Skip to main content

Make a Gift

UNC Department of Anesthesiology is pleased to congratulate Harendra Arora, MD, FASA, for being named the next Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). In February 2023, Dr. Arora departs UNC for his fourth flagship academic medical center. He brings to a top UMMC departmental post a wealth of institutional and field leadership from a 20+ year career spanning UNC, the University of Arkansas and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

As chief resident and a Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology fellow at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Dr. Arora was seen as a promising future leader in academic medicine to his mentors. Three years into practice, he was appointed Acting Chief of Anesthesiology (2004) at Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. Over two years at Cleveland Clinic Foundation (2007-2009), Dr. Arora grew more dedicated to practicing in large academic medical centers.

Over 13 years at UNC (2009-Present), Dr. Arora has served as a soft-spoken, compassionate physician-scholar with a fierce commitment to excellence in academic anesthesiology. In 2015, he was named UNC Anesthesiology’s first Edward A. Norfleet, MD ’70 Distinguished Professor in Anesthesiology. As the Department’s Residency Program Director (2012-2020) and Vice Chair for Education (2013-Present), this gifted mentor is to thank for the guidance he’s brought to a generation of learners within the Department. Dr. Arora played a key leader in developing the present-day national standard for American Board of Anesthesiology physician anesthesiologist certification.

To the State of the Mississippi, Dr. Arora brings multiple subspecialty strengths and a portfolio of research achievement and activity. His expertise includes advanced perioperative transesophageal echocardiography, liver transplant and vascular anesthesia, cardiothoracic anesthesia, and regional anesthesia, among other areas.  Within UNC Anesthesiology, Dr. Arora has been recognized as both Clinical Researcher of the Year (2018-2019) and repeatedly among the Department’s Outstanding Clinical Research Faculty. He is the P.I. of several federally grant-funded research projects and has repeatedly contributed faculty mentoring to award-winning, team-based resident quality improvement projects that have resulted in a substantial contribution to evolving knowledge in the field of anesthesiology.

Department Chair Dr. David Zvara noted: “Though Dr. Arora’s departure is a true loss for UNC, we could not be happier for him. This is a tremendous opportunity for Dr. Arora to take his talents to [UMMC] and guide this department in patient care, education and research that advances the field of anesthesiology.“