Bio
Dr. Alyssa Burgart is a unique figure in the fields of pediatric anesthesiology and bioethics, with double board certification in anesthesiology and pediatric anesthesiology and over 20 years of experience in bioethics. Her role as a clinical associate professor at Stanford University in Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, and by courtesy in Pediatrics, underscores her interdisciplinary approach. This is further evidenced by her affiliation with the Stanford Program in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies in the School of Humanities and Sciences.
Dr. Burgart holds numerous leadership positions, including Associate Director of Pediatric Bioethics at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, Medical Director of Ethics for the Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, and physician co-chair of the Stanford Children’s Ethics Committee. She actively supports the Program in Medical Humanities and the Arts and is the Associate Director for Symposium. In the undergraduate school, she teaches a course called One in Five: The Law, Politics, and Policy of Campus Sexual Assault.
Dr. Burgart is an expert in difficult conversations and skillfully mediating complex choices with families and healthcare providers. She speaks nationally on bioethics, relationship-centered care, trauma-informed care, disability justice, gender equity, and reproductive justice issues.
Dr. Burgart's dedication to pediatric trauma mitigation is unwavering. She is committed to finding the most successful way for each child to interact with the anesthesia team, ensuring an overall positive experience and reducing the risk of medical trauma. She advocates specifically for children with unique needs, such as those with unique sensory integration needs. Her clinical focus within pediatric anesthesiology is on abdominal transplant anesthesiology, specifically on children weighing less than 10 kilograms (22 lbs).
Her current research projects are grounded in the just delivery of care: pediatric justice (especially pediatric algorithmic bias), mitigating moral distress and moral injury, reproductive care access (including anesthesiologists as barriers to access), and workplace violence prevention.
Dr. Burgart's influence in the field of bioethics extends beyond her clinical and academic roles. As an associate editor and digital media editor at the American Journal of Bioethics, her work is instrumental in shaping the discourse on ethical healthcare practices. Her writing, featured in JAMA, The Washington Post, USA Today, Slate, and Ms. Magazine, and her newsletter, Poppies & Propofol, are all part of her mission to enhance public education on bioethics issues in the news. She frequently engages with journalists to ensure accurate and comprehensive reporting on complex medical ethics issues.
