Meet Ben
Experience.
Perspective.
Curiosity.
Ben Zarzaur, MD, MPH · Founder of Via Dura
I’m a trauma surgeon, physician leader, and coach. I’ve spent much of my career in places where the stakes are high and people expect you to know what to do.
I’m interested in what happens when the answer is less obvious.
Surgeon. Physician leader. Coach.
Why this work
The human side
of responsibility.
For more than twenty years, my work has included caring for people in crisis, building teams, conducting research, teaching, and leading in academic surgery.
Technical skill and preparation matter enormously. So do judgment, relationships, and the way we make sense of difficult situations. Those questions have followed me across roles and institutions.
Hard work will change us. The question is whether it will narrow us or develop us. Via Dura grew from that interest: a place to look more closely at the work we do, the responsibilities we carry, and the ways we understand ourselves and each other.
What I bring
Familiarity with the work.
Interest in your experience.
My background gives me a way into the conversation. Your circumstances and perspective give it direction. I bring practical experience and a willingness to examine what I may not yet understand.
Clinical work
Trauma and acute care surgery, where urgency, uncertainty, and shared responsibility are part of daily life.
Leadership
Building and leading teams in academic medicine, and understanding the relationships that make work possible.
Research & education
A career as a surgeon-scientist and educator, with attention to evidence and how people learn.
Coaching
Reflective conversations grounded in curiosity, partnership, and the participant’s own questions.
About the name
Via Dura
The hard way.
Some meaningful work asks a great deal of us. The name Via Dura acknowledges that reality.
It also invites a question: how do we meet demanding work with clarity, courage, and care for ourselves and the people around us?
That is a question worth exploring together.
A conversation is a good place to begin
What are you
thinking about?
Tell us a little about what’s on your mind. We’ll start there.