Keith Ruskin

Background

About Keith Ruskin

Keith J Ruskin, MD is a Professor of Anesthesia and Critical Care and Director of Aerospace Medicine at the University of Chicago. His clinical practice focuses on neurosurgical anesthesia. His major academic interests include neurosurgical anesthesia, human performance, aerospace medicine, and airway management. His career has focused on teaching these disciplines to practicing physicians. Keith has worked as part of a team to develop guidelines for screening morbidly obese pilots for obstructive sleep apnea and for the management of in-flight cardiac arrest. He has developed a fatigue risk management program for physicians who must work overnight shifts and recently participated in a NASA workshop on space torpor. He is currently working as part of a team that will use anesthetic agents to study the effects of sleep on memory consolidation. Keith has published original research, review articles, and textbooks on management of critical events, neurosurgical anesthesia, and patient safety. Keith serves on the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Patient Safety Editorial Board and Committee on Patient Safety Education. He is also Chair of the Aerospace Medical Association’s Aerospace Human Performance Committee. He holds the titles of Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association, Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and Fellow of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. Keith has had a lifelong interest in aviation and currently holds a Commercial Pilot certificate with Airplane Single-Engine Land and Sea, Multi-Engine Land, and Instrument Airplane ratings. He holds a Second in Command type rating for the DC-3.