With a passion for serving others, fourth-year medical student and United States Air Force 2nd Lt. Daniel Saks is excited to graduate from the University of Colorado School of Medicine this May. It is the next step to his ultimate goal of becoming an exceptional military surgeon who prioritizes and values all his patients — the type of surgeon he once depended on for care.
Saks was under the care of a thoracic surgeon for much of his childhood because he was born with a congenital chest wall deformity. Before the age of 10, there was a concern that he would need an intense surgery where a metal bar is put into the chest, under the sternum, and flipped over to expand the chest wall.
“The surgeon explained everything to my parents, but he also got down on his knee to my level, and he said, ‘I’m going to do everything I can to keep you from having surgery,’” Saks recalls. “It was the first exposure I had to a doctor, and his empathy and compassion made a huge impression on me.”
Saks’ visits with the surgeon stopped at age 11, after he successfully avoided surgery thanks to his surgeon’s care combined with competitive swimming — a sport that helped expand Saks’ chest wall. But he never forgot the comfort his surgeon provided, sparking an interest in medicine that has now led to him becoming the first doctor in his family.
“I want to tangibly fix people. That was the biggest thing that drew me to surgery,” he says. “You use your hands to fix a problem, and as soon as the patient wakes up, they see the difference and you see the difference.”
After graduation, Saks won’t be traveling far. He’ll join the CU Vascular Surgery Residency Program, where he will further advance his skills so he can one day be a vascular surgeon who saves lives both on and off the battlefield.
“When I found out I matched at CU, I was shocked. A key component of my life is my faith, and I think God had a specific direction for me, and it’s humbling,” he says. “CU has been a real gift, and it’s provided a breadth of experiences for me to learn from.”
Daniel Saks celebrating Match Day with loved ones at the Anschutz Health Sciences Building on March 21, 2025. Image courtesy of Saks.
‘A desire to serve’
For the first four years of his life, Saks and his family lived in Ecuador before permanently moving to Colorado Springs for his father’s work.
“I grew up with a lot of friends, mentors, and parents who were in the military community in Colorado Springs, and I saw these traits that coincided between both doctors and military officers that I really admired and wanted to emulate myself,” he says. “These traits included selflessness, a desire to serve other people, quiet confidence, and a commitment to lead a virtuous life, to love their families well, and to love their communities.”
After graduating high school, Saks says it was a dream come true when he was accepted into the U.S. Air Force Academy, which was not far from where he grew up.
“It was incredible — the opportunities we were afforded and the friendships I made,” he says. “It definitely was not the typical college experience. We got to go to class hours after jumping out of planes and flying over Pikes Peak.”
One of his favorite experiences was becoming an instructor pilot through the academy’s soaring program, where he taught younger cadets how to fly in a glider plane.
“That was really special because it showed me how much I love teaching. It ignited a passion where I realized that whatever I do, I definitely want to help others learn,” he says. “That spirit of teaching and helping the next generation is important in medicine.”
Daniel Saks, donning his white coat, smiles with his family at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Image courtesy of Saks.
Choosing CU
After graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy, Saks knew he wanted to stay close to Colorado Springs because his father was struggling with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive movement disorder of the nervous system.
“The ability to have more years with him close by home was a huge deal, and I loved the program that CU offered, especially with the Colorado Springs branch,” he says.
As part of the CU School of Medicine’s curriculum, the school has a variety of longitudinal integrated clerkship (LIC) programs scattered throughout the state, from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins. Medical students are placed in an LIC program during their second year to gain clinical care experience.
CU is among the first large medical institutions in the country to use this model for all its students, and Saks was thrilled to join the LIC program in Colorado Springs during his second year at CU.
“Not all schools offer this. When I was in Colorado Springs, I was exposed to a diverse group of military hospitals, small academic, community-based hospitals, and rural hospitals. It was almost like picking your own adventure,” he says. “Those experiences really helped me decide what I wanted to do early on, which allowed me to focus my training more and build a strong application for applying to residency programs.”
Being in the Colorado Springs LIC branch also afforded Saks more time with his father, whose condition was worsening.
