Cristobal Barrios Jr.
Biography
Cristobal Barrios, Jr., M.D., FACS, is Health Sciences Clinical Professor of Surgery and Assistant Dean of Admissions at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, where he serves in the Division of Trauma, Burns, and Surgical Critical Care. He received his M.D. from the University of Miami School of Medicine and completed his surgical training at multiple institutions, including a fellowship in Surgical Critical Care at UC Irvine. Board certified in both General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, Barrios has been a faculty member at UC Irvine since 2007, advancing from Clinical Instructor to his current professorial rank in 2017. He assumed the role of Assistant Dean of Admissions in 2019, where he chairs the Admissions Committee and has interviewed medical school applicants since 2009.
Barrios has directed the Trauma Division Research Program and served as Chair of the Organ Donor Council at UC Irvine Medical Center. His clinical research focuses on trauma and critical care issues, including thoracic CT imaging in trauma patients, traumatic brain injury, organ donation among minorities, and alcohol and drug use among trauma patients. He has mentored over 150 undergraduate and graduate students in research, with many receiving UROP Fellow grants under his supervision. His work has resulted in more than 60 peer-reviewed publications in journals including the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, American Surgeon, and Archives of Surgery.
Barrios serves as President and CEO of International Medical Alliance (IMAHelps), an organization through which he has provided free surgical services on medical missions to Nicaragua, Peru, El Salvador, Paraguay, Kenya, Cambodia, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic since 2011. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and holds memberships in the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, and Southwestern Surgical Congress. At UC Irvine, he co-chairs the Clinical Faculty Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee and serves on multiple institutional committees, including the Medical Executive Committee, IRB, and LGBTQ Equity Committee.
Return to topEducation
- B.S. in Biochemistry/Chemistry, University of Miami, 1988
- M.D., University of Miami School of Medicine, 1992
Distinctions
- Fellow, American College of Surgeons (FACS), 2012
- Elected Member of Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-medical Honor Society, 1986
- APP Award Qualification, SWSC Annual Meeting, 2022
- UCI ADVANCE Career Development Award, 2018
- Office of Traffic Safety Award for research on reducing automobile v. pedestrian accidents, 2018
- Physician of Excellence, Orange County Medical Association, 2013-2025
- Excellence in Teaching, Committee of George Paff Award, 1989-1990, 1991-1992
- Henry King Stanford Scholarship, 1984-1988
Areas of Expertise
- Trauma and Surgical Critical Care
- Venous Thromboembolism Prevention
- Alcohol Screening in Trauma
- Organ Donation Disparities
- Distraction-Related Injuries
- Medical Admissions Equity
- Global Humanitarian Surgery
Recent Publications
- Nie J., Nahmias J., Lekawa M., Barrios C., Swentek L., Schubl S., Dolich M., Grigorian A., “Beyond Injury: Length of Stay and Rehabilitation Disparities in Houseless Trauma Patients” (opens in new tab), Journal of Surgical Research, vol. 323, pp. 102-109, 2026.
- Nguyen PD, Painter R, Grigorian A, Swentek L, Qazi A, Barrios C, Kuza C, Dolich M, Nahmias J, “Assessing the Safety of Nonintensive Care Unit Admission for Select Grade III Blunt Splenic Trauma” (opens in new tab), Journal of Surgical Research, vol. 313, pp. 397-402, 2025.
- Avinash F., Nahmias J., Aryan N., Jeng J., Barrios C., Nguyen P.D., Grigorian A., “Predictors of ventilator-associated pneumonia in intubated pediatric trauma patients” (opens in new tab), Pediatric Surgery International, vol. 41, 2025.
- Lee C., Grigorian A., Rutledge R., Dolich M., Lekawa M.E., Aryan N., Barrios C., Nahmias J., “Increased Associated Risk of Surgical Site Infections in Trauma Patients Who Are Smokers” (opens in new tab), Journal of Surgical Research, vol. 312, pp. 221-226, 2025.
