Alisa Cross, MD, FACS
General and Trauma Surgeon, Surgical Critical Care
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About Alisa Cross
Dr. Alisa Cross is the Director of Oklahoma's only American Academy of Surgeons-verified Level I Trauma Center at OU Health. In this role, she oversees a critical resource that serves local, state, regional, and national needs, providing comprehensive care for the most severe and complex trauma cases. Dr. Cross is double board-certified by the American Board of Surgery in General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care.
Her areas of expertise include general and trauma surgery. Her academic interests include medical student and resident education, addressing healthcare access issues in the trauma and emergency general surgery population, and clinical outcome data including quality measures in the trauma and emergency general surgery population. Dr. Cross has contributed to research on enhancing geriatric trauma mortality prediction, surgical education and simulation, and healthcare access in emergency general surgery and trauma quality improvement.
She holds several academic appointments, including Surgical Director of the Clinical Skills Testing Center at the OU College of Medicine and Associate Program Director for the General Surgery Residency Program.
Dr. Cross has been awarded the Russell Postier Award for Excellence in Resident Education in 2016, Outstanding Trauma Services Team Member in 2017, and the Dewayne Andrews, MD, Excellence in Teaching Award for Undergraduate Education in 2017. She was also named one of the Journal Record's Healthcare Heroes in 2025.
She is a member of the Oklahoma Regional Committee on Trauma, Eastern Association of Trauma, Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and Southeastern Surgical. Nationally, she serves as an Editor of SCORE American Board of Surgery General Surgery Curriculum and on the American College of Surgeons Resident Prep Curriculum.
Dr. Cross attended the University of Oklahoma for her undergraduate studies, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She completed her Doctor of Medicine at the OU College of Medicine in 2006. She went on to complete a general surgery residency at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2011 and subsequently continued on to complete a Trauma Surgery Fellowship and Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at Emory University, Grady Memorial Hospital in 2013.
Affiliations
OU Health – University of Oklahoma Medical Center,
OU Health - University of Oklahoma Medical Center,
OU Health Physicians Building - Oklahoma City
Awards
Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society
2004
Resident Scholarship, American Association of Surgical Trauma
2012
House Staff Organization Professionalism Excellence Award (HOPE), Emory University
2013
University of Oklahoma Russell Postier Award for Excellence in Resident Education
2016
Outstanding Trauma Team Member
2017
Fellow, American College of Surgeons
2016
Aesculapian Award winner for excellence in teaching the clinical sciences
2017
Academy of Teaching Scholars at OU Health Science Center
2017
Dewayne Andrews MD Excellence in Teaching Award
2017
Inaugural Member of OU College of Medicine Academy of Teaching Scholars
2019
Health Education
Medical School
Doctor of Medicine
OU College of Medicine
Residency
General Surgery
Emory University
Fellowship
Trauma Surgery
Emory University
Surgical Critical Care
Emory University
Board Certification
American Board of Surgery
2012
Sub-Specialty Certification Surgical Critical Care
2013
Medical Interests
Areas of Interest:
Medical student and resident education Surgical education and simulation Trauma research and best practices Research Interests:
Disparity of care issues in the Trauma and Emergency General Surgery Population Clinical outcome data including quality measures in the Trauma and Emergency General Surgery population Special Clinical Interests:
Trauma Emergency General Surgery Surgical Critical Care Hernias Enterocutaneous Fistula
