Dr. Vavra is an assistant professor of vascular surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Service line Chief for Vascular Surgery at the Jesse Brown Veterans Administration Hospital in Chicago, IL. Dr. Vavra completed her training at Northwestern University in Chicago and she is board certified in both general and vascular surgery. As a vascular surgeon, she performs both open and endovascular surgery for a wide range of disorders with particular interest in both peripheral arterial disease and thoracic outlet syndrome.

Dr. Vavra is currently an advocate for patient centered care in surgery and believes that the key to providing the very best care for patients is through promotion of a culture of safety and quality. In 2020 she completed a master’s degree in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety at Northwestern University. She has also completed certificate training programs in quality improvement through the Institute of Healthcare Quality, Safety and Efficiency at the University of Colorado in 2015 and the Academy of Quality and Safety Improvement in 2021. Dr. Vavra is a health services researcher and has led multiple service line, hospital and system wide initiatives to improve the perioperative care for surgical patients, including enhanced recovery for patients undergoing lower extremity arterial bypass.