Research in the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine
The Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital conducts ground-breaking research focused on improving patient outcomes and patient care.
The Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine (DACCPM) at Massachusetts General Hospital is one of the leading research departments of anesthesia in the United States and in the world.
Our Researchers
More than 200 researchers are part of our research program. The department receives a large number of research grants from various federal agencies, foundations and industries.
Our program includes mentored investigators who are supported through a career-building research experience by being paired with a senior research faculty member. The mentor process is designed to enhance the junior investigator’s ability to attain advanced research skills and prepare them to independently compete for extramural funding.
Research Topics
Our research topics include biomedical engineering, cardiovascular research, critical care, epidemiology, genetics, mechanisms of general anesthesia, neuroscience, pain, pulmonary research, quality and safety and simulation.
Anesthesia Research
Investigators in the DACCPM conduct innovative research in the field of anesthesia aimed to advance patient safety during surgical procedures and improve the quality of life for patients.
* Mentored investigator
Biomedical Engineering Researchers
- Riccardo Barbieri, PhD (basic, translational)
- Jeffrey Cooper, PhD (clinical)
- Julian Goldman, MD (clinical)
- Patrick L. Purdon, PhD (basic, clinical, translational)
- Nathaniel Sims, MD (clinical, translational)
Genetics Researcher
- Richa Saxena, PhD (basic, translational)
Mechanisms of General Anesthesia Researchers
- Emery Brown, MD, PhD (clinical, translational)
- Joseph Cotten, MD, PhD (basic, translational)
- Stuart Forman, MD, PhD (basic, translational)
- Yumiko Ishizawa, MD, PhD (basic)
- Keith W. Miller, MA, D Phil, AM (basic, translational
- Patrick L. Purdon, PhD (basic, clinical, translational)
- Douglas Raines, MD (basic, clinical, translational)
- Ken Solt, MD (basic, translational)
- Zhongcong Xie, MD, PhD (basic, clinical, translational)
Neuroscience Researchers
- Oluwaseun Johnson-Akeju, MD, MMSc
- Riccardo Barbieri, PhD (basic, translational)
- Gary Brenner, MD, PhD (basic, translational)
- Emery Brown, MD, PhD (clinical, translational)
- Jianren Mao, MD, PhD (basic, clinical, translational)
- John J. Marota, MD, PhD (basic, clinical)
- Patrick L. Purdon, PhD (basic, clinical, translational)
- Ken Solt, MD (basic, translational)
- Brian J. Wainger, MD, PhD* (basic, translational)
- Zhongcong Xie, MD, PhD (basic, clinical, translational)
Pulmonary Researchers
- Jesse Roberts, MD (basic, translational)
- Jose Venegas, PhD (basic, translational)
- Marcos F. Vidal Melo, MD, PhD (basic, clinical)
- Tilo Winkler, PhD (basic)
Quality and Safety
- Karen Nanji, MD, MPH* (clinical)
Critical Care Research
Our multidisciplinary team of investigators in the DACCPM conducts innovative basic, clinical and translational research aimed to improve the care of critically ill patients.
* Mentored investigator
Cardiovascular Researchers
- Riccardo Barbieri, PhD (basic, translational)
- Emmanuel Buys, MD (basic, translational, clinical)
- Ion A. Hobai, MD, PhD* (basic)
- Fumito Ichinose, MD, PhD (basic, translational)
- Edward Greg Koski, MD, PhD (clinical)
- James Rhee, MD, PhD* (basic)
Critical Care Researchers
- Lorenzo Berra, MD (basic, clinical)
- Emmanuel Buys, MD (basic, translational, clinical)
- Ion A. Hobai, MD, PhD* (basic)
- Fumito Ichinose, MD, PhD (basic, translational)
- Masao Kaneki, MD (basic, translational, clinical)
- Jeanine P. Wiener-Kronish, MD (basic, translational, clinical)
- Jeevendra Martyn, MD (basic, clinical, translational)
- Marcos F. Vidal Melo, MD, PhD (basic, clinical)
- Warren M. Zapol, MD (basic, clinical, translational)
Genetics Researcher
- Richa Saxena, PhD (basic, translational)
Neuroscience Researchers
- Oluwaseun Johnson-Akeju, MD, MMSc
- Riccardo Barbieri, PhD (basic, translational)
- Gary Brenner, MD, PhD (basic, translational)
- Emery Brown, MD, PhD (clinical, translational)
- Jianren Mao, MD, PhD (basic, clinical, translational)
- John J. Marota, MD, PhD (basic, clinical)
- Patrick L. Purdon, PhD (basic, clinical, translational)
- Ken Solt, MD (basic, translational)
- Brian J. Wainger, MD, PhD* (basic, translational)
- Zhongcong Xie, MD, PhD (basic, clinical, translational)
Pulmonary Researchers
- Jesse Roberts, MD (basic, translational)
- Jose Venegas, MD (basic, translational)
- Marcos F. Vidal Melo, MD, PhD (basic, clinical)
- Tilo Winkler, PhD (basic)
Quality and Safety
- Karen Nanji, MD, MPH* (clinical)
Pain Research
Researchers in the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital are committed to advancing the evaluation and treatment of pain through innovative research. Our researchers lead numerous national and international clinical trials evaluating new procedures, devices and medications for the treatment of pain.
