Professor of Anesthesiology
Section Chief, Neuroanesthesiology
Medical Director, UNC Anesthesiology Support Services
Education
Residency: National Capital Consortium (2011)
Medical School: F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine (2007)
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Undergraduate: University of Delaware (2003)
Work Experience
Attending Anesthesiologist: University of North Carolina Medical Center (2018-Present)
Attending Anesthesiologist: Womack Army Medical Center (2014-2018)
Attending Anesthesiologist: Camp Bastion Hospital, Afghanistan (2013-2014)
Attending Anesthesiologist: Womack Army Medical Center (2011-2013)
Dr. Samuel Blacker is Professor of Anesthesiology, Section Chief of Neuroanesthesiology, and Medical Director of UNC Anesthesiology Support Services at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He joined the UNC Department of Anesthesiology in 2018 following seven years of active-duty service as a U.S. Army anesthesiologist, where he served in leadership positions at Womack Army Medical Center and completed a combat deployment to Bastion Hospital in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Dr. Blacker earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering with a minor in chemistry from the University of Delaware before receiving his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He completed his anesthesiology residency through the National Capital Consortium at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
As Medical Director of UNC Anesthesiology Support Services, Dr. Blacker oversees strategic planning, equipment acquisition, patient safety initiatives, regulatory compliance, and professional development for the department’s anesthesia technologists and support personnel. He works closely with clinical and operational leadership to advance perioperative technology, optimize clinical workflows, and improve perioperative quality and patient safety.
Dr. Blacker’s academic interests include neuroanesthesia, perioperative brain health, enhanced recovery after surgery, perioperative quality improvement, and the application of artificial intelligence to anesthesiology education and clinical practice. His research focuses on translating evidence into clinical practice through systematic reviews, meta-analyses, international collaborative studies, and clinical guidelines. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and has served as first author on multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses in neuroanesthesia. His work has received national recognition, including 2 editorials and 2 journal podcast interviews regarding and also receiving the 2026 Anesthesia & Analgesia Editors’ Choice Second Place Award.
An active educator, Dr. Blacker directs the Neuroanesthesiology resident rotation, lectures extensively to residents, medical students, and anesthesia technologists, and serves as faculty for national educational workshops and problem-based learning discussions. He is an invited speaker at national meetings and contributes to educational initiatives focused on perioperative brain health, enhanced recovery after spine surgery, neurocritical care, and evidence-based perioperative management.
Honors
- Anesthesia & Analgesia Editors’ Choice Second Place Award (2026)
- UNC Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Research Honor Roll (2025)
- UNC Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Teaching Honor Roll (2024, 2025, 2026)
- UNC School of Medicine Academy of Educators
- Fellow of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (FASA)
Department Leadership
- Section Chief, Neuroanesthesiology
- Medical Director, UNC Anesthesiology Support Services
- Resident Rotation Director, Neuroanesthesiology
Local, State and National Leadership & Membership
- Question Editor, American Board of Anesthesiology, Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology
- Member, Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care (SNACC) Quality & Patient Safety Committee
- Member, UNC Perioperative Quality Operations Council
- Member, Department of Anesthesiology Clinical Competency Committee
- Member, Department of Anesthesiology Patient Safety & Quality Improvement Committee
Areas of Expertise
- Neuroanesthesia
- Perioperative Brain Health
- External Ventricular Drain Management
- Spine Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS)
- Artificial Intelligence in Anesthesiology
- Evidence Synthesis and Clinical Practice Guidelines
Publications
Dr. Blacker’s publications listed on PubMed
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Blacker+SN%5BAuthor%5D
Editorials, Infographics, and Other Media Related to Dr. Blacker’s Work:
Infographic:
1. Oral Boards: Humans vs. AI. Anesth Analg. 2025 Jun 1;140(6):1252. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000007554. Epub 2025 May 19. PMID: 41051305.
Editorials:
- Gaiser RR. A Beautiful Tomorrow in the World of Graduate Medical Education and Assessment. Anesth Analg. 2025 Jun 1;140(6):1249-1251. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000007089. Epub 2025 Feb 13. PMID: 39946270.
- Håndstad M, Mathiesen TI. The Meaning of Ventriculostomy-Related Infections: A Call for Consensus. J Neurosurg Anesthesiol. 2026 Jun 22. doi: 10.1097/ANA.0000000000001140. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42324933.
Audio Recordings/Podcasts:
- Blacker, Samuel. Edward Nemergut Interviews Dr. Samuel Blacker. Anesthesia & Analgesia Article of the Month Podcast, June 2025. https://journals.lww.com/anesthesia-analgesia/pages/podcastepisodes.aspx?podcastid=3
- Blacker, Samuel. The Clinical Application of Perioperative Brain Health. Audio-Digest Anesthesiology, Volume 67, Issue 1, January 7, 2025.
- Blacker, Samuel. Shobana Rajan Interviews Dr. Samuel Blacker. JNA Podcast, hosted by Dr. Shobana Rajan, November 2024, SoundCloud, https://soundcloud.com/user-370631686/jna_podcast_dr_shobana_rajan_interviews_dr_samuel_blacker.
- Blacker, Samuel. Perioperative Brain Health and the Elderly. Audio-Digest Anesthesiology, Volume 64, Issue 41, November 7, 2022
