Padma Gulur

Interim Chair, Department of Anesthesiology at Duke University

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area

About

As Interim Chair of the Duke Department of Anesthesiology, I lead a community distinguished by bold science, precise medicine, and an unwavering commitment to people. Ranked among the nation’s top departments in NIH funding and home to a top-five residency program, Duke Anesthesiology advances discovery that transforms care and improves lives. Signature innovations in perioperative optimization have transformed surgical care, safely moving complex procedures to ambulatory platforms and improving outcomes. As Director of Pain Management Strategy and Opioid Surveillance for Duke Health, I lead systemwide initiatives that integrate clinical innovation, policy, and population health to strengthen perioperative and chronic pain care, inform health policy, and reduce opioid-related harm. Through the Pain Relief and Opioid Mitigation Innovation Science (PROMIS) Laboratory at Duke University, I direct multidisciplinary efforts to optimize pain management through data-driven models that promote safer prescribing, advance non-pharmacologic approaches such as green light–based analgesia, and improve quality of life across diverse patient populations. My purpose is to advance healthcare through innovation, collaboration, and value-driven systems of care that improve outcomes and elevate human experience.

Experience

  • Duke University Health System (10 yrs)
    • Interim Chair, Duke Anesthesiology
      Jul 2025 - Present · 1 yr 1 mo

    • Executive Vice Chair, Department of Anesthesiology
      Jun 2018 - Aug 2025 · 7 yrs 3 mos

    • Vice Chair, Operations and Performance, Department of Anesthesiology
      Aug 2016 - Jun 2018 · 1 yr 11 mos

  • Duke University (10 yrs)
    • Professor of Population Health
      Jul 2018 - Present · 8 yrs 1 mo

    • Professor of Anesthesiology
      Aug 2016 - Present · 10 yrs

  • Principal Investigator at PROMIS LAB
    Jul 2014 - Present · 12 yrs 1 mo

  • American Medical Association (10 yrs 11 mos)
    • CPT Editorial Panel Member
      Jan 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 7 mos

    • CPT Editorial Board Advisor
      Sep 2015 - Jan 2023 · 7 yrs 5 mos

  • The American Board of Anesthesiology (14 yrs 2 mos)
    • Chair, MOCA Pain Medicine Committee
      Nov 2022 - Present · 3 yrs 9 mos

    • Vice Chair, MOCA Pain Medicine Committee
      Sep 2018 - Nov 2022 · 4 yrs 3 mos

    • Pain Medicine Examination Writer
      Jun 2012 - Nov 2019 · 7 yrs 6 mos