BACKGROUND:

Dr. Emily Faulks is a trauma, acute care, and surgical critical care surgeon at Carilion Clinic and an Associate Professor of Surgery at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. She currently serves as the Medical Director for Surgical Critical Care and program director for the Surgical Critical Care Fellowship. Dr. Faulks earned her undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the University of Mississippi, where she graduated from the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. She stayed at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, to complete her medical degree followed by a general surgery residency at WellSpan York Hospital in Pennsylvania and furthered her training in a surgical critical care fellowship at Stanford University. She is triple board-certified in general surgery, surgical critical care, and neurocritical care, and is also a Testamur in Critical Care Echocardiography. Dr. Faulks remains actively involved in surgical education, trauma and neurocritical care research, and quality improvement initiatives. She serves as State Faculty for Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) and Course Director for the Fundamental Critical Care Support (FCCS) program and was a selected for the AWS Shining Star Leadership Program in 2023. She is also an active member of national organizations including EAST, AAST, SCCM, and the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Faulks is a thoughtful mentor, a steady presence in high-acuity care, and a surgeon deeply committed to the patients and teams she serves.

How did you discover your interest in surgery and specifically in trauma and critical care?

I went into medical school planning to become a pediatrician. I was all in, I led the pediatric interest group, led a big pediatric fundraiser at my school, did my summer research in the field, and even made pediatric club t-shirts. When I finally rotated through pediatrics during as a third year, I realized it didn’t bring me the joy I had expected, and I couldn’t put a finger on exactly why. I was a little scared after that rotation because I was so committed to pediatrics and wanted to make sure I found the field that made me excited going to work. My next rotation was in surgery, and our school had a 12-week rotation with surgical electives intermixed. I started with pediatric surgery, and I was able to watch the kids I had just seen in clinic during my last rotation get operated on and thought it was so cool. One of my first cases was a kid with a Wilms tumor whom I had just seem in the Heme/Onc clinic a week prior and then there I was holding their kidney in my hand thinking “this is crazy”. As the rotation continued, I fell more in love with the field and found that so many aspects of the specialty just made sense. The technical aspects of the field reminded me of how much I enjoyed playing the piano as a kid, I enjoyed the subject matter, and I often felt that the people that I worked with on that rotation thought the same the way I did. By the end of my rotation, I came to terms with the fact that I really wanted to be a surgeon and worked hard to match into a general surgery residency. During my residency I made an effort to go into every service with the attitude that I am that type of surgeon. I think at some point I wanted to go into every single specialty. 

When I think about why I chose trauma and critical care specifically my first night on ICU call come to mind. We only had three patients, and I thought I was in for a calm night but then one of the patients starts coding. And kept coding over and over again, all night. By the end of my shift, I realized I was pretty good at running codes. I also noticed that I really enjoyed uncertainty, the teamwork, the complexity, I was excited not scared. My colleagues said I was totally in my element when dealing with very sick patients. And with that I committed to acute care surgery and completed my training with a one-year surgical critical care fellowship at Stanford before starting my career in Virginia. Now, I love how my job is always changing. Trauma has structure, EGS gives me bread-and-butter cases I enjoy, and the ICU lets me be creative. It’s all team-based and dynamic. I once read acute care surgery is like conducting an orchestra where no one knows the music, or which players are there, but you still end up making music. That’s exactly what it feels like. And I love that.

What obstacles did you face in training?

One of my first real obstacles in training was simply leaving Mississippi. I had never lived outside the state, and moving to Pennsylvania for residency was a big adjustment. The culture was different, and the snow and I did not get along. I wasn’t used to driving in it, and more than once I ended up sleeping in the call room. My attendings didn’t mind because I was always there to round in the morning.

Surgical training is hard for everyone. The hours are long, the pace is intense, and the learning curve is steep. Coming from an engineering background, I wasn’t used to the kind of memorization required. It took some time to figure out how to study in a way that worked for me, but eventually I got it together. Even with the adjustment, I felt lucky to be where I was. My program director was someone I always saw as fair. Even if I didn’t love a decision, I could respect it. That kind of steady leadership matters more than people realize when you are in the thick of residency.

