As the new chair of the University of Colorado Anschutz Department of Emergency Medicine, Vik Bebarta, MD, brings an impressive portfolio of experience and skills to the role, along with an ambitious agenda. His appointment comes at a pivotal moment for a department that has grown rapidly in national stature and impact.
A national search for a chair to succeed Richard Zane, MD, who transitioned in March to a leadership role at UCHealth, concluded that the best candidate was already on campus. Bebarta has spent a decade at CU Anschutz, served as interim chair since Zane’s departure, and now holds the George B. Boedecker, Jr. and Boedecker Foundation Endowed Chair in Emergency Medicine.
“Dr. Bebarta has made extraordinary contributions to CU over the past decade, and I am confident that he is the leader we need now to help us achieve Top 10 in 10. He proved he is the best leader for this job through years of exceptional performance and steadfast dedication to our school,” John Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA, dean of the CU Anschutz School of Medicine, said in announcing Bebarta’s appointment.
Much of Bebarta’s leadership impact is already visible across campus. He leads the CU Anschutz Center for Combat Medicine and Battlefield (COMBAT) Research and serves as strategic lead at the CU Marcus Institute for Brain Health. Both programs have grown rapidly and reflect a focus on translating research into improvements in real-world care.
He has authored over 260 peer-reviewed publications, served as principal investigator on more than 30 federally funded grants, and secured nearly $200 million in federal research funding by leading teams that have driven transformative projects shaping national policy, advancing battlefield and civilian care, and accelerating translational science across institutions.
Vik Bebarta (left) at the Air Force Theater Hospital at Balad Air Base in Iraq in June 2007. The tent hospital was eventually removed and flown back to the U.S. for preservation in the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Silver Spring, Maryland. Babarta served two deployments at the hospital.
In recognition of Bebarta's sustained national impact, he was named the CU Anschutz School of Medicine’s Mentor of the Year in 2023 and received the 2025 Society for Academic Emergency Medicine’s Excellence in Research Career Award.
At the core of this work is a commitment to patients and communities. Bebarta’s record speaks volumes about his ability to drive innovation that translates research into lifesaving advances across civilian and military care, while keeping patients at the center of emergency medicine’s mission.
A graduate of the US Air Force Academy, Bebarta served 14 years on active duty as a U.S. Air Force combat physician, with multiple deployments, and is still serving as a reservist now. He has been part of the CU Anschutz community for a decade and brings a leadership philosophy shaped by service, teamwork, and accountability.
As he settles in as permanent chair, we sat down with Bebarta to ask about the department and his goals.