Kyle S. Ahn
Biography
Kyle S. Ahn, M.D., M.B.A., FASA, is Designated Institutional Official (DIO) and Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education, Vice Chair for Academic Affairs, and Clinical Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. He received his M.D. from New York Medical College and completed his anesthesiology residency at the University of Connecticut, followed by a regional anesthesiology fellowship at Mayo Clinic. He earned an M.B.A. with a specialization in Healthcare Management and Policy from the UCI Paul Merage School of Business.
Ahn has held numerous leadership positions in medical education at UCI since 2011, including Director of the Anesthesiology Residency Program, Director of Combined Anesthesiology-Pediatrics Residency Program, and Director of the Regional Anesthesiology & Acute Pain Medicine Fellowship Program. He has served as Vice Chair for Academic Affairs since 2017 and assumed the role of DIO in 2023, overseeing all graduate medical education programs at the institution. His work in perioperative medicine includes contributions to the development and implementation of the Perioperative Surgical Home model for total joint replacement patients, examining its impact on patient outcomes, length of stay, and postoperative complications.
Ahn is a Fellow of the American Society of Anesthesiologists and has been active in national medical education organizations, serving on committees for the Society for Education in Anesthesia and the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. He has taught extensively in ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia and point-of-care ultrasound, developing educational materials including an interactive iBook on ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia. He serves as a manuscript reviewer for multiple journals and has contributed to the American Board of Anesthesiology ADVANCED Examination as a junior editor.
Return to topEducation
- MD in Medicine, New York Medical College, 2005
- MBA in Healthcare Management and Policy, UCI Paul Merage School of Business, 2023
- BA in Biology, Pomona College, 2001
Distinctions
- Fellow of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (FASA), 2018
- UCI GME Award for Outstanding Residency Program Director, 2019
- Faculty Exemplar Award, Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care, University of California, Irvine, 2019, 2021
- Dean's Award for Outstanding Innovation in Medical Education, UC Irvine Academy for Innovation in Medical Education (AIME), 2014
- Faculty of the Year Award, Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care, University of California, Irvine, 2014
- Southern CA Super Doctors - approximately top 5% of physicians, 2018-2019, 2024-2025
- The SOAR Award for Perioperative Surgical Home Project under the Prevent Patient Readmission category, 2015
- Super Doctors Southern CA Rising Stars - top 2.5% of physicians, in practice approximately 10 years or less, 2014-2016
- Physician of Excellence, Orange County Medical Association, 2018-2025
- Golden Bucket Award, Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care, University of California, Irvine, 2013, 2017
Areas of Expertise
- Graduate Medical Education Leadership
- Ultrasound-Guided Regional Anesthesia
- Perioperative Surgical Home Models
- Acute Pain Management
- Point-of-Care Ultrasound Applications
- Simulation-Based Medical Education
- Resident Curriculum Development
Recent Publications
- Martin S, Fortier M, Heyming T, Ahn K, Whitney N, Golden C, Saadat H, Kain Z, “Perfectionism as a Predictor of Physician Burnout” (opens in new tab), BMC Health Services Research, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 1425, 2022.
- Martin S, Heyming T, Fortier M, Jenkins B, Ahn K, Cappon J, Kain Z, “Do Pediatrician Interpersonal and Personality Characteristics affect Patient Experience?” (opens in new tab), Academic Pediatrics, vol. 23, pp. 336-342, 2022.
- Pfeifer K, Ahn K, Kain Z, “Anesthesiologists and Hospitalists in Perioperative Care: Together We Are Stronger” (opens in new tab), Anesthesia and Analgesia, vol. 143, no. 3, pp. 463-465, 2022.
- Tanaka P, Park Y, Roby J, Ahn K, Kakazu C, Udani A, Macario A, “Milestone Learning Trajectories of Residents at Five Anesthesiology Residency Programs” (opens in new tab), Teaching and Learning in Medicine, vol. 33, pp. 304-313, 2020.
- Kim S, Ahn K, “Epidural Catheter Management in the Setting of Elevated INR and New Onset Paralysis”, 2020. Presented at Anesthesiology Annual Meeting.
- Hammi C, Ahn K, “Transversus Abdominis Plan Block” (opens in new tab), StatPearls Publishing, 2019.
