Professor of Anesthesiology
Immediate Past Chair
UNC Hospitals CMO
Bio
David A. Zvara, MD is a well-known national figure in Anesthesiology and served as Chair of the UNC Department of Anesthesiology from 2008 to 2023. Dr. Zvara completed all of his education and training at The Ohio State University. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a physician anesthesiologist and was deployed during operation Desert Storm. Prior to joining the faculty at UNC, he was a member of the faculty at Wake Forest University, where he rose to the rank of Professor. Dr. Zvara’s academic service continued at The Ohio State University Department of Anesthesiology, where he served as both Chair and Professor of Anesthesiology. Recently, he has taken on the additional duty of Director of the Medical Center Ambulatory COVID Response Team. In addition, he is the Chief Operating Officer for UNC Faculty Physicians. His subspecialty is Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology and he regularly speaks at that Society’s annual meeting. His other current interests include patient safety and quality improvement, Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation tools, and PONV guidelines and compliance. He is a senior examiner for the American Board of Anesthesiology and he regularly teaches in the School of Medicine and in the anesthesiology residency program.
Education:
Residency: Anesthesiology, The Ohio State University (1989)
Medical School: MD, The Ohio State University (1985)
Undergraduate: BS in Genetics, The Ohio State University (1981)
What was your greatest recent accomplishment?
Being selected as Director of the Medical Center Ambulatory COVID Response Team
What national committees are you part of?
Academy of Anesthesiology
The American Board of Anesthesiology
ASA Committee on Academic Anesthesiology
SAAA Association of Academic Anesthesiology Chair
SCA Kaplan Leadership Development Award Sub-Committee
American Society of Anesthesiologists ASA Educational Track Subcommittee on Cardiac Anesthesia
The Council on Cardio-Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, American Heart Association
What honors have you received?
Fellow – American Heart Association
Best Doctors in America Best Doctors, Inc.
Best Physicians Healthy Living Magazine
Faculty Foreign Travel Award
What leadership positions do you hold in the School of Medicine?
Chief Medical Officer of UNC Hospitals
UNC FP Investment Fiduciary Committee
Carolina Value Executive Steering Committee
UNC FP Investment Fiduciary Committee
UNC SOM Leadership Initiative Work Group
Co – Chair Carolina Value Huron Perioperative Solution Team
Co-Chair – UNC Hospitals Hillsborough Campus Steering Committee
What leadership positions do you hold in local, regional or national societies?
Senior Examiner – The American Board of Anesthesiology
New education, degrees, certifications, etc. obtained:
FASA (Fellow of the American Society of Anesthesiologists)
Basic FATE certificate
Advanced FATE certificate
New education, degrees, certifications, etc. obtained:
Fellow of the American Board of Anesthesiologists (FASA)
Expert skills:
Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology
Graduate Student Medical Education
Transesophageal Echocardiography
Twitter account:
@UNC_Anesthesia