Clifford Sheckter

Dr. Clifford Sheckter, MD, MS, FACS is an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. He serves as the Medical Director of the Regional Burn Center at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, the only burn/trauma center for the San Francisco Bay Area, and as Site Director for the Stanford Surgical Critical Care Fellowship. Dr. Sheckter is one of the few surgeons double-board certified in both Surgical Critical Care and Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery.

Dr. Sheckter completed his BS in Anthropology at UCLA as summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa honoree, followed by medical school at USC Keck where he graduated as valedictorian with Alpha Omega Alpha honors. He completed surgical training at Stanford, including a fellowship/postdoc in Health Systems Design at Stanford's Clinical Excellence Research Center, where he earned an MS in Health Policy with a focus on health economics. Additional specialized training was completed at the University of Washington in both Surgical Critical Care and Burn Surgery.

As a health services and health policy researcher, Dr. Sheckter's work primarily focuses on burn prevention and health economics in surgical care. His research has been published in top journals including JAMA, Annals of Surgery, and the Journal of Burn Care & Research, with findings featured in major media outlets like the New York Times. His work spans burn epidemiology, health disparities, infection control in burn units, and healthcare policy related to burn care access and financing.

Dr. Sheckter has authored over 140 articles and received significant funding including a career development award from the NIH and support from the Plastic Surgery Foundation. His research portfolio demonstrates consistent focus on improving burn care delivery systems, addressing health disparities, and optimizing resource allocation in burn care.

• Peter Brigham Award in Epidemiology/Burn Prevention, American Burn Association (2024)
• Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching, Stanford University School of Medicine (2024)
• Traveling Fellow, American Burn Association (2023)
• Consultant of the Year, Stanford Hospital (2015)
• Valedictorian, USC School of Medicine (2013)

Dr. Sheckter actively mentors medical students through the Early Clinical Experience and Mentorship at the Regional Burn Center (SURG 211A) and Medical Scholars Research (SURG 370) programs. He serves as Med Scholar Project Advisor for students including Samantha Steeman and Matthew Uzelac. His leadership roles include Committee Chair of the Burn Prevention Committee for the American Burn Association and active membership in the American College of Surgeons, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and Society of Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Sheckter practices critical care medicine as an intensivist in the Stanford Surgical ICU while directing the Regional Burn Center at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.