VCU news

Charles Paul Boyan, M.D., the first chief of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine’s Department of Anesthesiology, died on Saturday, May 6. He was 89.

Boyan began his medical career in his native Sofia, Bulgaria. He received his medical degree and surgical training from the University of Sofia. During World War II, Boyan was a surgeon with the International Red Cross on the Russian front.

He also earned a degree in dentistry while in Austria, but decided to pursue a career in anesthesiology. Boyan earned his degree in anesthesiology from McGill University in Montreal and spent 20 years at Cornell University and the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research conducting studies on blood transfusions and methods of warming blood for surgical patients.

His pioneering work in the field led him to an invitation in 1968 to lead a newly organized Department of Anesthesiology at the VCU School of Medicine, where he established the nurse anesthetist program.

During his career, he was recognized for numerous achievements and received various awards, both nationally and internationally, within the fields of surgery and anesthesiology. He retired as professor emeritus and department chairman in 1981, but continued to consult and teach until 1986.

For more on Dr. Boyan, visit http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/
RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137835952508.