People

Director

Sushila Murthy, MD, MPH

Dr. Murthy is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the Perelman School of Medicine. She is also a senior scholar at the Penn Center for Perioperative Outcomes Research and Transformation (CPORT). She developed a quality improvement initiative to reduce the perioperative administration of medications that were cautioned by the “American Geriatric Society’s Beers Criteria for potentially inappropriate medication use in older adults.” She founded and directs QSIG, with the goal of harnessing the expertise and insights of diverse, on-the-ground anesthesia faculty, residents, and nurse anesthetists to proactively improve safety and quality in perioperative care.   

Dr. Murthy received her BSc degree in biomedical computation and honors in feminist studies at Stanford University. She received her MD at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and her MPH at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She completed her anesthesia residency and subsequent health services fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.  

Anesthesia Attendings

Joseph Colao, MD

Dr. Colao is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the Perelman School of Medicine. He received his undergraduate education at Johns Hopkins University and medical degree at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He completed anesthesiology residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital and cardiothoracic anesthesiology fellowship at New York Presbyterian Columbia. Since joining the Penn faculty, Dr. Colao has taken on educational positions in the cardiac anesthesia resident rotation and fellowship program. He has been involved in a variety of quality improvement roles at other institutions since he was a medical student and is excited to use that experience toward perioperative initiatives at Penn.

Caoimhe Duffy, MD, MSc, FCAI 

Dr. Duffy is Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the Perelman School of Medicine, a senior fellow with the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics and a senior scholar with the Penn Center for perioperative outcomes research and transformation (CPORT). Dr. Duffy holds a Master’s of Science in Human Factors in Patient Safety and is a Certified Professional in Patient Safety with the Institute of Healthcare Improvement. Her research focus area is on human factors engineering and safety science in the perioperative space. Dr. Duffy has engaged in quality improvement and research projects aimed at improving relationships and communication between members of the perioperative care team, including physicians, nurses, surgical technicians, and other support staff. Her current projects include a focus a “Safety-II” thinking and resilience engineering, as well as surgical front of neck access. 

Allison Lee, MD 

Dr. Lee is Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is the Chief of the Division of Obstetric Anesthesia and the Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She has been active in conducting education research involving simulation and serious games. Her clinical research has focused on topics from optimizing labor analgesia to anesthesia for cervical cerclage. One of her most influential studies disrupted the dogma that patients should be routinely tilted left during cesarean delivery. She is Chair of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology’s (SOAP) Diversity and Inclusion Committee and sits on SOAP’s Board of Directors. 

Sylvie Polksy, MD

Dr. Polsky is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the Perelman School of Medicine. Originally from New York City, Dr. Polsky completed her Bachelor of Science in Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After conducting molecular biology research in HIV pathogenesis at New York University School of Medicine, she pursued a Master’s degree in Physiology and Biophysics at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Dr. Polsky received her medical degree at Wayne State University School of Medicine. She completed her anesthesiology residency and fellowship in regional anesthesiology and acute pain medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Gurmukh Sahota, MD, PhD

Blake Watterworth, MD

Dr. Watterworth continues a passion for safety and quality improvement as a member of QSIG. He has worked on previous review committees and lead various quality improvement initiatives at other institutions. He earned his medical degree from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. He then completed training in Anesthesiology and a fellowship in Pain Medicine at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, MD. He is particularly interested in safety improvement within the perioperative pain control and interventional pain procedural spaces.  

• Ellen Dahl, MD
• Jiaxin Huang, MD

CRNAs

• Mini Mathews, CRNA
• Alice Lamb, CRNA

Anesthesia Fellows

Dan Casey, DO, MPH 

Dr. Casey completed his undergraduate studies at Brown University where he played varsity football and graduated with an engineering degree. After receiving a pre-health post-baccalaureate certificate from the University of Pennsylvania, he attended the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, graduating with a combined medical degree and master's in public health from the Jefferson College of Population Health. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's anesthesiology residency in 2025 and is now pursuing a fellowship in cardiac anesthesiology. During residency, Dan completed the Healthcare Leadership in Quality track program. Through this experience and participation in the Quality and Safety Implementation Group he hopes to build the foundations of a career that aims to improve the outcomes of his individual patients and the broader surgical population.                                                                  

