Susana Rodrigues Vacas MD, PhD

Susana Vacas, MD, Ph.D., is a neuroanesthesiologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. She completed her postdoctoral work at the University of California, San Francisco, where her research focused on the underlying mechanisms and risk factors of perioperative neurocognitive disorders, including postoperative delirium. Incorporating her bench work with the advent of new and emerging technologies, Dr. Vacas seeks to improve patient outcomes after surgery by blocking and/or alleviating perioperative exacerbated inflammation and brain lesions. Her research focuses on vulnerable surgical populations, and her work is helping to understand the pathogenic mechanisms behind these devastating conditions. She seeks to develop strategies that can be applied to prospective surgical patients.