There were also moments that reminded me how important it is to set boundaries. Early in intern year, a hospital staff member made an unwelcome and inappropriate physical gesture. I responded quickly and clearly, and after that no one tried anything like it again. At an away rotation, an attending once made a wildly inappropriate comment in the operating room. I shut it down immediately and brushed it off at the time because I was almost done with the rotation, but in hindsight, I wish I had reported it more formally. Those experiences, while difficult, taught me the value of speaking up and standing firm in a professional environment. They also made me more aware of how much the culture of medicine has shifted. Looking back now, I can see how different the era I trained in is from what trainees experience today, and that is a good thing.

What are some of the changes you’ve seen in surgical culture?

I trained at a time when people were not really talking about burnout or work-life balance, at least not openly. That has changed now, for the better. I love what I do, but I also love being at home with my family, starting violin lessons just for fun, and reminding myself that we’re allowed to be whole people. Being a surgeon doesn’t mean you stop being everything else. In my field specifically, there’s a strong understanding that burnout isn’t this one-time event you either have or don’t, it’s more of a continuum. I appreciate that it’s become more acceptable to say, “I need to tap out” or “I need a break,” without being seen as weak or incapable.

We’ve also become more team-oriented, which makes a huge difference. If you’re wrapping up a long shift and a non-emergent case rolls in, you can call the incoming surgeon, and they’ll step in without hesitation. That kind of culture matters. The old mindset of pushing yourself to the brink, no matter what, just isn’t sustainable. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s still hard to say out loud that you need a break, but it’s getting easier and is better received. I don’t know if that shift is universal across all of surgery, but I’m grateful it exists in my specialty. I’m glad we’re having more conversations about what’s appropriate, what’s sustainable, and how to better support each other in the work we do.

What advice would you give to aspiring female surgeons?

If you want to be a surgeon, then be a surgeon. I remember during one of my residency interviews, I was asked, “What are you trying to prove as a female by going into surgery?” I was not trying to prove anything. I just really liked surgery. The question felt strange and outdated, like something we as a healthcare community should have moved past a long time ago. I was not entering the field with an agenda. I simply loved the work, and that should be reason enough.

Throughout training, I had female attendings who shared what it was like for them to be required to wear nursing scrub skirts during their training, not that long ago. I recognize how much progress has already been made and how important it is to keep pushing forward. When I started residency, there were only a handful of women in my program. By the time I finished, about a third of our residents were female, and now, the numbers are even better. It is encouraging to watch that shift happen in real time.

So, with that, my advice to anyone considering surgery is this: if you love it, just do it. Training is hard across the board but when it comes time to shape your career, there are so many ways to build the life you want. Everything involves some degree of compromise, but that does not mean giving up what matters to you it means being intentional about how you balance it all. That includes family. If being a parent is part of the life you want, know that it is possible. I waited until after training to start a family, but we could have started earlier. What matters is doing whatever feels right for you whenever it feels right for you.

My schedule is built in six-month blocks, which means that when I am on service, it is intense, but there is always a clear endpoint. My admin time gives me the space and flexibility I need to be present with my family and to pursue the things I enjoy outside of medicine. It works well for the life I want to lead. Everyone’s version of balance looks a little different, and that is the beauty of this profession there is so much room to make it your own.

I also recommend finding mentors along the way, it truly makes a difference. Early in my attending years, I participated in the ACS YFA Annual Mentor Program. The mentor I was paired with helped me recognize how much I enjoyed the critical care side of my work and encouraged me to focus on it. From those conversations, I created a list of goals and have checked off nearly all of them since. It was a reminder that mentorship is not just about opening doors, it’s also about helping you pursue what aligns most with your skills, values, and purpose.

What are your future career goals?

Every few years, I try to pause and reflect on what I’ve been doing and where I want to go next. One turning point for me was being selected for the AWS Shining Star Leadership Program, which included professional coaching. That experience was the gift I didn’t know I needed. I even continued sessions beyond the initial program because it was just that impactful. Coaching is very different from mentoring, it helped me clarify my goals, streamline my focus, and recognize where I want to grow next.

