Assoc ProfessorCrina Burlacu

Associate Professor Crina Burlacu, MD (UCD), MSc (NUI), FCARCSI, DEAA, FESAIC< Diploma in Management RCSI/IPA, is a Consultant Anaesthesiologist with the National Cancer Screening Services (NCSS), St. Columcille's and St. Vincent’s Hospitals Group (SVHG) in Dublin, Ireland. She is Associate Clinical Professor with the School of Medicine, Division of Surgery and Surgical Specialties, University College Dublin (UCD), and past Director of Simulation Training at the College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland (CAI) 2008-2022. 

A/Prof. Burlacu's clinical and research interests are in the fields of anaesthesia for breast cancer surgery and difficult airway management. Her academic interests are in the area of simulation-based education and technology-enhanced learning.

A/Prof Burlacu has played a leading role in advancing simulation-based education in anaesthesiology at the European level. Through her work with the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) Simulation Committee, she has contributed to the development of a standardized European simulation curriculum for specialist training. Her recent work has focused on promoting the integration of simulation into anaesthesiology education, supporting the implementation of national simulation training programmes across Europe, and fostering international collaboration to improve patient safety and clinical outcomes through high-quality simulation-based education. She is also the first author and driving force behind The Østergaard Declaration, the landmark ESAIC statement advocating simulation-based education as a core component of anaesthesiology training and patient safety across Europe, reflecting a shared vision between ESAIC and SESAM for the future of healthcare education.

She is Airway and Simulation Lead Consultant in the Department of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine at St. Vincent's University Hospital (SVUH). In her CAI Director of Simulation Training role 2008-2022, she led the development, implementation and delivery of the award-winning College of Anaesthesiologists Simulation Training (CAST) programme. She is Co-founder and past Chairperson of the Irish Association for Simulation (IAS) 2015-2021, and Member of the European Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) Simulation Committee since 2022. She has been recently appointed by the ESAIC Board for the position of Chairperson of ESAIC Simulation Committee for a duration of 3 years starting January 2024, to be followed by the position of past Chairperson for a further one year. In this role she will be leading the ESAIC strategy for the standardisation and implementation of simulation-based education in anaesthesiology in Europe.

A/Prof. Burlacu is an Examiner for the Membership of the College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland (MCAI) having repeatedly examined in Ireland as well as overseas. She is also Examiner for Part II of the European Diploma in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (EDAIC) and Host for EDAIC Part I (Dublin). She is an associate member of Society In Europe for Simulation Applied to Medicine (SESAM) scientific committee and mentor for SESAM mentoring programme.