Maria Elena Fagan Allison

Biography

Maria Elena Fagan Allison, M.D., is Chief of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit and Staff Anesthesiologist in the Department of Anesthesiology at the VA Long Beach Healthcare System, and HS Clinical Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center. She received her M.D. cum laude from Albany Medical College, where she graduated first in her medical school class and was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. She completed her residency in anesthesiology at UC Irvine Medical Center and a fellowship in critical care medicine at the Long Beach VA Healthcare System, followed by additional training with the liver transplant team at UCLA Medical Center.

Allison has served as Division Director of Resident Education in the ICU at UC Irvine School of Medicine since 2008 and has directed multiple clinical courses, including the Surgical Intensive Care Unit Elective since 1996 and the ICU Core Clerkship from 1997 to 2010. She is board certified in anesthesiology and holds a Certificate of Special Qualification in Critical Care Medicine from the American Board of Anesthesiology. Her clinical and administrative roles have included Chief of the Minor Procedure Suite since 2011, Co-Chair of the Pain Management Committee from 2013 to 2018, and service on numerous VA committees including the Pharmacy and Therapeutic Committee and the VISN 22 Pain Management Committee.

Allison has been an active educator and contributor to airway management education nationally, serving as a workshop instructor at the American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting for over two decades, teaching techniques including retrograde intubation, percutaneous cricothyrotomy, and video laryngoscopy. She has participated in multiple IRB-approved clinical research studies on airway devices, cardiac output monitoring, and sepsis treatment, and has authored peer-reviewed publications and scientific exhibits on airway management and critical care topics. Her scientific exhibit on tracheal appliances received the Best Exhibit for Clinical Application award at the 2001 New York State Society of Anesthesiology Annual Postgraduate Assembly.

Education

• B.S., Siena College, 1987
• M.D., Albany Medical College, 1991

Distinctions

• Best Exhibit for Clinical Application, Scientific Exhibit: What Every Anesthesiologist Should Know About Tracheal Appliances, The New York State Society of Anesthesiology, 2001
• Honorable Mention Award, Scientific Exhibit: The Evolution of Modern Supraglottic Airway Devices, The New York State Society of Anesthesiology, 2000
• Alpha Omega Alpha Honors Medical Society, 1990
• Janet M. Glascow Memorial Award, having graduated first in medical school class, American Medical Women's Association, Inc., Albany Medical College, 1991
• Janet M. Glascow Memorial Achievement Citation for scholastic achievement, American Medical Women's Association, Inc., Albany Medical College, 1991
• The W. Brandon Macomber Honorary Award for achievement, proficiency and genuine sustained interest and potential in the field of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Albany Medical College, 1991