Kevin Thornton, MD

Associate Clinical Professor
Program Director, Critical Care Medicine Fellowship
Committee Chair, Residency Well Being Committee
Biography: 

Dr. Thornton practices anesthesiology and critical care medicine at UCSF. His work at UCSF has focused on graduate medical education, clinician wellness, clinical operations, and quality improvement. He is a graduate of the Learning Health System Coach program and served as the program director for the anesthesiology critical care medicine fellowship from 2016-2023. He currently serves as the Executive Medical Director for Adult Critical Care. In this role he partners with nursing and other health system leaders to ensure exceptional care delivery for patients in our adult critical care units.

Publications: 
Sinskey JL, Chang JM, Thornton KC, Boscardin CK, Sullivan KR. Conflict Management Education for Anesthesiology Residents: Bridging the Gap in Interpersonal and Communication Skills Competency. A A Pract. 2021 Oct 01; 15(10):e01524.
Thornton KC, Sinskey JL, Boscardin CK, Sullivan KR. Design and Implementation of an Innovative, Longitudinal Wellness Curriculum in an Anesthesiology Residency Program. A A Pract. 2021 Feb 05; 15(2):e01387.
Donovan AL, Aldrich JM, Gross AK, Barchas DM, Thornton KC, Schell-Chaple HM, Gropper MA, Lipshutz AKM, University of California, San Francisco Critical Care Innovations Group. Interprofessional Care and Teamwork in the ICU. Crit Care Med. 2018 06; 46(6):980-990.
Brinson EL, Thornton KC. Preoperative Risk Assessment of Respiratory Failure. Int Anesthesiol Clin. 2018 Winter; 56(1):26-46.
Thornton KC, Schwarz JJ, Gross AK, Anderson WG, Liu KD, Romig MC, Schell-Chaple H, Pronovost PJ, Sapirstein A, Gropper MA, Lipshutz AKM, Project Emerge Collaborators. Preventing Harm in the ICU-Building a Culture of Safety and Engaging Patients and Families. Crit Care Med. 2017 09; 45(9):1531-1537.
Little SJ, Van der Heusen F, Thornton KC. Complete intraoperative transesophageal echocardiogram imaging of the extent of an inferior vena cava mass guides surgical management. Anesth Analg. 2010 Nov; 111(5):1125-7.
Liu LL, Aldrich JM, Shimabukuro DW, Sullivan KR, Taylor JM, Thornton KC, Gropper MA. Special article: rescue therapies for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. Anesth Analg. 2010 Sep; 111(3):693-702.
Coloma M, White PF, Markowitz SD, Whitten CW, Macaluso AR, Berrisford SB, Thornton KC. Dexamethasone in combination with dolasetron for prophylaxis in the ambulatory setting: effect on outcome after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Anesthesiology. 2002 Jun; 96(6):1346-50.
Issioui T, Klein KW, White PF, Watcha MF, Coloma M, Skrivanek GD, Jones SB, Thornton KC, Marple BF. The efficacy of premedication with celecoxib and acetaminophen in preventing pain after otolaryngologic surgery. Anesth Analg. 2002 May; 94(5):1188-93, table of contents.