Paula Ferrada, MD FACS

Dr. Paula Ferrada, MD, FACS, FCCM, MAMSE, is a board-certified trauma and acute care surgeon with more than 15 years of leadership in clinical care and academics. She is Chair of the Department of Surgery at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus (IFMC), System Chief for Acute Care Surgery and Trauma, and Medical Director of Perioperative Services for Inova Health System, while also serving as Professor of Surgery at the University of Virginia. At IFMC—a 902-bed academic flagship hospital with a Level I Trauma Center and one of the nation’s busiest emergency departments—she leads over 80 surgeons, oversees 56 operating and 15 procedure rooms, and guides more than 54,000 annual procedures while driving innovations that improve access, safety, and quality. Dr. Ferrada trained in general surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, becoming the first Colombian woman to graduate from a Harvard surgical program. She completed a fellowship in Surgical Critical Care at the University of Pittsburgh and was the inaugural Acute Care Surgery Fellow at the University of Maryland’s Shock Trauma Center. At Virginia Commonwealth University, she rose to full Professor and directed the Surgical Critical Care Fellowship and Trauma ICU. A graduate of ELAM and the Darden Executive Program, she is internationally recognized as an educator, inducted into the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators, and has held leadership roles in ACS, EAST, and as Past President of the Panamerican Trauma Society. She is Associate Editor of the American Journal of Surgery, serves on multiple editorial boards, and has authored over 140 peer-reviewed publications. At the heart of her work is a belief that mentorship, collaboration, and compassionate leadership transform care and inspire the next generation of surgeons.

Critical Care

Abdomen and Digestion Disorder/Procedure

• abdominal pain
• adhesion removal
• appendectomy
• esophagus perforation
• feeding tubes
• malrotation
• peptic ulcer disease
• peritonitis
• splenectomy

Hernia Procedures

• abdominal hernia
• component separation
• epigastric hernia
• femoral hernia
• inguinal hernia
• laparoscopic hernia repair
• paraesophageal hernia
• umbilical hernia
• ventral hernia

Diagnostic Imaging/procedures

Minimally Invasive Procedures

• endoscopic surgery
• video assisted thoracic surgery

Trauma/Injury Procedures

• abdominal injuries
• abdominal wall reconstruction
• amputation
• bladder injury
• blunt trauma
• bronchoscopy
• burns
• cardiac injury
• chest injuries
• cricothyroidotomy
• extremity injury
• finger injuries
• foot/leg injury
• hand/arm injury
• intestine injuries
• kidney injury
• liver injury
• liver resection
• lung resections
• neck injuries
• skin grafting
• spine trauma
• stomach injuries
• thyroidectomy
• tracheotomy
• vascular injuries
• wound debridement

Virginia Commonwealth University Health System

Richmond, VA

Trauma/Acute Care Surgeon

08/2010—06/2021

Inova Health System

fairfax,

Trauma/Acute Care Surgeon

09/2021—Present

University of Virginia School of Medicine

Charlottesville, VA

Professor

09/2021—Present