Babak Sarani, MD, FACS, FCCM is the Founder and Chief of the Center for Trauma and Critical Care at GW Hospital and the Virginia Hospital Center and a Professor of Surgery and Emergency Medicine at the GW University School of Medicine & Health Sciences. He is currently the Chair of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma for Washington, DC.
Dr. Sarani received his medical degree from George Washington University and was an elected member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society and the Phi Sigma Biological Sciences Honor Society. He completed his internship and residency at George Washington University and received sub-specialty training as a fellow in Trauma and Critical Care Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, PA.
Dr. Sarani began his career as an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, PA from 2005-2011. While there, he implemented and served as the Medical Director of the Surgical Rapid Response Team and was the interim Trauma Medical Director at Reading Hospital as the hospital prepared for its first designation as a Level 2 trauma center. He established the Center for Trauma and Critical Care at GW Hospital in 2011 and oversaw the creation of a Level 2 trauma center at Virginia Hospital Center in 2022. He also established the first surgical critical care fellowship at GW School of Medicine, led the effort to establish an aeromedical and ground critical care transport program at GW Hospital, and serves as the medical director of the GW Patient Logistics Center as well as its critical care transport team. He is currently leading the effort to establish a Level 3 trauma center at Cedar Hill Hospital in Anacostia, Washington, DC. This will be the first time that this part of Washington, DC will have a verified trauma center.
A fellow of the American College of Surgeons and American College of Critical Care Medicine, Dr. Sarani is also a past member of Board of Directors of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) and the Surgical Critical Care Program Directors Society, current member of the Board of Directors of the American Trauma Society, and Secretary of the Surgical Critical Care Program Directors Society. His other societal memberships include: the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, and the Society of University Surgeons.
Dr. Sarani has an established portfolio related to service, education, and research. He has lectured numerous times on topics related to trauma surgery and critical care in the United States and Europe. Dr. Sarani's commitment to teaching is evident in the numerous teaching awards he has received from GWU, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pennsylvania. He founded and served as the first moderator of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma TraumaCast podcast and continues to hold several organizing roles in scientific societies. He was the co-editor of the Society of Critical Care Medicine Fundamentals of Critical Care Support 6th Edition textbook. His research interests include diagnosis and management of coagulation disorders following trauma, optimal design of rapid response systems, management of chest wall injuries, and response paradigms to mass shootings.
Outside of work, Dr. Sarani enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters and enjoys SCUBA diving, skiing, and continues his search for the ultimate croissant and honey.
