Dr. Daniel Sessler is a preeminent physician-scientist and global authority in clinical anesthesia research and outcomes methodology. He currently serves as Vice-president for Clinical Research at UTHealth Houston following his recent recruitment to expand clinical and outcomes research infrastructure at McGovern Medical School. Dr. Sessler attended medical school at Columbia University and completed pediatric and anesthesia residencies at the University of California, Los Angeles, establishing the foundation for his distinguished career in evidence-based perioperative medicine. Previously, he held the Michael Cudahy Professorship and served as Chair of the Department of Outcomes Research at the Cleveland Clinic, where he built one of the most influential research programs in clinical anesthesia. His career trajectory demonstrates exceptional leadership in transforming how clinical research is conducted and applied to improve patient care.
Dr. Sessler founded and directs the Outcomes Research Consortium, recognized as the world's largest clinical anesthesia research group that publishes a full paper every other day with over 2,300 papers to date. His extensive scholarly output includes more than 1,000 full research papers cited over 70,000 times according to Scopus, establishing him as the world's most published and cited perioperative investigator with an H Index of 126. More than 145 of his papers have been accompanied by editorials, and over 30 were featured as cover articles for major anesthesia journals since 2010, underscoring the exceptional impact of his methodological contributions. His research has secured more than $100 million in grant funding as principal or co-investigator, with substantial support from NIH and other peer-reviewed sources, enabling groundbreaking studies that have redefined standards for evidence generation in perioperative medicine.
Dr. Sessler has delivered over 500 invited presentations worldwide, including more than two dozen prestigious eponymous lectures, reflecting his stature as a thought leader who shapes the intellectual direction of clinical research. His mentorship has cultivated a generation of clinical researchers, with the Outcomes Research Consortium serving as the premier model for collaborative, multicenter research in anesthesia and perioperative medicine across ten countries. As an editor for Anesthesiology and reviewer for more than 50 journals, he continues to influence scholarly communication and research standards in his field. At UTHealth Houston, Dr. Sessler is spearheading initiatives to expand clinical research infrastructure and address critical gaps in evidence-based medicine, positioning his team to translate scientific discoveries into improved patient outcomes across healthcare systems worldwide.
