We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Roya Saffary as Vice Chair of Clinical Operations in the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Saffary brings an outstanding record of clinical excellence, operational leadership, educational innovation, and expertise in perioperative medicine, and will begin her role on June 1st, 2026.

After completing her residency at Boston University Medical Center, Dr. Saffary pursued a fellowship in Perioperative Services Management at Stanford University, where she developed expertise in clinical operations, systems management, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

At Stanford, Dr. Saffary served in the Multi-Specialty Division and practiced across several subspecialty areas, including thoracic, orthopedic, and vascular surgery. In addition to her clinical responsibilities, she played a key role in perioperative scheduling and operational management, overseeing the complex balance of staffing, trainee assignments, faculty resources, and regulatory requirements to support safe, efficient, and reliable operating room operations.

Dr. Saffary has demonstrated sustained leadership in education, quality improvement, recruitment, and faculty development. Her educational contributions include serving as Co-Director of the resident Quality Improvement curriculum and Co-Director of the OR Management Fellowship at Stanford. Most recently, she founded the Health Care Administration, Leadership, and Management (HALM) Fellowship, an ACGME-accredited hospital-based program, and recruited its inaugural fellow. A dedicated mentor and institutional leader, Dr. Saffary has served on the School of Medicine Committee on Admissions, departmental governance committees, and numerous faculty and resident recruitment initiatives. Her efforts to improve after-hours staffing and scheduling practices have led to meaningful and lasting operational enhancements within the department.

In her new role, Dr. Saffary will lead efforts to align clinical operations with the department’s mission in patient care, education, quality, and faculty well-being. Her collaborative leadership style, operational expertise, and deep commitment to excellence position her exceptionally well to advance the department’s clinical mission and support sustainable growth across perioperative services.

We extend our deepest gratitude to Dr. Mintz for his exceptional service as Vice Chair of Clinical Operations for the last 7+ years. In a role demanding strategic leadership across systems of care, workforce models, operational efficiency, patient safety, and quality, Dr. Mintz consistently went above and beyond, bringing not only expertise but genuine dedication to one of the most complex academic health systems in the world.

A special thank you to our search committee, led by Dr. Jed Wolpaw: Joan Chouili, CRNA; Anna Gitterman, MD; Nadia Hensley, MD; Pooja O’Neil, MD, MBA; Ryan Placek, MBA, PMP; Rashmi Prasad, MD; Aliaksei Pustavoitau, MD, MHS; Kristen Sheridan, MHA; Kent Stevens, MD, MPH; and Samuel Vanderhoek, MD.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Roya Saffary on this appointment. We look forward to her continued leadership and many future contributions to the department and institution.