After an extensive national search, Simon Hillier, MD, has been appointed Chair and Service Line Leader for Anesthesiology and Perioperative Services at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (D-H) and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Dr. Hillier has served as interim chair since April 2017.
As interim chair, Dr. Hillier has stabilized the Department of Anesthesiology, and at the same time elevated the department’s profile and strengthened the team’s abilities to provide the highest-quality care to D-H’s patients.
Over the last two years, Dr. Hillier has also established an important collaboration between Neurology, Neurosurgery and Anesthesiology to create the new Neuro Intensive Care Unit that will open at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in July.
To help support D-H providers, Dr. Hillier has spearheaded the recruitment efforts for key physician roles, as well as for nurse anesthetists. “Simon has collaborated closely with Daniel Herrick, our Vice President for Perioperative and Surgical Services, and Sandra Wong, MD, MS, Chair of the Department of Surgery, to make significant improvements in our quality and patient safety efforts for surgical patients,” noted Dartmouth-Hitchcock CEO and President Joanne Conroy. “Simon’s vision aligns with our organizational commitment to our patients.”
“I am very pleased that Dr. Hillier has agreed to take on this new role,” added Geisel School of Medicine Dean Duane Compton. “In working with him this past year, I have found him to be a strong advocate for the academic mission in the department and I look forward to working with him to advance the efforts for research and education.”
Dr. Hillier earned a medical degree from the University of Manchester School of Medicine in Manchester, UK, where he also completed his internship and residency. He completed two fellowships – in pediatric critical care and in pediatric anesthesia – at The Hospital for Sick Children, which is a part of the University of Toronto system in Toronto, Canada.
For 17 years, he practiced at the Indiana University Medical Center and the Indiana University School of Medicine, serving in various roles, including Associate Medical Director and Medical Director of Respiratory Therapy, Medical Director of the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Service and Professor of Anesthesiology for the medical school. In 2007, he came to Dartmouth-Hitchcock and the Geisel School of Medicine, initially serving as a staff anesthesiologist and Professor of Anesthesiology. From 2014 to 2017, he served as Vice Chair for Faculty Development, before being appointed as Interim Chair of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Services in 2017.
In this role, Dr. Hillier will continue to create an environment where multidisciplinary teams can collaborate to deliver evidence-based, innovative, high-quality care to best serve our patients and their families.
