Rajabrata Sarkar, MD, PhD
Barbara Baur Dunlap Professor of Surgery and Physiology
Chief, Division of Vascular Surgery
Executive Vice Chair, Department of Surgery
School of Medicine
Dr. Sarkar is an expert in treating blood vessel disorders and a nationally known researcher in blood vessel growth and resolution of deep vein thrombosis. He is a partner in the medical technology startup MDC Studio and a co-inventor of the MDC vascular access and automatic tourniquet devices and the EO2 emergency resuscitation device.
Dr. Sarkar also is the co-founder of Vascular Rescue, Inc., part of the MDC Studios portfolio. Vascular Rescue is developing a novel prototype device for semiautomated central venous cannulation and emergency arterial cannulation that has the potential to expedite emergency care and reduce complications in critically ill patients.
He is an inventor on four issued U.S. patents ranging from molecular therapy for vascular remodeling to novel emergency vascular devices. His device development work includes electroporation for repair of vascular injuries and wearable sensors for early detection of hemorrhage.
Dr. Sarkar came to the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) in 2009 when he was named the Barbara Baur Dunlap Professor of Surgery and Physiology as well as chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery. In the Department of Surgery, Dr. Sarkar served as vice chair for clinical operations from 2015 to 2017 and interim chair from 2017 to 2019. Since 2022, he has been the department’s executive vice chair.
Dr. Sarkar serves as co-chair of the University of Maryland Medical Center Innovation Challenge Program. His device development work in conjunction with the Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices has been funded by the TEDCO Maryland Innovation Initiative, the University of Maryland, Baltimore Life Science Discovery program, and the Maryland Industrial Partnerships.
His clinical interests span the range of vascular disorders, with a particular emphasis on vascular compressive disorders, and his research interests include mechanisms of accelerating collateral artery development and thrombus resolution. His research has been supported by a National Institutes of Health/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Mentored Career Development Award as well as R01 research grants.
