Susan Nicolson, MD, an attending anesthesiologist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, received the 2026 Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society Lifetime Achievement Award on March 12.
The award recognized Dr. Nicolson for a career that “defined standards of care […] and shaped the training and practice of congenital cardiac anesthesia around the world,” according to a March 13 system news release.
Dr. Nicolson began her four-decade career in 1982 when she joined CHOP as its first full-time pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist. A year later, she was named director of cardiac anesthesiology, a role in which she helped establish new standards of care and collaborated closely with surgical leaders on novel procedures, including the Norwood operation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome, according to the release. She also helped formalize specialized training in congenital cardiac anesthesia.
She has cared for more than 10,000 children and adults with congenital heart disease and trained and mentored more than 600 fellows in pediatric and cardiac anesthesia.
“This Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates not only Dr. Nicolson’s extraordinary contributions to clinical care, research, and education, but also the profound, lasting difference she has made for countless children and families living with congenital heart disease,” John Fiadjoe, MD, anesthesiologist-in-chief and chair of the department of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at CHOP, said in the release. “Her leadership, and modeling of clinical excellence has shaped our field and inspired numerous clinicians in anesthesiology and the broader medical community.”