“I was so grateful to be in that LIC branch because I got to be at home with my folks during that whole year, which was really kind of the last year of my dad’s life. That time was such a blessing,” he says. “He passed away in November, and going through that while in school was really tough. Without the Colorado Springs branch, I wouldn’t have had that time with him.”
Daniel Saks, wearing a hat, smiles with his family while visiting Ohio in November 2021. Image courtesy of Saks.
Combining military and medicine
Surgery had always appealed to Saks, but it was during his clerkship in Colorado Springs that he solidified his decision to pursue a career as a surgeon. He found himself especially drawn to vascular surgery.
“What drew me to vascular surgery was the variety of anatomy that they operate on. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the leg, the neck, the arm, or the thoracic aorta. You have to know the anatomy everywhere, and I appreciated the variety of surgical techniques — from the very intricate microsurgery to these large, complex endovascular techniques,” he says.
“I also really like its application in a military-deployed trauma center,” he adds. “Basically, anyone in a wartime environment may need some sort of vessel repair if they're injured in a trauma, and so I thought that it would blend well with my military commitment.”
Combining his interests in the military and in medicine has been another exciting adventure for Saks over the past four years at CU, whether it be through getting clinical training at military hospitals or participating in a military medicine student interest group at CU. The student group offers a mix of learning opportunities, such as through offering a tactical combat casualty care workshop, along with opportunities for the students to socialize.
“Being around other students like yourself is really fun,” he says. “You share advice, mentor one another, and celebrate victories together. At CU, I’ve been able to make lifelong friends and am so thankful for that.”
Brian Shaw, MD, left, and Daniel Saks, far right, performing surgery. The pair went to Guatemala to do pro bono orthopedic surgery for underserved children. Image courtesy of Saks.
Learning from others
In addition to learning from his peers, Saks has had more faculty mentors at CU than he can count. For instance, Jaime Baker, MD, assistant dean for the Colorado Springs LIC program, and Heather Cassidy, MD, made Saks’ LIC experience in Colorado Springs “worthwhile” and are a primary reason the clerkship was so enjoyable, he says. Another is Peter Zimmer, MD, who was Saks’ surgery preceptor during his second year of medical school.
“He’s been a huge mentor and is the reason that I’m going into surgery,” he says. “He was an excellent surgeon, but he also loved his wife and kids so well and was able to strike a balance between work and home, and I really admired that.”
Other pivotal surgery mentors include Marco Del Chiaro, MD, who was a great supporter of Saks’ path in military surgery, and Brian Shaw, MD, who took Saks along with him on a mission trip to Guatemala to do pro bono orthopedic surgery for local residents.
“Through having great mentors, I was able to do really well in my surgery rotation and clerkships at CU, which set me up for success,” he says. “I excelled because of my great teachers. And in my interactions with patients, I’ve been able to apply the knowledge I’ve gained into real practice, which has been a great feeling.”
One of the greatest lessons he’s learned from his mentors is how to lead with empathy when caring for patients, even when faced with difficult situations where patients may be less cooperative or are emotionally charged.
“It’s important to see their perspective and to value your patients as human beings with dignity,” he says. “You’re in this person’s life for a specific reason, so give them grace.”
Daniel Saks, right, smiles alongside his friend and classmate Wilson Belk during CU’s white coat ceremony on July 30, 2021. Image courtesy of Saks.
Flying to new heights
At the start of medical school, Saks says he struggled with imposter syndrome, feeling like he wasn’t qualified to be at CU. If he could give his younger self some advice, it would be to have confidence in himself and be willing to ask questions.
“Fail a lot and soak it all in like a sponge,” he says. “Don’t think you know everything, but have the confidence that you’re right where you should be.”
It’s that level of confidence and humility that Saks will bring with him into his residency program and future career, where he hopes to continue his mission of serving others through military medicine and teaching younger generations.
“In the future, I’ll be an active-duty Air Force surgeon for a while, and it may end up being a military career. I hope to do that well, whether it ends up being in a deployed environment, caring for active-duty folks and retirees stateside, or being in a battlefield somewhere,” he says.
“I also want to be a great husband, father, and surgeon — to balance those things well by putting my family first but also having a deep respect for the work I do and for my patients,” he adds. “A life serving others is a life well lived. For me, to love God and serve others is my true north.”
