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UVA School of Medicine has named Michael Mazzeffi, MD, MPH, MSc, FASA, an experienced anesthesiology leader who has served as interim chair of the Department of Anesthesiology since January 2025, as the department’s permanent chair. He will assume his new role immediately. 

Mazzeffi joined UVA in August 2022 as a professor of anesthesiology. He came to UVA from George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, where he served as Executive Vice Chair and Director of Cardiac Critical Care. Mazzeffi was previously a faculty member at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he was Division Chief for Critical Care Medicine, Medical Director of the hospital’s Rapid Response Team, and co-chair of the hospital’s Resuscitation Committee and Patient Blood Management Committee. 

“Dr. Mazzeffi has extensive leadership experience and has done an excellent job as the interim Chair over the past year,” says Colin Derdeyn, MD, interim Dean, UVA School of Medicine. “I appreciate his willingness to chair the department on a full-time basis, and I look forward to continuing to work with him in the years ahead.”

Board-certified in anesthesiology, critical care medicine, and adult cardiac anesthesiology, Mazzeffi has remained active in patient care, research, and teaching while serving as interim Chair. He serves as Medical Director of the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit and cares for patients both in operating rooms and in intensive care. He has co-authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and made more than 70 regional, national, and international presentations, as well as serving as an editorial board member for the journals Anesthesiology and the Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia.

“In his three-and-a-half years at UVA, Dr. Mazzeffi has been a significant contributor to our missions of excellent patient care, cutting-edge research and world-class education for the next generation of medical professionals,” Derdeyn said. 

Mazzeffi earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and his medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine before completing a residency in anesthesiology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and fellowships in cardiothoracic anesthesiology and critical care medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. 

He's looking forward to continuing his leadership role and working alongside his fellow faculty members at UVA. “I am proud to be part of a department that is home to a team of top-notch anesthesiologists, residents, nurse anesthetists, and staff,” Dr. Mazzeffi says. “I am excited to continue leading this department and to work together every day with my tremendous colleagues. I look forward to serving both the department and UVA Health.”