* Mentored investigator
Genetics Researcher
- Richa Saxena, PhD (basic, translational)
Neuroscience Researchers
- Riccardo Barbieri, PhD (basic, translational)
- Gary Brenner, MD, PhD (basic, translational)
- Emery Brown, MD, PhD (clinical, translational)
- Jianren Mao, MD, PhD (basic, clinical, translational)
- John J. Marota, MD, PhD (basic, clinical)
- Patrick L. Purdon, PhD (basic, clinical, translational)
- Ken Solt, MD (basic, translational)
- Brian J. Wainger, MD, PhD* (basic, translational)
- Zhongcong Xie, MD, PhD (basic, clinical, translational)
Pain Researchers
- Gary Brenner, MD, PhD (basic, translational)
- Lucy Chen, MD (clinical, translational)
- Jianren Mao, MD, PhD (basic, clinical, translational)
- Brian J. Wainger, MD, PhD* (basic, translational)
- Yi Zhang, MD, PhD (clinical, translational)
Research Centers and Units
The DACCPM at Mass General comprises centers and units that conduct innovative and collaborative research.
Anesthesia Center for Critical Care Research
Research in the Anesthesia Center for Critical Care Research (ACCCR) focuses on developing and testing new ways to make problematic procedures in the intensive care unit safer and more effective.
Anesthesia Research Center
The Anesthesia Research Center (ARC) brings together essential research resources for department investigations and consists of clinical research coordinators/fellows, data scientists, statisticians and research administrators with extensive experience in clinical research. The ARC helps to facilitate all aspects of a research project, from study start-up to completion, and with services spanning Institutional Review Board assistance, subject recruitment, data collection/entry and statistical analysis. The ARC has also established a pathway that leverages the electronic health record so departmental investigators can get involved in observational research. By providing a robust research infrastructure, the ARC aims to support investigators throughout the research process in an effort to optimize study design and execution, regulatory oversight and statistical methods.
Center for Medical Simulation
The Center for Medical Simulation (CMS) offers educational and research opportunities in many medical disciplines and in the social sciences. It is widely known for its innovative and high-quality programs, including the Institute for Medical Simulation, in which educators and clinicians from around the world participate in courses to learn how to use simulation to improve safety, quality and education in health care.
Center for Translational Pain Research
The Center for Translational Pain Research strives to improve the clinical management of patients experiencing acute, chronic and cancer pain conditions. The center uses a multidisciplinary and mechanism-based research approach to clinical pain management together with basic science pain research.
Mallinckrodt Center for Molecular Pharmacology Research
Research in the Mallinckrodt Center for Molecular Pharmacology Research focuses on eludicating the molecular mechanisms by which general anesthetics act to produce anesthesia and its side effects. Our work aims to create better treatments and ultimately a safer and more efficient practice of anesthesiology.
Medical Device Plug-and-Play Interoperability Program
The Medical Device Plug-and-Play (MD PnP) Interoperability Program is a recognized leader in the development of the concepts and capabilities for integrated clinical environments of the future. Working with a geographically-dispersed team of collaborators, the program has developed an open interoperable medical device clinical research platform, sharable databases, tools and applications. The goal is to enable a broader community of researchers and manufacturers to implement medical device interoperability aimed to improve patient safety and health care efficiency.
Neuroscience Statistic Research Lab
The Neuroscience Statistic Research Lab is a collaboration of investigators from Mass General, Harvard, MIT and Boston University that uses a systems neuroscience approach in studying how the state of general anesthesia is induced and maintained. The long-term goal of our research is to establish a neurophysiological definition of anesthesia; safer, site-specific anesthetic drugs, and to develop better neurophysiologically based methods for measuring depth of anesthesia.
Pulmonary Functional Imaging and Bioengineering Research Lab
The Pulmonary Functional Imaging and Bioengineering Research Lab is a multidisciplinary, interdepartmental group of investigators who strive to advance the understanding of whole-organ physiology and pathophysiology of the human lung through the development and implementation of advanced imaging techniques, sophisticated mathematical and computer modeling, and bioengineering.
Learn More
We are committed to conducting innovative research with the goal of improving patient outcomes, quality of life and overall care.