- Ahn J, Ahn K, “PBLD 9 Management of the opioid tolerant patient” (opens in new tab), Anesthesia Education Toolbox, 2017.
- Desai V, Ahn J, Ahn K, “Perioperative Management of the Surgical Patient on Suboxone (Buprenorphine and Naloxone)” (opens in new tab), Scientific American Pain Management, pp. 1-5, 2016.
- Alem N, Rinehart J, Lee B, Merrill D, Sobhanie S, Ahn K, Schwarzkopf R, Cannesson M, Kain Z, “A Case Management Report: A Collaborative Perioperative Surgical Home Paradigm and the Reduction of Total Joint Arthroplasty Readmissions”, Perioperative Medicine, vol. 5, pp. 27, 2016.
- Schwarzkopf R, Nimrod S, Sharfman Z, Rinehart J, Calderson M, Bahn E, Harrington B, Ahn K, “Effects of Modification of Pain Protocol on Incidence of Post Operative Nausea and Vomiting”, Open Orthop J, vol. 10, pp. 505-511, 2016.
- Ahn K, “Expanding Role of Anesthesiologists - Joint Replacement Surgery in Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) Care Model”, 2016. Presented at Anesthesiology Annual Meeting.
- Cyriac J, Garson L, Schwarzkopf R, Ahn K, Rinehart J, Vakharia S, Cannesson M, Kain Z, “Total Joint Replacement Perioperative Surgical Home Program: 2-Year Follow-Up” (opens in new tab), Anesthesia and Analgesia, vol. 123, pp. 51-62, 2016.
- Phan DL, Ahn K, Rinehart JB, Calderon M, Wu W, Schwarzkopf, “Joint Arthroplasty Perioperative Surgical Home: Impact of Patient Characteristics on Postoperative Outcomes” (opens in new tab), World Journal of Orthopedics, vol. 7, pp. 376-82, 2016.
- Gulur P, Ahn K, Cyriac J, “Inpatient Pain Management - A Patient-centric, Value-based Care Delivery Model”, ASRA News, American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, pp. 17-18, 2015.
- Cyriac J, Alem N, Ahn K, Gulur P, Kain Z, “The Perioperative Surgical Home: Acute Pain Management and Regional Anesthesia”, ASRA News, American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, pp. 19-22, 2015.
- Alem N, Ahn K, Cannesson M, Kain ZN, “Perioperative Medicine and the Future of Anesthesiology Training”, ASA Newsletter, vol. 79, no. 4, pp. 32-34, 2015.
- Garson L, Ahn K, “Pain Management and Regional Anesthesia for Total Hip Arthroplasty”, Modern Techniques in Total Hip Arthroplasty – From Primary to Complex, Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers, 2014.
- Ahn KS, “Arterial Line Placement Techniques”, UCI Medical Student Handbook of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine iBook, Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care, University of California, Irvine, 2014.
- Ahn KS, “Management and Treatment of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting”, UCI Medical Student Handbook of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine iBook, Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care, University of California, Irvine, 2014.
Most Cited Publications
- Sviggam HP, Ahn KS, Dilger JA, Hugh SM, “Needle Echogenicity in Ultrasound Guided Regional Anesthesia: Blinded Comparison of Four Enhanced Needles and Validation of Visual Criteria for Evaluation” (opens in new tab), Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 143-8, 2013.
- Johnson R, Duncan CM, Ahn KS, Schroeder DR, Horlocker TT, Kopp SL, “Fall Prevention Strategies and Patient Characteristics that Impact Fall Rates after Total Knee Arthroplasty” (opens in new tab), Anesthesia and Analgesia, vol. 119, no. 5, pp. 1113-8, 2014.
- Ahn KS, Kopp SL, Watson JC, Scott KP, Trousdale RT, Hebl JR, “Post-Surgical Inflammatory Neuropathy” (opens in new tab), Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, vol. 36, no. 4, pp. 403-405, 2011.
Contact Information
Email: kyle.ahn@uci.edu
Phone: (714) 456-6652
Address: 101 The City Drive South, B53-226, Orange, CA 92868, Irvine, CA 92697-1350
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Last updated on 5/23/2026.