's stamina, critical care skills, and mental fortitude. However, it is also very educational, gratifying, and a distinct chance to be part of a truly multidisciplinary team. Residents that rotate on the burn service consist of Emergency Room interns and General Surgery second-year residents. This rotation is distinctive in that residents work directly with the attending on a daily basis, in both the ICU and operating room, providing an opportunity for mentorship and growth. Residents are expected to be the “keepers” of the service, and inform the fellow/attending regularly on changes in patient condition.

Interns and residents rotating on the service will also receive a copy of the “Burn Surgery Pocket Guide” on their first day. The manual is an invaluable resource and will answer 90% of your questions on how the service is run and how to care for our burn patients.

The University of Colorado Burn Surgery Fellowship offers two program options for applicants. 1) The first is a one year ACGME accredited Surgical Critical Care Fellowship with Burn focus or 2) A one-year non-ACGME-accredited dedicated burn fellowship. Both fellowship options are meant to give Fellows the full breadth and experience of burn/frostbite/complex wound care in order to prepare Fellows for a career in burn surgery. The University of Colorado Burn and Frostbite Center is the eastern Rocky Mountain region’s only American Burn Association (ABA) verified burn center, and sees over 500 inpatient admissions from Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, New Mexico, among others, and over 2,500 clinic visits a year. The 19 bed burn unit has three tub rooms, an attached burn clinic, and a dedicated operating room. In addition, we are the only hospital in the eastern Rocky Mountain region that is both a Level 1 Trauma Center and ABA verified burn center.

The burn team consists of three full-time, fellowship-trained burn surgeons who are all general surgery/surgical critical care boarded, six advanced practice providers, along with a dedicated team of nutritionists, pharmacists, physical/occupational therapists, psychologists, and social workers. The burn surgery fellowship will expose Fellows to all aspects of medical and surgical management of a variety of conditions a regional burn center sees including: burns, frostbite, electrical/lighting injury, inhalation injury, exfoliative skin disorders (SJS, TENS), necrotizing soft tissue infection, complex wounds (hidradenitis suppurativa), and scar management (surgical reconstruction and laser therapy). We have robust clinical and basic science research opportunities in the fields of burn and frostbite care that the burn Fellow can participate in.

We pride ourselves on the exceptional care we provide to our patients, and the quality of education our medical students, residents, and Fellows receive on the burn surgery service. Our goal is to provide a balanced and structured educational experience preparing Fellows for fulfilling careers in burn, trauma, and complex wound surgery. We look forward to reviewing your application.

Applicants must have completed a minimum of three years of clinical training in plastic or general surgery and be eligible for licensing in Colorado. For the academic year beginning in August 2025, candidates may submit an application starting March 1, 2024.

For more information, interested applicants should contact Program Coordinator Bayli Hendrix at bayli.hendrix@cuanschutz.edu.

Arek Wiktor, MD