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Nicholas G. Bircher
MD, FCCM
Professor
Nurse Anesthesia
Profile
Nicholas G. Bircher. MD, FCCM is a Professor in the Nurse Anesthesia Program and Associate Professor Emeritus in the Department of Anesthesiology, both at the University of Pittsburgh. He completed a degree in Chemistry and Physics at Harvard University in 1977 and his MD degree at the University of Pittsburgh in 1981.
Dr. Bircher began his research career in 1979 at the International Resuscitation Research Center, later renamed after its founder Dr. Peter Safar. He has over 300 scientific publications including 54 original peer-reviewed articles, 2 books, and 73 book chapters and review articles. He has lectured national and internationally on a wide variety of topics in Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Resuscitation. Current research interests include determinants of outcome in resuscitation from in-hospital cardiac arrest (Anesthesiology, March, 2019), safe and effective use of insulin infusions (Co-Chair, American College of Critical Care Medicine Task Force on Glycemic Control, 2005-present); and the application of Systems Thinking to Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (Member since 2010 of the Special Task Force on Reshaping the System of Survival for Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Fellow of the Institute of Systems Wisdom since 2014).
Teaching
Dr. Bircher served as an Assistant Professor at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, as well as an instructor in the Nurse Anesthesia Program and the Anesthesiology Residency at the Naval Hospital Bethesda from 1984 to 1988. He has taught in Pitt’s Nurse Anesthesia Program and Anesthesiology residency since 1989. He has served on Masters (Biostatistics), PhD (Experimental Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) and DPH (Epidemiology) degree committees.
Service
With regard to University Service, he served two terms as President (2003-2005) of the University Senate; as well as serving on Faculty Assembly since 1997. He is currently serving as Chair of the Bylaws and Procedures Committee and as a Pro tem member on the Tenure and Academic Freedom Committee.