Catherine Vu, MD
Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Division of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, and Pain Medicine
Present Title & Affiliation
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Associate Professor, Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2010 | University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas, US, MD |
| 2006 | Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, US, BS in Biology |
Postgraduate Training
| 2014-2015 | Clinical Fellowship, Regional and acute pain, University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, Florida |
| 2011-2014 | Clinical Residency, Anesthesia, University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, Florida |
| 2010-2011 | Clinical Internship, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas |
Licenses & Certifications
| 2016 | Texas Medical Board |
| 2015 | Anesthesiology Board Certification |
Experience & Service
Faculty Academic Appointments
Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2016 - 2023
Assistant Professor, University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL, 2015 - 2016
Instructor, University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL, 2014 - 2015
Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities
PACU Director, Anesthesiology & PeriOper Med, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2025 - Present
Advanced Airway Rotation Site Director, Anesthesiology & PeriOper Med, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2024 - Present
Other Professional Positions
Physician, Department of Veteran Affairs, Houston, TX, 2016 - 2016
Extramural Institutional Committee Activities
Faculty Member, Faculty Recruitment Advisory Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2018 - 2025
Anesthesia Lead, Head and Neck ERAS, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2017 - Present
Professional Memberships
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2024. A Case Report of Laryngeal Paraganglioma, a Rare Head and Neck Tumor. Poster. Education and Research Day. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2022. The Reasons for Cancellation and Abort Anesthesia Related Cases from 9/2021-6/2022. Conference. The Reasons for Cancellation and Abort Anesthesia Related Cases from 9/2021-6/2022. Houston, TX, US.
- 2020. The association between Oral Multimodal Analgesic Administration and Perioperative Opioid Requirement in Patients Undergoing Head and Neck Surgery with Free Flap Reconstruction. Conference. The association between Oral Multimodal Analgesic Administration and Perioperative Opioid Requirement in Patients Undergoing Head and Neck Surgery with Free Flap Reconstruction. Houston, TX, US.
- 2018. Malignant Hyperthermia. Conference. Malignant Hyperthermia. Houston, TX, US.
- 2009. Unique Relationship Between Plasma Triglyceride and HDL-C Concentrations in HIV Patients on HAART. Conference. Unique Relationship Between Plasma Triglyceride and HDL-C Concentrations in HIV Patients on HAART. Houston, TX, US.
Regional Presentations
- 2024. A Case Report of Laryngeal Paraganglioma, a Rare Head and Neck Tumor. Conference. Texas Society of Anesthesia. San Antonio, TX, US.
- 2007. A Glimpse of South Korea Healthcare: One-Month Preceptorship at Severance Hospital, Seoul, Korea. Conference. A Glimpse of South Korea Healthcare: One-Month Preceptorship at Severance Hospital, Seoul, Korea. Galveston, TX, US.
National Presentations
- 2024. A Case Report of Laryngeal Paraganglioma, a Rare Head and Neck Tumor. Poster. Society of Airway Management. Boston, Mass, US.
- 2023. A Case Report of an Unexpected Airway Tumor in a Patient with Neurofibromatosis Type 2. Poster. Society of Airway Management. San Diego, California, US.
- 2022. The Association between Multimodal Analgesic and Intraoperative Hemodynamic in Head and Neck Surgery with Free Flap. Conference. The Association between Multimodal Analgesic and Intraoperative Hemodynamic in Head and Neck Surgery with Free Flap. New Orleans, LA, US.
- 2018. Scared to Death: When Bad News can be Deadly. Conference. Scared to Death: When Bad News can be deadly. San Francisco, CA, US.
- 2017. ERAS for Head and Neck Surgery. Conference. ERAS for Head and Neck Surgery. Houston, TX, US.
- 2017. The Challenge of Managing Emergent Delirium in a Patient with a Difficult Airway. Conference. The Challenge of Managing Emergent Delirium in a Patient with a Difficult Airway. Boston, MA, US.
- 2013. Acute Hypotensive Transfusion Reaction with Concomitant Use of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors in a Neurosurgery Case. Conference. Acute Hypotensive Transfusion Reaction with Concomitant Use of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors in a Neurosurgery Case. San Francisco, CA, US.
- 2013. Anesthesia Considerations in a Morbidly Obese Parturient with Significant Coronary Artery Disease and Two Bare Stents Presenting for Cesarean Section. Conference. Anesthesia Considerations in a Morbidly Obese Parturient with Significant Coronary Artery Disease and Two Bare Stents Presenting for Cesarean Section. San Francisco, CA, US.
