Our Trauma Team

Our trauma surgeons are nationally and internationally renowned for both their clinical and research expertise.

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Frederic Pieracci, M.D. FACS
Interim Director of Surgery
Chief of Thoracic Surgery

Fredric Pieracci, MD, MPH, FACS is from Chicago, Illinois. He received both his Bachelor of Arts degree in biology and his medical degree from The University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Pieracci completed residencies in both general surgery and general preventive medicine at the New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. During this time, he also obtained a Master’s Degree in Public Health from Columbia University. Additional fellowship training in Trauma, Acute Care Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care was completed at the University of Colorado and Denver Health Medical Center. He is currently the Trauma Medical Director, Medical Director of the Denver Health Surgical Weight Loss Program, and the Medical Director of the Thoracic and Pulmonary Nodule Clinics at Denver Health. He also maintains busy elective and acute care surgery practices. Dr. Pieracci is board certified in general surgery, general preventive medicine, and surgical critical care.

Research interests of Dr. Pieracci include trauma, surgical critical care, and bariatric surgery. Specific areas of current research include surgical stabilization of rib fractures, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and emergency department thoracotomy. Dr. Pieracci is active in many national surgical societies, including the American College of Surgeons, Society of Critical Care Medicine, American College of Chest Physicians, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Surgical Infection Society, Chest Wall Injury Society, and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Denis Bensard, M.D. FACS
Chief of Pediatric Surgery
Pediatric Trauma Medical Director

Dr. Bensard was born and raised in Colorado. He grew up in the Denver area and attended Mullen HS. Subsequently, he attended the University of Colorado and graduated with distinction earning a BA in Biology. In 1986, he graduated from the University of Colorado School of Medicine with honors. Dr. Bensard completed his residency in General Surgery in 1992. During this time, he performed NIH funded studies in post-traumatic immuno-modulation as a research fellow in the Halstead Surgical Laboratory. In 1993, he completed additional training in critical care and vascular surgery culminating in board certification in Surgical Critical Care. In 1995, he completed a two-year fellowship in pediatric surgery at the Columbus Children’s Hospital. In 1995, he returned to the University of Colorado as a member of the surgical faculty and served as Chief of Pediatric Surgery at DHMC for eleven years. Dr Bensard served as the Director of Trauma at the Children’s Hospital from 1995 to 2006 until his departure to the Midwest. He was appointed Professor of Surgery at the School of Medicine at the University of Cincinnati and named Director of Pediatric Surgery at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital. In 2009, Dr. Bensard returned home to join the Acute Care Surgical Faculty at DHMC and resume his previous position of Chief of Pediatric Surgery and Trauma. He is a visiting Professor of Surgery in the Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Bensard is Board Certified in General Surgery Surgical Critical Care and Pediatric Surgery by the American Board of Surgery. Dr. Bensard is engaged in basic, clinical and outcomes research with special interest in pediatric injury and pediatric surgery. Dr. Bensard is a member of many regional and national societies including the American Association of Pediatric Surgeons, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Surgeons, Western Trauma Association, and the Denver Academy of Surgeons. He is extensively published in peer reviewed journals, has written multiple book chapters, and spoken in multiple venues as an invited lecturer in the fields of trauma, pediatric surgery, and minimally invasive surgery. He has been named to 5280 Top Doctors, America’s Best Doctors, America’s Best Surgeons, and Best Doctors in America. He has received the outstanding teaching award from both medical students and general surgery residents.

Adrian Coleoglou Centeno, MD
Trauma and Acute Care Surgeon

Dr. Adrian Coleoglou Centeno is a board-certified general surgeon.

He earned his medical degree from Universidad de Oriente – Núcleo Bolívar in 2011, completed a general surgery residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch in 2023, and a fellowship at the University of Colorado in 2024.

Alexandra Ferre, MD
Trauma and Acute Care Surgeon

Dr. Alexandra Ferre is a board-certified general surgeon.

