Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) today announced that Susan C. Nicolson, MD, an attending anesthesiologist in CHOP’s Division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology, received the 2026 Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society (CCAS) Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes Dr. Nicolson for a career that has defined standards of care, produced decades of influential scholarship and shaped the training and practice of congenital cardiac anesthesia around the world. Dr. Nicolson was recognized at the CCAS annual meeting in Denver on March 12, 2026.
“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,” said John E. Fiadjoe, MD, Anesthesiologist-in-Chief and Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at CHOP. “Her leadership, and modeling of clinical excellence has shaped our field and inspired numerous clinicians in anesthesiology and the broader medical community. She set a standard of excellence that will continue to benefit our institution, patients and clinicians for generations.”
Dr. Nicolson’s career spans more than four decades and began with comprehensive training in pediatrics, anesthesiology, pediatric anesthesiology, and cardiac anesthesiology at CHOP and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn Medicine). In 1982 she joined CHOP as the institution’s first full-time pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist and a year later became Director of Cardiac Anesthesiology during a formative era for neonatal cardiac care. Her clinical leadership during that period established standards of care that continue to influence practice nationally and internationally.
A pioneer in clinical practice, Dr. Nicolson collaborated closely with surgical leaders as novel procedures, such as the Norwood operation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome, were developed and refined. She has cared for more than 10,000 children and adults with congenital heart disease, setting benchmarks for perioperative management and multidisciplinary coordination that have improved survival and recovery for countless patients.
“I am deeply honored to receive this recognition,” said Nicolson, who is also a Professor of Anesthesiology at Penn Medicine. “To be recognized by my peers and colleagues in the specialty that has been one of my life’s passions is a distinction beyond words.”
Dr. Nicolson’s scholarship is extensive – authoring over 200 peer reviewed publications that span blood management during bypass, cerebral oxygenation monitoring, pharmacokinetics of anesthetic drugs and perioperative fasting practices that remain relevant today. A particularly transformative focus has been on brain injury and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with congenital heart disease. Her work showed that some brain injury is present before surgery, and that timely interventions can modify risk, changing how clinicians assess and manage vulnerable patients. ‑‑
Education and mentorship are also central to Dr. Nicolson’s legacy. She trained and mentored more than 600 fellows in pediatric and cardiac anesthesia, and countless cardiology, surgery, and critical care faculty attribute their careers to her guidance. She helped formalize specialized training in congenital cardiac anesthesia and continues to shape the field as a reviewer, editor, and author of textbooks and reviews that educate new generations.
Dr. Nicolson’s leadership within professional organizations includes founding membership and multiple leadership roles in CCAS, service on its Board, and major contributions to the society’s meetings. Her national involvement with the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiology and the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia further demonstrates a career dedicated to improving care through collaboration, education, and organizational service.
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Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) today announced that Susan C. Nicolson, MD, an attending anesthesiologist in CHOP’s Division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology, received the 2026 Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society (CCAS) Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes Dr. Nicolson for a career that has defined standards of care, produced decades of influential scholarship and shaped the training and practice of congenital cardiac anesthesia around the world. Dr. Nicolson was recognized at the CCAS annual meeting in Denver on March 12, 2026.
“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,” said John E. Fiadjoe, MD, Anesthesiologist-in-Chief and Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at CHOP. “Her leadership, and modeling of clinical excellence has shaped our field and inspired numerous clinicians in anesthesiology and the broader medical community. She set a standard of excellence that will continue to benefit our institution, patients and clinicians for generations.”
Dr. Nicolson’s career spans more than four decades and began with comprehensive training in pediatrics, anesthesiology, pediatric anesthesiology, and cardiac anesthesiology at CHOP and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn Medicine). In 1982 she joined CHOP as the institution’s first full-time pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist and a year later became Director of Cardiac Anesthesiology during a formative era for neonatal cardiac care. Her clinical leadership during that period established standards of care that continue to influence practice nationally and internationally.
A pioneer in clinical practice, Dr. Nicolson collaborated closely with surgical leaders as novel procedures, such as the Norwood operation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome, were developed and refined. She has cared for more than 10,000 children and adults with congenital heart disease, setting benchmarks for perioperative management and multidisciplinary coordination that have improved survival and recovery for countless patients.
“I am deeply honored to receive this recognition,” said Nicolson, who is also a Professor of Anesthesiology at Penn Medicine. “To be recognized by my peers and colleagues in the specialty that has been one of my life’s passions is a distinction beyond words.”
Dr. Nicolson’s scholarship is extensive – authoring over 200 peer reviewed publications that span blood management during bypass, cerebral oxygenation monitoring, pharmacokinetics of anesthetic drugs and perioperative fasting practices that remain relevant today. A particularly transformative focus has been on brain injury and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with congenital heart disease. Her work showed that some brain injury is present before surgery, and that timely interventions can modify risk, changing how clinicians assess and manage vulnerable patients. ‑‑
Education and mentorship are also central to Dr. Nicolson’s legacy. She trained and mentored more than 600 fellows in pediatric and cardiac anesthesia, and countless cardiology, surgery, and critical care faculty attribute their careers to her guidance. She helped formalize specialized training in congenital cardiac anesthesia and continues to shape the field as a reviewer, editor, and author of textbooks and reviews that educate new generations.
Dr. Nicolson’s leadership within professional organizations includes founding membership and multiple leadership roles in CCAS, service on its Board, and major contributions to the society’s meetings. Her national involvement with the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiology and the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia further demonstrates a career dedicated to improving care through collaboration, education, and organizational service.
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