Renie Rafael Guilliod Troconis, M.D., is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management at UT Southwestern Medical Center. An anesthesiologist and board-certified undersea and hyperbaric medicine specialist, he has recognized expertise in wound care, lymphedema, and deep-sea diving. He joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2016.
In addition to his roles at UT Southwestern, Dr. Guilliod is Director of the Hyperbaric Medicine Program at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine (IEEM), where he leads the Hyperbaric, Diving, Altitude, and Aerospace Medicine team. Located at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, the IEEM is one of the premier laboratories in the world for the study of human clinical and integrative physiology, and it is a long-standing collaborative partner with UT Southwestern and Texas Health Resources. At the institute, Dr. Guilliod is also the Program Director of one of nine ACGME Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Fellowship Programs in the U.S.
Dr. Guilliod earned his medical degree at the Central University of Venezuela, where he also completed his residency in anesthesiology. He received advanced training in hyperbaric medicine through a fellowship at the University of Maryland Medical Center, becoming one of the first physicians in the U.S. to be fellowship-trained in hyperbaric and diving medicine. He also trained in these specialties with the United States Navy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In 1994, he received recognition as a U.S. Navy Diving Medical Officer, designated as the first civilian foreigner to complete this training, and graduated with honors.
Certified as a Bell/Mixed-Gas/Saturation Diver and Supervisor, as well as a Diving Medical Advisory Committee and European Diving Technical Committee med level IIb physician, he is accredited to perform medical evaluations of divers and manage diving accidents.
In 1999, Dr. Guilliod was named a Medical Director of the Divers Alert Network (DAN), and between 2006 and 2008 he served as President of the Latin-American Chapter of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society. From 2005 to 2015, he was an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Internal Medicine and the Director of Research for the Division of Hyperbaric Medicine at UT Medical School in Houston, where he was in charge of the academic program and led the management of hyperbaric emergencies. His expertise with the care of critically ill patients in hyperbaric chambers was vital to this service, which is available at only a small number of hospital-based hyperbaric oxygen therapy centers.
Dr. Guilliod has made substantial contributions to his fields with an emphasis on the application of improving methods in hyperbaric and diving medicine, as well as in imaging and clinical assessment of lymphatic diseases, focusing on the study of the lymphatic system in post-cancer treatment patients, patients born with lymphedema, and patients with nonhealing wounds. He was part of the team that developed the Near-Infrared Fluorescence Lymphatic Imaging (NIRFLI) System, which permits the visualization of the lymphatic vasculature functioning in real time. His work has allowed the evaluation of anatomical and functional lymphatic abnormalities and their potential treatments and has led to the discovery of several gene mutations and deletions responsible for triggering lymphedema – work that will ultimately translate to discoveries toward treatments and better management of lymphedema and nonhealing wounds.
Dr. Guilliod has also been an investigator for NASA, evaluating how mild hypobaric hypoxia affects human brain function, paralleling the type of environment astronauts will experience in the next generation of space vehicles.
In 2019, under his direction, the IEEM Hyperbaric Medicine Center received Level 1 Accreditation with distinction from the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society. This accreditation is the gold standard and highest honor provided to hyperbaric medicine programs in the U.S., achieved by only a select group of outstanding clinical/academic programs with the highest standards of care and patient safety. The coveted “with distinction” status is awarded to only the top 4% of hyperbaric medicine centers that are accredited to offer the full scope of services for the hyperbaric patient, including critically ill and mechanically ventilated patients.
In 2020, the Board of Directors of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society inducted Dr. Guilliod as a Fellow in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine (FUHM), and the Texas Medical Board awarded him its Conceded Eminence License.
