Paul Picton, MB ChB, MRCP, FRCA, has been named chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, effective September 1.
Picton will join CU from the University of Michigan Medical School, where he is the David W. Learned Collegiate Professor of Anesthesiology and holds several senior leadership positions.
“I am pleased to have a clinician and leader as talented and accomplished as Dr. Picton joining our School of Medicine,” says John Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA, dean of the CU Anschutz School of Medicine and vice chancellor for health affairs. “I am confident that Dr. Picton is the transformative leader who can lead our department to be one of the nation’s best departments of anesthesiology across all our missions of clinical care, research discovery, educational excellence, and community service."
“Dr. Picton brings to our school and campus all the skills we want in a leader,” Sampson continues. “He has a keen eye for detail, a strong sense of organization, a disciplined attention to clinical quality, an exceptional ability to manage finances, international recognition in scholarship, and a commitment to being a collaborative leader who builds strategic alliances that contribute to the success of our entire academic community.”
Picton graduated from the University of Sheffield Medical School, UK, and completed residency training in internal medicine and anesthesiology at the University of Southampton, UK. He received fellowship training in liver transplant and hepatobiliary anesthesia at the Institute of Liver Studies, Kings College Hospital, London. He was awarded board certification by both the Royal College of Physicians and by the Royal College of Anaesthetists.
He joined the University of Michigan Medical School in 2004 and rose through the academic ranks. He is executive vice chair, senior associate chair for Clinical Affairs and Quality, and service chief of Adult Anesthesia for the Department of Anesthesiology. He served as interim chair for 14 months, beginning May 2024, and has held many institutional posts, including chair, University of Michigan Hospitals Transfusion Committee. In these capacities, he has influenced culture, processes, and policy with a high-energy, collaborative approach toward positive change management.
As interim chair, Picton oversaw a department with more than 900 employees, including 200 faculty physicians, approximately 250 CRNAs, and 135 residents and fellows responsible for the delivery of more than 120,000 anesthetic encounters annually, representing a budget of greater than $200 million. The research mission of the department is highly performing, consistently ranked in the top 10 for NIH funding, and the core residency program is currently ranked sixth in the nation.
Picton is an accomplished researcher who has published in all major anesthesiology journals and has presented work at major society meetings and has served as visiting professor at multiple preeminent institutions. His primary research interests are cerebral vulnerability and monitoring, and his work has been funded by governmental and industry partners.
He is also an active educator, delivering invited lectures regionally, nationally, and internationally. He has developed tutorials and lectures on multiple topics related to transfusion medicine and cerebral oxygenation. He also performed the role of fellowship director, developing a thriving fellowship in liver transplant and hepatobiliary anesthesia.
Picton has served within the International Liver Transplantation Society, the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, and the International Anesthesia Research Society, and he currently sits on the Leadership Advisory Board of the Association of University Anesthesiologists.
“I am excited to join the CU Anschutz Department of Anesthesiology,” Picton says. “It boasts an impressive procedural volume and supports a robust tripartite mission that inspires its dedicated faculty, staff, and learners to achieve excellence. This role represents an unparalleled opportunity to contribute to an impressive team fully committed to becoming one of the premier departments in the country.”
Picton will succeed Christopher Lace, MD, MBA, who has served as interim chair of the Department of Anesthesiology since May 2025. Lace assumed the role when Vesna Jevtovic-Todorovic, MD, PhD, MBA, stepped down after serving as chair for nearly 10 years.
“I thank Dr. Lace and Dr. Todorovic for the outstanding dedication to our school and our clinical partners,” Sampson says. “They have built and maintained a strong department, with increased clinical volume, a growing research portfolio, and high-quality educational programs.”