Anesthesia Residents

Chris Li, MD

Dr. Chris Li completed his undergraduate studies at Northeastern University in Boston, earning a degree in Health Sciences with a focus on the intersection of administration, quality, safety, and operations. He went on to complete a combined MD/MBA program at Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Philadelphia, cultivating a passion for improving healthcare systems alongside patient care. He is currently a resident in the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care and will graduate in 2027. During residency, Chris is completing the interdepartmental Healthcare Leadership in Quality track and has participated in multiple administrative and quality improvement projects, developing skills that bridge clinical care, systems improvement, and leadership in healthcare delivery. He plans to pursue a career in general anesthesiology and integrate these interests into his clinical practice.  

Scott Zheng, MD 

Dr. Zheng completed his undergraduate studies at Johns Hopkins University, completing a degree in Public Health Studies. He earned his MD and Masters of Biomedical Sciences degrees at Duke University School of Medicine. He is currently an anesthesiology resident at the University of Pennsylvania, where his experiences have led him to pursue projects that improve patient care and safety. He is a part of the Healthcare Leadership in Quality track program, where he hopes to continue to develop skills that will improve outcomes of his own patients and the community in which he practices.

• Emily Mapelli, MD
• Bryce Liu, MD

Medical Students

Mariia “Masha” Alibekova Long, PhD 

Masha Alibekova Long is an MD–PhD trainee in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, pursuing a career in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery with a strong passion for quality improvement, medical education and mentorship. She received her PhD in Bioengineering at Penn, where she developed DNA-barcoded single-cell proteomics method for high-resolution, sequencing-based protein readouts called Proteome-seq. She is also engaged in mentorship from high school to graduate levels and has participated in global health collaborations in Ukraine. She aspires to integrate her expertise as a physician–scientist with her clinical practice to advance patient care through innovation, mentorship, global outreach, and education.          

Angela Malinovitch 

Angela is an MD/MBA student at the Perelman School of Medicine and The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a strong interest in perioperative quality improvement, patient safety, and innovation in care delivery. Angela has contributed to various healthcare transformation initiatives at Penn Medicine and Geisinger Health System, with a focus on improving patient experience and outcomes. She has also led programs connecting medical students with early-stage health equity startups, underscoring her commitment to advancing equitable, high-quality care. Her clinical and academic interests center on leveraging multidisciplinary collaboration and new technologies to enhance anesthesia safety and optimize perioperative care. Prior to medical school, Angela worked as an Associate at the Boston Consulting Group where she advised healthcare clients on strategy and operations. She holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in the Biological Basis of Behavior from the University of Pennsylvania.          

Nicholas “Nick” Szabo 

Nick Szabo is a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. He grew up in Greenwich, CT, and realized he wanted to be a doctor in high school while volunteering in the local hospital. After graduating from Yale University with a bachelor’s degree in biology, he co-founded a startup company that aimed to reduce post-operative complications through novel devices for foot and spine surgery. This company sparked his interest in improving patient outcomes through innovations. Besides his entrepreneurial experience, he has a passion for neurophysiology and received the Clinical Neurosciences Training fellowship award to conduct research in epilepsy at Penn. As a member of QSIG, he strives to make a meaningful impact on patient outcomes by collaborating on creative projects that affect quality and safety across UPHS hospitals. He will be graduating in 2027 and is planning to apply into anesthesiology for residency. Outside of the hospital, he loves trying new restaurants in Philadelphia, writing music, and cooking Italian food.          

Administrative Manager  

Heather Capuano

I’m originally from Philadelphia but spent most of my childhood in Mansfield, Ohio, while coming back to Philly every summer—a city I’ve always considered home. After graduating high school in Philadelphia with honors, I earned a full scholarship to The Ohio State University, where I completed an associate degree, two bachelor’s degrees, and a master’s degree. I’m a passionate sports fan and a die-hard supporter of the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Philadelphia Eagles, Phillies, and all things Philly sports. Outside of work, I love acting, traveling, and spending time with my parents and nieces. I’m always up for meeting new people and exploring new places—my passport is ready for more stamps! I also share my home with two amazing dogs: Cleopatra Buckeye, my beagle, and Lucy, a rescue pup. I’m deeply committed to helping animals and advocate for their well-being whenever I can.