Daniel M. Thys

Daniel M. Thys, M.D. is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Anesthesiology of the College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University and Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Anesthesiology of St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center. Previously, Dr. Thys held such positions as Director, Division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology and Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, The Mount Sinai Medical Center; Associate Attending, Anesthesiology, The Mount Sinai Hospital; and Assistant Director, Division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology, The Mount Sinai Medical Center.

A native of Belgium, Dr. Thys received his Doctor of Medicine, Surgery & Obstetrics degree from Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven, Belgium. He completed his internship at University Hospitals in Leuven, and a residency in Anesthesia & Critical Care in St. Jan’s Hospital in Brugge, Belgium. After graduation from medical school, he was commissioned as a medical officer in the Belgian Navy. He served as medical officer on board Belgian Navy ships and at the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant. In 1972, he also did a tour as an exchange officer with the US Navy on board USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA 42).

In 1976, he immigrated to the United States to pursue advanced training in anesthesiology. He did residency training in anesthesiology at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City and a fellowship in pediatric-cardiac anesthesiology at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. He also completed post-graduate work at the Program for Chiefs of Clinical Services and the Advanced Program for Chiefs of Clinical Services at the Harvard School of Public Health.

A recipient of numerous citations and awards, Dr. Thys is certified as a Diplomate by the American Board of Anesthesiology, is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and of the American Heart Association. He has assumed several positions of leadership within the medical community including service as President of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, President of the National Board of Echocardiography, and President of the Association of Anesthesiology Program Directors. His academic efforts have focused on the perioperative care of patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery and on the application of transesophageal echocardiography in such patients. He was a founding member of the National Board of Echocardiography and a senior examiner of the American Board of Anesthesiology. He has been an editorial consultant to several anesthesiology, cardiology, and cardiothoracic surgical publications. He is the author of more than 150 scientific publications, numerous book chapters, and two textbooks.

Last Updated April 29, 2020