Dr. Alan Curle To Step Down as Medical Director of Perioperative Services in June

Alan E. Curle, M.D.

Alan E. Curle, M.D., FASA, Medical Director of Perioperative Services, UR Medicine/Highland Hospital, will be stepping down on June 30, 2024, having served as the department’s leader for more than 20 years. Dr. Curle, Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, will continue to serve in a faculty position at the Center for Perioperative Medicine and as an anesthesiologist at Highland.

During his tenure, Dr. Curle facilitated a culture of collaboration with surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and staff with a primary focus on enhanced patient safety. Under his leadership this focus never wavered despite numerous challenges including a pandemic and growth of the operating rooms from 8 to 17 and a surgical volume from less than 700 cases per month to more than 1,300 cases per month. 

Dr. Curle received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Tennessee Center for Health Sciences. As a member of the United States Air Force, he completed his anesthesiology residency at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center, San Antonio TX, before completing his fellowship in neuro and thoracic anesthesiology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He came to Highland in 1993 and was named Chief of Anesthesiology and Co-Medical Director of Perioperative Services in 2001. He became the sole Medical Director in 2010 when he stepped down as Chief.

Dr. Curle’s commitment to UR Medicine and Highland goes beyond his medical responsibilities. He and his husband, Andrew London, Ph.D., are original members of the George Eastman Circle, Centennial Award recipients from the Eastman School and are Wilson Circle contributors at the University of Rochester. They have sponsored a student at the Eastman School of Music for more than 20 years and established a scholarship for the school in 2020.  He and Dr. London have served as chairs of the Highland Gala and under their leadership the 2018 Gala raised $100,000 more than in previous years. Dr. Curle is also a fellow of the American Society of Anesthesiology and a Past President of the New York State Society of Anesthesiologists. “I feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have had a real impact on safety and outcomes and to serve our patients and my colleagues in a meaningful way in this role,” said Dr. Curle. ”I feel very fortunate to be at Highland, a hospital that nurtures a family feel while delivering the highest quality of care.” A search is being conducted for his successor.

2/13/2024