Lately, I have been thinking more about my long-term goals. I am currently a program director, and I have been wondering whether I want to move further into graduate medical education or maybe lean more into hospital leadership. As the medical director for critical care, I really enjoy working with unit leaders to improve systems and outcomes. So, I am also considering whether I want to build on that with a formal degree or simply keep doing the work I love and let those other pieces evolve naturally. One thing I have from coaching is how to align my extracurriculars around common themes so that I don’t stretch myself too thin. Right now, I feel content with where I’m at. I am not in a rush to change, but I am always open to what comes next.

Outside of work, I set some personal goals. I would love to run a 5K and not feel terrible doing it. I have rediscovered my love for reading and have been carving out time for books again. I also started learning the violin just for fun. Most importantly, I want to be present for my family. My kids are still little, and I do not want to be so busy that I miss this part of their lives.

Tell us about your experience in the AWS Shining Star Leadership Program.

When I first got the email about the Shining Star Program, I was already in the middle of some self-reflection on where I was and what I wanted to do next. I was about to step into a few big leadership roles, and while people around me were encouraging, their advice was mostly, you will figure it out. I appreciated the sentiment, but I was looking for something more concrete. When I saw the coaching component, I thought it could be just what I needed.

I honestly did not think I would get selected, so I was excited when I did. The group sessions were great for hearing what others were wrestling with in their own careers, and the one-on-one coaching was incredibly impactful. It helped me reflect on how I lead, how I make decisions, and how I want to grow. There were things I thought I needed to work on, and the coach helped me realize there were other things that may help me change my approach to how I go about my job. I even continued coaching sessions after the program ended. It felt like a tune-up for how I show up at work and in leadership. An unexpected bonus was the connections I made in the cohort itself. Many of us have kept in touch, and I even completed the ACS Surgeons as Educators course with someone from the cohort. The program highlighted how coaching is different from mentoring. Mentors offer guidance and connections while a coach helps you refine how you approach challenges, how you communicate, and how you lead. It gave me the clarity I needed, and I know I will tap into it again when I grow into the next phase of my career.

How do you maintain work-life balance as an academic surgeon?

Work-life balance is still a work in progress, but I think I am getting better at it with time and experience. Early in my career, I felt a constant pressure to say yes to everything, to be the team player who was always available. That mindset began to shift after I had children and realized I wanted them to grow up knowing that while I have a very time-intensive job, they still come first. My spouse is not in medicine, which helped reinforce that perspective. Now, when I am on call or working late, I tell my kids, “It’s just my turn” to have a long night. We share the responsibility. It is how I talk about the work so that they do not think of it as something negative or feel like it is taking me away from them, it is just part of the career I chose to do.

Over time, I have gotten better at streamlining what I say yes to. I have a great team at work and sometimes I think if I said no to more things, they would probably just say okay. So, I really think it’s about giving yourself the permission to say no and set boundaries. Coaching really helped me with that. I take all of my vacation days and avoid overbooking my calendar. If a meeting is in the evening, it will be virtual, and my kids might make a cameo and that’s okay.

Dr. Faulks' 6-year-old daughter offered her own advice on boundaries: “It is easy. You just say N-O.” Later, when I asked what she thinks about her mom being a surgeon, she lit up and said, “She takes people’s guts out!” followed by a proud “She’s a doctor!” In just a few words, her daughter offered a glimpse of the pride, presence, and purpose Dr. Faulks brings to both her family and her work.

The balance is not perfect, just ask my husband, but I have gotten better at protecting the time that matters and letting go of the idea that I have to do everything.

Colby Mallett is a second-year medical student at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at Loyola Marymount University and earned a Master of Science in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. She is currently exploring a career in surgery, thanks in large part to the guidance of mentors like Dr. Faulks, whose example continues to shape her path. Colby serves as the Associate Research Coordinator on the AWS National Medical Student Committee for the 2025–2026 term.