Vikhyat S. Bebarta, MD

I’m running for the AACEM Executive Committee because our specialty is standing at a defining crossroads. The next decade of academic emergency medicine will be shaped by how effectively we lead in innovation, data, and collaboration for all of healthcare.

As a Professor and Endowed Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Colorado and Founding Director of the CU Center for COMBAT Research, I’ve had the privilege to help build teams that drive discovery, translate science into care, and grow leaders across the nation. Through these roles and others, I’ve seen what’s possible when research, education, and clinical operations move in unison—when we align urgency with vision.

My experience as a clinician, investigator, and senior military officer has taught me that leadership is about service and execution. I’ve helped expand programs that integrate AI, informatics, and data science to improve efficiency, research performance, and patient outcomes. I’ve led initiatives that strengthen operational readiness, train the next generation of innovators, and connect academic and military medicine to accelerate progress. I have served on the RRC and ACGME, helping shape national standards for academic training. I’ve authored 260+ manuscripts, led 30+ federally funded grants, worked with NASEM, and mentored 100+ faculty and trainees who now lead across the country.

On the AACEM Executive Committee, I aim to help connect departments, modernize infrastructure, guide federal policy, recruit innovators to our field, and build leaders prepared for the challenges ahead. Together, we can position AACEM as the national engine for collaboration and excellence and a model for other healthcare specialties.

My vision is for AACEM to lead with urgency, unity, and measurable impact on communities and families - to turn innovation into action, translate research into care, and build a future defined by purpose, progress, and partnership.