She earned her medical degree from Universidad Central de Venezuela, Escuela Luis Razetti, in 2013, completed a general surgery residency at the Cleveland Clinic in 2023, and a fellowship in Surgical Critical Care, Trauma, and Acute Care at the University of Colorado/Denver Health in 2024.

Ernest 'Gene' Moore, M.D. FACS
Director of Surgical Research
Editor, Journal of Trauma

Ernest E. “Gene” Moore, M.D. is an internationally renowned trauma surgeon and the Director of Surgical Research at Denver Health Medical Center. Dr. Moore has been editor of the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery since 2012 and was the Chief of Trauma at the Denver Health for 36 years, Chief of Surgery for 28 years and the first Bruce M. Rockwell Distinguished Chair in Trauma Surgery. He also serves as Vice Chairman for Research and is a Distinguished Professor of Surgery at the University of Colorado Denver.

Dr. Moore began his career at Denver Health in 1976, where he helped pioneer one of the nation’s first academic Level I trauma centers. Under Dr. Moore’s leadership, Denver Health’s Level I Trauma Center became nationally and internationally recognized for innovative care of the injured patient, and its trauma research laboratory has been funded by the National Institutes of Health for 30 consecutive years.

Dr. Moore has served as president of nine academic societies, including the Society of University Surgeons, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, International Association for the Trauma and Surgical Intensive Care, and the World Society of Emergency Surgery; and as Vice President for the American Surgical Association.

Awards and recognition include: the Robert Danis Prize from the Society of International Surgeons; Orazio Campione Prize from the World Society of Emergency Surgery; Philip Hench Award from the University of Pittsburgh; Florence Sabin Award from the University of Colorado; the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of University Surgeons; the Lifetime Achievement Award for Resuscitation Science from the American Heart Association; the Distinguished Investigator Award from the American College of Critical Medicine; the Distinguished Investigator Award from the Shock Society; and the Lifetime Service Award from the International Association for Trauma and Surgical Intensive Care.

Dr. Moore has honorary fellowships in the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand, and the American College of Emergency Physicians; and is an honorary member of the Brazilian Trauma Society, Colombian Trauma Society, Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, European Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery, and Trauma Association of Canada.

Dr. Moore is coeditor of the textbook Trauma, now in its 8th edition, Surgical Secrets in its 7th edition, and the textbook Trauma Induced Coagulopathy; he has more than 1,650 publications and has lectured extensively throughout the world.

Cecilia Nguyen, DO
Trauma and Acute Care Surgeon

Dr. Cecilia Nguyen, DO, earned her medical degree from Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2018.

She completed a general surgery residency at St. John's Episcopal Hospital in 2023 and fellowships in Surgical Critical Care at Mount Sinai City Hospital at Elmhurst in 2024 and Acute Care Surgery at Grady Memorial Hospital/Emory University in 2025.

She is fluent in English, Vietnamese, and Spanish.

Daniel VanDerPloeg, MD
Trauma/Acute Care Surgeon
Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine

Dr. Daniel VanDerPloeg grew up in a small town in southeastern Kentucky. He completed his undergraduate studies in biology at Eastern Kentucky University. He then attended medical school at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Lexington, KY under a merit scholarship. He obtained his MD in 2015 and moved to Colorado to complete a general surgery residency at the University of Colorado. He finished residency in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and decided to advance his training with a fellowship in surgical critical care. The critical care fellowship also provided additional experience within the field of trauma surgery. After fellowship, he is excited to continue his career at Denver Health as a thoracic and trauma surgeon. His career interests include improving outcomes and increasing access to thoracic surgery and healthcare equality for the LGBT+ community. In his free time, he enjoys reading fantasy books, spending time with his family, and running.

Daniel Yeh, MD

Dr. Daniel Yeh is a board-certified general surgeon.

He earned his medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine in 2004, completed a general surgery residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital in 2009, and pursued fellowships in Surgical Critical Care (2010) and Trauma Surgery (2011) at the University of California, San Francisco.