The ACS Board of Regents confirmed Kristan L. Staudenmayer, MD, MS, FACS, as the next Chair of the ACS Committee on Trauma (COT). Dr. Staudenmayer assumes leadership of the ACS COT in March 2026, becoming the 22nd Chair of the COT during its 104th year as an ACS committee. Dr. Staudenmayer succeeds Jeffrey D. Kerby, MD, PhD, FACS, from The University of Alabama at Birmingham.
“Being named Chair of the Committee on Trauma is a great honor,” said Dr. Staudenmayer. “I’m thankful to the leaders who have shaped the COT, especially Dr. Kerby, whose leadership has made a lasting impact. I’m dedicated to continuing that legacy as we develop a national trauma system, improve our core programs, and get ready for the challenges ahead to ensure we provide the best care to every patient.”
Dr. Staudenmayer is a trauma and acute care surgeon at Stanford University in California, where she serves as associate section chief of acute care surgery and an associate professor of surgery. She also holds the Betty and Gordon Moore Endowed Faculty Scholar position, acknowledging her leadership in and contributions to clinical care and surgical systems improvement, particularly in trauma surgery.
Dr. Staudenmayer’s clinical practice focuses on trauma, emergency general surgery, and surgical critical care. A recognized leader in trauma surgery, she plays a central role in Stanford’s multidisciplinary efforts to care for critically ill and injured patients, while also working to advance trauma systems of care and drive innovation in the management of trauma patients.
Her research bridges clinical medicine and health policy, with a strong focus on trauma systems and the care of vulnerable patient populations. She has led and contributed to several federally funded research efforts, including a National Institutes of Health (NIH) K08 award from the National Institute on Aging to study the impact of injury in older patients and an NIH/Clinical & Translational Science Awards-supported study focused on prehospital trauma triage. Her work is widely published in peer-reviewed journals, and she is a frequent speaker at national conferences on trauma systems and surgical health services research.
Dr. Staudenmayer is a committed educator and institutional leader who has earned recognition for excellence in teaching, including the Arthur L. Bloomfield Award from the Stanford School of Medicine and the Fellowship Award from the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She chairs the Surgical Sub-Council at Stanford Health Care and is the unit-based medical director, helping to improve performance in high-acuity care settings.
Roles in the COT
For the ACS, Dr. Staudenmayer currently holds many roles, which reflects her deep commitment to shaping the future of trauma care and surgical education. She serves on the COT Executive Committee and is Chair of the Trauma Systems Pillar. She also is the Program Area Chair for Trauma System Evaluation and Planning, a member of the National Trauma and Emergency Preparedness Systems Steering Group, and a lead reviewer for the Trauma Systems Consultation Program.
In addition to these current appointments, she has contributed in several other capacities, including as an instructor for both the Advanced Trauma Life Support and Trauma Evaluation and Management programs, and as a member of the Advocacy and Health Policy Committee, Performance Improvement and Patient Safety Committee, and the White Book Steering Group. She also has participated in working groups focused on postgraduate education, national trauma system and research initiatives, and regularly contributes as a Trauma Quality Improvement Program Conference abstract reviewer.
Dr. Staudenmayer received her medical degree from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and completed her general surgery residency at Parkland Hospital in Dallas. She went on to pursue a trauma and surgical critical care fellowship at the University of California San Francisco, followed by a master of science in health services research degree at Stanford. Her academic training also includes an NIH T32 research fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she studied innate immunity in trauma. Dr. Staudenmayer is triple board-certified in general surgery, surgical critical care, and clinical informatics.
“Dr. Staudenmayer is a highly respected trauma surgeon and uniquely qualified to take on the role as Chair of the COT,” said Dr. Kerby. “Her extensive breadth of knowledge and high-level engagement in issues related to development of a national trauma system of care will ensure this transformational strategic target will remain a priority of the COT. In addition, her ability to energize high functioning teams that further key mission elements bodes well for the ability of the COT to advance its vision of eliminating preventable death and disability from traumatic injury across the globe.”