International Presentations
- 2026. How to Assess and Manage a Difficult Airway. Invited. MDACC and Chile Cancer Anesthesia Symposium. Santiago, CL.
- 2025. Beware of Hypertrophic Lingual Tonsil, a Case Report of a Difficult Airway. Poster. WAMM. Florence, IT.
- 2025. Use of 3D CT for Airway Imaging-A Potential for Research and Clinical Management in Anesthesiology. Poster. WAMM. Florence, IT.
- 2025. Transorbital Intubation: Techniques, Applications, and Clinical Outcomes. Poster. World Airway Management Meeting. Florence, IT.
- 2025. An Unexpected Presence of Neurofibroma Tumor in the Airway. Poster. Euroanesthesia. Lisbon, PT.
- 2020. A Data Review of Preoperative Multimodal Analgesic Administration and Perioperative Opioid Requirements for Head and Neck Reconstructive Surgery. Conference. World Congress of Anesthesiologists. Prague, CZ.
- 2019. The role of baroreflex dysfunction in airway management. Conference. World Airway Management Society. Amsterdam, NL.
- 2018. Non invasive cardiac monitors. Invited. GAP, INEN-Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasicas. Lima, PE.
Formal Peers
- 2025. Massive Transfusion Protocol Simulation in PACU. Houston, TX, US.
- 2023. Fire in the OR Simulation. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. Texas Society of Anesthesia Airway Workshop. Austin, Texas, US.
- 2023. Malignant Hyperthermia Simulation. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2022. Airway Workshop. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2019. Advanced Skills That Every Physician Anesthesiologist Should Know: A cadaveric Workshop. Orlando, Florida, US.
- 2015. Acute Pain and Regional Workshop. Invited. Kingston, JM.
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Williams UU, Owusu-Agyemang Pascal, Vu CN, Carin A. Hagberg. Flexible Intubation Scope versus Flexible Intubation Scope and Video Laryngoscopy Combination: A Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial. A&A, 2026. e-Pub 2026. PMID: 42233755.
- Bailard, NS, Mercier, D, Riccio, CA, Vu, C, Hsu, PW, Reinhardt, R, Nakonezny, PA, Hagberg, C. Protection of the nasotracheal tube tip with a red rubber catheter in adults undergoing nasotracheal intubation. Journal of Clinical Anesthesia 109, 2026. e-Pub 2026. PMID: 41447924.
- Jackson Su, Neil Bailard, Jens Tan, Jeffrey Lim, Catherine Vu, Wenli Dong, Gang Zheng. Factors Associated with Emergency Difficult Tracheal Intubation and Difficult Airway Management in a Non–Operating Room Setting at a Cancer Treatment Center. ACEQI 1(1), 2025. e-Pub 2025.
- Sharma I, Dong W, Vu CN, Zheng G. The impact of head and neck radiation on airway management: a retrospective data review. Can J Anaesth, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36271267.
- Kiong KL, Moreno A, Vu CN, Zheng G, Rosenthal DI, Weber RS, Lewis CM. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) in Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery: Impact on Return to Intended Oncologic Therapy (RIOT) and survival. Oral Oncol 130:105906, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35594776.
- Kiong KL, Vu CN, CMKL Y, Kruse B, Zheng G, Yu P, Weber RS, Lewis CM. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) in Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery: A Case-Matched Analysis of Perioperative and Pain Outcomes. Ann Surg Oncol 28(2):867-876, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 32964371.
- Vu CN, Lewis CM, Bailard NS, Kapoor R, Rubin ML, Zheng G. Association Between Multimodal Analgesia Administration and Perioperative Opioid Requirements in Patients Undergoing Head and Neck Surgery with Free Flap Reconstruction. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 146(8):708-713, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32556065.
Review Articles
- Saadia A. Faiz, Mark T. Warner, Donald R. Lazarus, Philip Ong, Kevin Proud, Kha Dinh, Lilit Sargsyan, Juan Sanchez, Maya Hoffman, Mohammad Zaidan, Ramsy Abdelghani, Philip Alapat, Katherine Richards, Sami Bashour, Nikhil Meena, Robert J Walter, Ebtesam Islam, Shawn Nishi, Catherine Vu, William Kelly, Georgie Eapen. Delivering a Regional Procedural Bootcamp for Incoming Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine Fellows. CHEST 168(6):1433-1442, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40553816.
Professional Educational Materials
- Vu CN. Airway Management Presentation, 2025.
- Vu CN. MDACC Advanced Airway Rotation for Resident Manual, 2024.
