Rafael A. Ortega, MD

Biography

Rafael A. Ortega, MD, a native of the Dominican Republic, is a graduate of the UNPHU in Santo Domingo and trained in anesthesiology at Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine/Boston Medical Center in the early 1980’s. He is Professor of Anesthesiology and Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine.

Dr. Ortega is a diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesiology and the National Board of Echocardiography. His interests include cardiac and thoracic anesthesia, computer-assisted instruction, and education in anesthesiology. He has served in various committees with American Society of Anesthesiologists, Massachusetts Society of Anesthesiologists and the Wood Library Museum.

Dr. Ortega has published a variety of papers, book chapters, and multimedia programs in a broad range of topics including airway management, operating room hazards, and the history of his specialty. In 2006, he published the book Written in Granite and spearheaded the restoration of the Ether Monument in the Boston Public Garden. With the proceeds from this book, a maintenance fund was created to assure the monument’s continuing preservation. His most recent work includes the publication of a series of clinical procedure videos in New England Journal of Medicine and a multilingual instructional program for the World Health Organization’s Global Pulse Oximetry Project.

As Assistant Dean of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, he is responsible for fostering diversity and cultural competence among students, faculty, and staff. Dr. Ortega works with four Assistant Deans. Together they form a formidable team striving to make Boston University Medical Campus as heterogeneous and inclusive as possible. Dr. Ortega is committed to unquestionable openness and inclusion, promoting relations among all groups, and inspiring students and faculty to learn from each other while appreciating their differences.