- Hegazi M., Nahmias J., Lekawa M., Dolich M., Kong A., Barrios C., Grigorian A., “Risk Factors and Timing of Fasciotomy for Isolated Pediatric Lower Extremity Trauma” (opens in new tab), American Surgeon, vol. 91, pp. 998-1005, 2025.
- Park F.S., Nahmias J., Shin J., Li J.Y., Barrios C., Schubl S., Grigorian A., “Trauma, firearms, and pregnancy: Beyond the cushion” (opens in new tab), Surgery Open Science, vol. 26, pp. 22-26, 2025.
- Nguyen M, Nahmias J, Eng O, Senthil M, Barrios C, Dolich M, Lekawa M, Grigorian A, “Trauma Patients with Metastatic Cancer Undergoing Emergent Surgery: A Matched Cohort Analysis” (opens in new tab), Surgery Open Science, vol. 20, pp. 184-188, 2024.
- Grigorian A., Schubl S., Swentek L., Barrios C., Lekawa M., Russell D., Nahmias J., “Similar rate of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and failure of non-operative management for early versus delayed VTE chemoprophylaxis in adolescent blunt solid organ injuries: a propensity-matched analysis” (opens in new tab), European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery, vol. 50, pp. 1391-1398, 2024.
- Tan H., Shipley J., Park F.S., Donnelly M.R., Kong A.P., Barrios C., Grigorian A., Nahmias J., “Firearm Violence Involving Adults 65 and Older During the Novel Coronavirus Disease Pandemic” (opens in new tab), American Surgeon, vol. 90, pp. 345-349, 2024.
- Shooshani T, Pooladzandi O, Nguyen A, “Field Measures Are All You Need: Predicting Need for Surgery in Elderly Ground-Level Fall Patients via Machine Learning” (opens in new tab), The American Surgeon, vol. 89, pp. 4095-4100, 2023.
- Tay-Lasso E., Grigorian A., Lekawa M., Dolich M., Schubl S., Barrios C., Nguyen N., Nahmias J., “Obesity Does Not Increase Risk for Mortality in Severe Sepsis Trauma Patients” (opens in new tab), American Surgeon, vol. 89, pp. 4734-4739, 2023.
- Alvarez C., Grigorian A., Kuza C., Swentek L., Dolich M., Barrios C., Nahmias J., “Trauma Patients With Cirrhosis Have a Similar Risk of Unplanned Operation and Decreased Associated Risk of Mortality With Venous Thromboembolism Chemoprophylaxis” (opens in new tab), American Surgeon, vol. 89, pp. 4117-4122, 2023.
- Jebbia M., Nguyen J., Marty M., Carcamo R., Alvarez C., Tay Lasso E., Barrios C., Lugo B., “Predictors of Mortality in Trauma patients Receiving massive Transfusion Protocol” (opens in new tab), American Surgeon, vol. 89, pp. 4089-4094, 2023.
- Rosecrance K., Archibald A., Victor R., Lasso E.T., Nore C., Barrios C., “Medical Student Perspectives on Sexual and Gender Minority Acceptance in Surgical Specialties and Sexual and Gender Minority Education” (opens in new tab), Journal of Surgical Research, vol. 289, pp. 121-128, 2023.
- Tay-Lasso E., Alaniz L., Grant W., Hovis G., Frank M., Kincaid C., Brynn S., Pieracci F.M., Nahmias J., Barrios C., Rockne W., Chin T., Swentek L., Schubl S.D., “Prospective single-center paradigm shift of surgical stabilization of rib fractures with decreased length of stay and operative time with an intrathoracic approach” (opens in new tab), Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, vol. 94, pp. 567-572, 2023.
- Alaniz L., Hoyos J., Muttalib O., Llerenas M., Tay E., Cordero J.J., Arora J., Melkonian J., Barrios C., “My surgical practice: Implications of occult first rib fractures and how to approach their management” (opens in new tab), American Journal of Surgery, vol. 225, pp. 588-590, 2023.
Contact Information
Email: cbarrios@uci.edu
Phone: (714) 456-5890
Address: Chapman Pavilion, Ste 6200
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Last updated on 6/4/2026.