We were pleased to hear from one of our distinguished residency alums – CPT Zachary Denham, MD, who completed his anesthesiology residency with us here at UPMC in June of 2022.
During his residency training, Dr. Denham published multiple research articles, took on leadership roles, and excelled clinically. After residency, he went on to start his medical career in the United States Air Force. He was first stationed at Travis Air Force Base in northern California. In his first year of practice, he went through training to become a Critical Care Air Transport Team physician in the U.S. Military’s Aeromedical Evacuation Program and was appointed Director of Obstetric Anesthesia at David Grant Medical Center on Travis Air Force Base. He continues to work at David Grant Medical Center and several other civilian hospitals to maintain currency and serve the community.
Captain Denham is currently deployed as a Critical Care Air Transport Team physician, flying missions all over the world and serving those who serve us. The Critical Care Air Transport Team was created in 1996 to bring home service members who are critically ill or severely injured. Each team within the organization comprises three highly specialized and uniquely skilled clinicians who augment standard aeromedical evacuation crew members and transform aircrafts into flying intensive care units. These providers are not only are capable of caring for our human service members, but also our canine service members, as they are credentialed in the critical care of dogs used in military operations. During the Vietnam war, it could take up to a month for an ill/injured service member to make it home. With the introduction of this specialized team, those times have been cut down to hours/days and survival rates have drastically increased.
Captain Denham credits his extensive training in trauma situations, intensive care, and high-risk resuscitations at UPMC for his ability to perform in his role with the Critical Care Air Transport Team. He fondly remembers his time with us in Pittsburgh and is grateful for the incredible training he received from his mentors.