Perioperative Profile: Dan Sessler

In this TopMedTalk perioperative profile, host Andy Cumpstey interviews Professor Dan Sessler, Vice President for Clinical and Outcomes Research and Professor of Anesthesiology and Biostatistics at UTHealth Houston (McGovern Medical School), about his career as a perioperative trialist with over 1,000 publications. Sessler describes his scientific family background, early inspiration from clinical trials through Henry Kaplan's Hodgkin's work, and a shift from planned pediatric oncology to anesthesiology. He recounts building a research career starting with perioperative thermoregulation at UCLA and UCSF, then expanding into broad outcomes research, ultimately founding a large Department of Outcomes Research at the Cleveland Clinic and advocating for large multicenter trials. He emphasizes mentorship, philanthropy, and his current focus on reducing postoperative mortality through better ward monitoring and prevention beyond "failure to rescue." - The 2026 International Practicum on Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing will be held at the Balmer Lawn Hotel in Brockenhurst, UK, from September 16th to 18th this year. It is organised by iPOETTS , the international perioperative testing and training society. Come and join us at this premier educational event designed for clinicians, scientists, and healthcare professionals interested in sport, exercise, and perioperative medicine. This is an International Perioperative Testing and Training Society accredited event so when you attend you can get your iPOETTS accreditation, showing that you are a practitioner who has reached a high, standardized level of competence in performing and interpreting Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET) for patients preparing for major surgery. Go now to http://www.ebpom.org