Anesthesiology is playing an increasingly central role in healthcare, from operating room efficiency to perioperative strategy and national policy. These five physicians are advancing clinical care and shaping how anesthesia is delivered, financed and integrated across health systems.
Here are five female anesthesiologists to know.
Editor’s note: This is not a ranked list. Becker’s does not endorse physicians featured on this list. To nominate a physician for future lists, please contact Sophie Eydis at seydis@beckershealthcare.com.
- Mary Dale Peterson, MD, is an anesthesiologist and executive vice president and COO of Driscoll Health System in Corpus Christi, Texas, and a former president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. She focuses on population health, value-based care and expanding access for underserved populations, including low-income children and pregnant women. She has also led state-level quality and payment initiatives and serves as a clinical associate professor at College Station-based Texas A&M University.
- Colleen Koch, MD, is an anesthesiologist and group senior vice president and COO of New York City-based NewYork-Presbyterian’s Columbia division, with a focus on perioperative care, health system operations and patient safety. She previously served as the first female dean of the Gainesville-based University of Florida College of Medicine and chaired anesthesiology and critical care at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. Dr. Koch is widely recognized for her leadership in academic medicine, large-scale health system strategy and advancing quality and innovation in care delivery.
- Linda Mason, MD, is a pediatric anesthesiologist and professor at Loma Linda University in California, where she also serves as director of pediatric anesthesiology at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. She is a past president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists and has held multiple national leadership roles in graduate medical education and subspecialty training. Dr. Mason is widely recognized for her contributions to pediatric anesthesia, physician education and advancing leadership within the specialty.
- Vanila Singh, MD, is an anesthesiologist and clinical associate professor at Stanford (Calif.) University focused on pain management, perioperative care and health policy. She previously served as chief medical officer at HHS, where she led the federal Pain Management Best Practices Task Force in collaboration with the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Singh is widely recognized for her national leadership on opioid policy, patient-centered pain care and advancing multidisciplinary approaches to treatment.
- Cynthia Wong, MD, is an anesthesiologist and former chair of the department of anesthesiology at Iowa City-based University of Iowa, where she has led significant expansion of perioperative services, clinical research and anesthesia care across multiple sites. She specializes in obstetric anesthesiology, with research that has shaped labor pain management and cesarean delivery care, and is editor of “Chestnut’s Obstetric Anesthesia: Principles and Practice.” Dr. Wong is widely recognized for her leadership in academic anesthesiology and her impact on clinical care, education and national professional societies.
