Daniel Saddawi-Konefka

Chair, Education Scholarship Committee and Associate Professor of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School

Dr. Daniel Saddawi-Konefka serves as Chair of the Education Scholarship Committee and Associate Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School. As Program Director of the MGH Anesthesiology Residency Program, he has established himself as a national leader in medical education research and innovation.

Dr. Saddawi-Konefka's research program focuses on fostering deep independent reflection to optimize individual performance and growth in healthcare professionals. His work encompasses four interconnected areas: supporting intrinsic motivation, enhancing self-regulation, optimizing feedback utilization, and addressing barriers to help-seeking for emotional well-being. This comprehensive approach has resulted in high-impact publications in premier journals including Academic Medicine and JAMA.

Throughout his career, Dr. Saddawi-Konefka has mentored dozens of trainees and faculty in educational scholarship, co-authoring publications and guiding research project development across multiple specialties and disciplines. His commitment to developing the next generation of medical education scholars extends beyond traditional mentorship through innovative educational initiatives and collaborative research opportunities.

Dr. Saddawi-Konefka also co-founded and serves as President of the Emotional PPE Project, a national nonprofit organization that has connected over 2,500 healthcare workers to mental health resources. This initiative demonstrates his dedication to translating educational research into measurable societal impact and policy change.

His educational excellence has been consistently recognized through outstanding teaching evaluations and receipt of the Henry K. Beecher Teacher of the Year Award on two occasions. Dr. Saddawi-Konefka serves as an editorial reviewer for over a dozen major journals and as an Applied Examiner for the American Board of Anesthesiology, contributing to scholarly standards across the field of medical education.