Daniel Larach MD, MS, MA

Dr. Daniel B. Larach, MD, MS, MA, is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he specializes in pain medicine and contributes to the Informatics Research Division and Multispecialty Anesthesiology. He is a board-certified anesthesiologist and pain physician with clinical and research interests focused on improving pain management while reducing opioid-related harms, including persistent opioid use, misuse, and opioid use disorder.

Dr. Larach’s research particularly focuses on perioperative opioid prescribing, opioid stewardship, and strategies to optimize postoperative pain management. His work has examined approaches to reducing unnecessary opioid prescribing and improving patient safety, including research on postoperative opioid consumption and opioid-related risks. He has received research support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and previously from the National Institute on Aging and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. His scholarly work has appeared in leading journals including Science, Annals of Surgery, Anesthesiology, and Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine.

In addition to his clinical and research responsibilities, Dr. Larach has held leadership and editorial roles in pain medicine and opioid stewardship. He serves as co-chair of the Vanderbilt Opioid Stewardship and Safety Committee. He is involved in the institution’s Spine Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) initiative and opioid monitoring and stewardship efforts. He is also an Associate Editor of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine.

Dr. Larach earned his MD and MS in Translational Research from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as an MA in History of Art. He completed his anesthesiology residency at the University of Michigan and fellowship training in Pain Medicine through New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, Hospital for Special Surgery, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.