Bio
Dr. Kristan Staudenmayer is a nationally recognized trauma and acute care surgeon, where she serves as Associate Chief of the Section of Acute Care Surgery and holds the Betty and Gordon Moore Endowed Faculty Scholar position. Dr. Staudenmayer is a leading voice in trauma systems development. She chairs the Trauma Systems Committee of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) and was elected Chair of the COT for the 2026–2029 term. She also played a pivotal role in developing the Emergency General Surgery Quality Program for the American College of Surgeons and continues to guide its evolution. In these roles, Dr. Staudenmayer shapes national policy and guides the future of trauma and emergency care in the United States.
Dr. Staudenmayer has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and serves on the editorial boards of several leading academic journals. Her scholarship and policy work focus on improving outcomes for vulnerable and underserved populations, including the elderly, and on advancing the resilience and effectiveness of trauma systems of care. She has been at the forefront of defining new concepts such as hospital capacity strain and health system readiness, bridging cutting-edge research with practical strategies for national preparedness.
She earned her medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, completed general surgery residency at Parkland Hospital, and conducted NIH T32-funded research at the University of Washington before pursuing fellowship training in trauma and surgical critical care at San Francisco General Hospital. Board-certified in General Surgery, Surgical Critical Care, and Clinical Informatics, Dr. Staudenmayer brings a rare combination of clinical, systems, and data-driven expertise. She is widely recognized as a thought leader driving innovation at the intersection of surgery, health systems, and policy, and continues to mentor the next generation of surgical leaders.
