Distinguished Teaching Professor
James Griffin, M.D., is a Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He specializes in the use of non-narcotic pain medication in anesthesiology (multimodal anesthesia) and enhanced recovery after anesthesia (ERAS) for robotic surgery.
Dr. Griffin earned his medical degree at UT Southwestern, where he also completed his residency in anesthesiology. He received subspecialty training in anesthesia for neurological surgery at Parkland Memorial Hospital and UT Southwestern’s Zale Lipshy Pavilion – William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital.
Certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology, he joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 1990.
Dr. Griffin is Chief of Parkland’s Anesthesia Services and Vice Chairman of the UT Southwestern Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management for Parkland Hospital Affairs.
Since 2010, he has held the title of Distinguished Teaching Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Management, which accompanied his election as a Fellow and member of the Southwestern Academy of Teachers at UT Southwestern Medical School. In addition, he is a member of UTSW’s Admissions Committee and Student Awards Committee.
Dr. Griffin’s clinical teaching is centered on airway management, non-opiate analgesic receptors for perioperative pain management, novel technologies for intraoperative monitoring of surgical patients, and the integration of electronic methodology and devices for delivery of education resources for point-of-care enhancement.
During his 23-year service as Director of Medical Student Education in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management, Dr. Griffin led the development and expansion of senior medical student elective courses. He served as the department’s Director of Resident Education for nine years. He also developed and implemented an innovative, in-training, focused curriculum that has become a national model for the education of residents who are beginning clinical training in anesthesiology.
Dr. Griffin is Secretary of the National Medical Association’s Anesthesiology Section and has served as the moderator, a content developer, and a lecturer for the Multidisciplinary Pain Symposium held during the association’s annual meeting. He is a Director of the Evelyn E. Henley Anesthesia Society and serves on the Society for Education in Anesthesia’s Medical Student Education Committee and the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Subcommittee on Professional Issues.
He served as a public member and Chief Medical Executive of the Correctional Managed Health Care System for the State of Texas for more than a decade.
In 2011, the UT Southwestern Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management established The James D. Griffin M.D. Medical Student Teaching Award, which is given annually to a faculty member who has exhibited excellence and dedication to the medical student educational experience.
In 2021, Dr. Griffin received UT Southwestern’s Institutional Service Award.