Directory Profile

Headshot of Angela Sauaia

Angela Sauaia MD PhD

Professor
  • Department of Health Systems, Management & Policy

Dr. Angela Sauaia is a professor of public health, medicine, and surgery at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She has an MD degree from the University of S. Paulo, Brazil, and a PhD in Health Services Research from the Colorado School of Public Health, where she's a professor of public health in the department of Health Systems, Management and Policy. 

Dr. Sauaia has more than 20 years of experience in health services and health outcomes research, and is internationally known for her research in post-injury care. She is a co-investigator in the NIH-funded, 20-year Trauma Center Grant, which has changed several aspects of current post-trauma care, especially in the areas of blood transfusions, multiple organ failure and early coagulopathy. Dr. Sauaia is also a co-investigator in the COMBAT (Control Of Major Bleeding in Acute Trauma) study, funded by the Department of Defense and the NIH-supported Colorado TACTIC (Trans-Agency Research Consortium for Trauma-Induced Coagulopathy). 

Dr. Sauaia is a nationally-recognized expert in the area of health equity. She led the federally-funded Tepeyac Project, which successfully diminished disparities in cancer screening among Latinas in Colorado using a church-based navigator program, and the state funded project TEACH (Teaching Equity to Advance Community Health) -- a capacity-building, training program for community-based organizations engaged in reducing health inequities.

Her book "The Quest for Health Equity" bears witness to the health inequities that plague our great nation, and brings hope that change is indeed possible and within reach.

As a Latina immigrant herself, bicultural and multilingual, Dr. Sauaia brings her own personal history to the table and has gained the trust of the local underserved communities, based on a history of respect and candidness. At the same time, she has built a reputation as an evidence-based scientist with a solid publication and grant record. 

Areas of Expertise

  • Health Outcomes
  • Public Health Practices
  • Health Inequalities
  • Surgical Outcomes
  • Trauma Outcomes 

Education, Licensure & Certifications

  • 1997:  PhD in Epidemiology, Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dissertation: Predicting Post-Injury Multiple Organ Failure
  • 1991-97:  Postdoctoral Fellowship in Trauma Research in the Department of Surgery at Denver Health Medical Center
  • 1986: PGY 3 - Critical Care Medicine, University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine
  • 1984-85: PGY 1 and 2 - Internal Medicine, University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine
  • 1983: MD from the University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine, Brazil