- Vu CN. MDACC Advanced Airway Resident Rotation, 2023.
- Vu CN. Pulmonary Fellow Airway Rotation Curriculum, 2022.
Other Articles
- Kapoor R, Truong AT, Vu CN, Truong DT Successful Verbal Communication Using Google Translate to Facilitate Awake Intubation of a Patient with a Language Barrier: A case report. A A Pract 14(4):106-108, 2020. PMID: 31842193.
- Vu C, Zheng G, Hagberg C Neck Radiotherapy increases the risk of syncope during awake airway management: A report of two cases. Head Neck & Spine Surgery 4(1):3, 2019.
Abstracts
- C Lim, S. Mohapatra, Nekoobahr, S. Kee, S. Bradley, A. Hendon, E. Lai, C. Mensah, P. Owusu-Agyemang, A. Owusu-Agyemang, Vu CN. Transorbital Intubation: Techniques, Applications, and Clinical Outcomes. WAMM, 2025. e-Pub 2025.
- Vu CN, Tinsu Pan, David Ferson. Use of 3D CT for Airway Imaging-A potential for Research and Clinical Management in Anesthesiology. WAMM, 2025. e-Pub 2025.
- Maria Ramirez, Juan F Villa, Owolabi Adebukola, Jessica Brown, Julie Mani, Edward Tsai, William Webster, Vu CN. Less is More; Awake Tracheostomy for Acute Upper Airway Obstruction Due to Epiglottic Mass. WAMM, 2025. e-Pub 2025.
- Vu CN, Gang Zheng. Beware of Hypertrophic Lingual Tonsil, a Case Report of a Difficult Airway. WAMM, 2025. e-Pub 2025.
- A. Muthukumar, Vu CN. An Unexpected Presence of Neurofibroma Tumor in the Airway. Euroanesthesia, 2025. e-Pub 2025.
- Vu CN, Lim Cameron, Zavala A. A Case Report of Laryngeal Paraganglioma, a Rare Head and Neck Tumor. SAM, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Muthukumar A, Vu CN. An unexpected presence of neurofibroma impeding airway management noticed during intubation. SAM, 2023. e-Pub 2023.
- Vu CN, Bailard N, Lewis C, Wenli Dong, Zheng G. The Association between Multimodal Analgesic and Intraoperative Hemodynamic in Head and Neck Surgery with Free Flap. ASA, 2022. e-Pub 2022.
- Vu CN, Lewis C, Bailard N, Kapoor R, Rubin MR, Zheng G. A Data Review of Perioperative Multimodal Analgesic Administration and Perioperative Opioid Requirements for Head and Neck Reconstructive Surgery, 2020. e-Pub 2020.
- Williams III W, Vu C, Kapoor R, Cata J. Postoperative Train-Of-Four Ratio and Recovery After Robotic Prostatectomy, 2019. e-Pub 2019.
- Vu CN, Porche V, Diaz E, Zheng G. The role of baroreflex dysfunction in airway management. WAMM, 2019. e-Pub 2019.
- Nguyen L, Vu C, Kwater P, et al. Anesthetic Implications of an Ectopic Pancreas, 2018. e-Pub 2018.
- Nguyen L, Kowalski A, Vu C, Bailard N, Bellard B, McHugh T, Kwater P. Disruptive Behavior, bullying and burnout in the perioperative environment, 2018. e-Pub 2018.
- Vu CN, Shannon Hancher-Hodges, Ravish Kapoor, Linh Nguyen. Scared to Death: When Bad News can be Deadly. ASA, 2018. e-Pub 2018.
- Nguyen L, Bailard N, Vu CN. A Technique to Preserve Eyelash Integrity in Patient with Madarosis in the Perioperative Environment, 2018. e-Pub 2018.
- Vu CN, Zheng Gang. The Challenge of Managing Emergent Delirium in a Patient with a Difficult Airway. ASA, 2017. e-Pub 2017.
- Nguyen L, Ross M, Cerny J, Vu C, French K, Lim J, Goravanchi F. Anesthetic Challenges in patients with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, 2017. e-Pub 2017.
Book Chapters
- Nates JL, Price KJ. Acute Pain in Critical Care Oncologic Patients. In: Oncologic Critical Care. Springer, 2019.
- Vu C. Chapter 33: Pharmacology of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting. In: Pharmacology and Physiology for Anesthesia 3rd Edition. Elsevier.
- Vu CN. Perspectives on Anesthetic Management in the MRI Environment for Oncologic Patients Chapter. In: Oncologic Critical Care. Springer.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified July 22, 2026